My name is Chelsea Gray and I am currently based out of Toronto, working in the Canadian innovation ecosystem, where I often look at trends and potential disruptors to various industries. I have a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in International Development from the University of Waterloo, and a Master of Global Affairs from the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. My interests and previous job experience lie primarily in public health, food systems, and the environment. I have lived and worked abroad in Nepal and Japan, and I captured those experiences in a previous iteration of this blog. That content still exists in the archive section.
I am on a journey to becoming a futurist. Futurism, futures thinking, or strategic foresight, are all terms used to describe the practice of thinking about the future. 'Futurist' will likely never be my official job title, but the tools and methods used to think about the future are ones that I use regularly in my job, and ones that I hope to continue using in the future. The goal of futurism IS NOT to predict the future, but rather to shed light on the unexpected implications of trends we are seeing today. Scenarios and forecasts are generated using tools and methodologies that have been created by futures thinkers for more than 50 years. They do not focus on what will happen, but on what could happen. While some of these forecasts might seem unbelievable, they are based on signals that exist today, and the assumption that those signals will continue to grow over the next 10 years. The point is not to be right, but to generate possible and plausible scenarios for the future.
I have had a long-standing interest in futures thinking and have recently taken an online specialization through coursera, offered by the Institute for the Future, the preeminent organization in this work. In order to hone the skills that I learned, I will be using this blog to practice the methodologies and techniques that make a good futurist. The scenarios and forecasts that I write will be based on my own research and the signals that I have collected. I welcome all comments and feedback on my posts, as a way to continue learning and growing as a futures thinker.
I am on a journey to becoming a futurist. Futurism, futures thinking, or strategic foresight, are all terms used to describe the practice of thinking about the future. 'Futurist' will likely never be my official job title, but the tools and methods used to think about the future are ones that I use regularly in my job, and ones that I hope to continue using in the future. The goal of futurism IS NOT to predict the future, but rather to shed light on the unexpected implications of trends we are seeing today. Scenarios and forecasts are generated using tools and methodologies that have been created by futures thinkers for more than 50 years. They do not focus on what will happen, but on what could happen. While some of these forecasts might seem unbelievable, they are based on signals that exist today, and the assumption that those signals will continue to grow over the next 10 years. The point is not to be right, but to generate possible and plausible scenarios for the future.
I have had a long-standing interest in futures thinking and have recently taken an online specialization through coursera, offered by the Institute for the Future, the preeminent organization in this work. In order to hone the skills that I learned, I will be using this blog to practice the methodologies and techniques that make a good futurist. The scenarios and forecasts that I write will be based on my own research and the signals that I have collected. I welcome all comments and feedback on my posts, as a way to continue learning and growing as a futures thinker.