Phase 1: June – December 2022
Preparing the ground and kicking off the initiative
To prepare the ground, a landscape mapping was conducted to better understand crises and trends impacting civic space as well as the strengths and weaknesses of (I)CSOs’ responses. The mapping analyses what (I)CSOs have learnt from past and present crises that can inform future scenarios for civil society operating space and identified gaps that require collective sector approaches.
Mapping the landscape: Anticipating futures for civil society operating space
The mapping outlines the current landscape: crises and trends impacting civic space, strengths and weaknesses of (I)CSOs’ responses, and remaining gaps. It further introduces five “pillars” on which anticipatory capacity can be built.
ReadPodcast: Can civil society get better at anticipating futures?
The podcast series NGO Soul+Strategy interviewed Heather Hutchings and Danny Vannucchi – authors of the landscape mapping – about the main takeaways from the mapping and discussed why (I)CSOs tend to bring crisis frameworks to the fore when acting on trends.
ListenThe “Anticipating futures” initiative was kicked off at the International Civic Forum (ICF), the ICSCentre’s annual civic space conference, which brought together 60 civil society representatives to London (UK) on 2-3 November 2022. The ICF 2022 raised awareness why (I)CSOs need to move beyond reactive responses to shrinking space for civil society and become more anticipatory; showed examples of how futures thinking and foresight can be useful; and generated ideas on building collective cross-sector anticipatory capacity and actions.
The initiative was introduced to a broader audience at the ICSCentre’s Global Perspectives virtual conference on 30 November 2022 where a panel discussion was held on the value of anticipation and what is holding the civil society sector back from being more anticipatory.
Outcome document: International Civic Forum 2022
The outcome looks at trends impacting civic and civil society operating space, summarizes conversations why civil society needs to actively shape the future, and outlines discussions how the sector can approach building future preparedness and anticipatory capacity.
ReadPanel discussion: Getting ahead – Anticipating futures for civil society operating space
The recording captures a short presentation of the landscape mapping and a panel discussion at the Global Perspectives 2022 on why anticipation matters and how we can move from a “crises mindset” to anticipatory action.
Watch the recording