Future Search Network
Future Search Network gives the following descriptive information:
Future Search Network is a collaboration of hundreds of dedicated volunteers worldwide providing Future Search conferences as a public service. We serve communities, NGO's, and other non-profits for whatever people can afford.
Our misson is to help communities everywhere become more open, supportive, equitable and sustainable. We also work with for-profit organizations who share these values, charging standard fees. We are a cross-cultural network, speaking many languages. Our members live in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.
Future Search Network is based on principles of service, colleagueship and learning.
Service
By removing fees from the equation for non-profits with small budgets, we open doors for our members to cooperate in meaningful local projects. These include future searches on all social issues such as economic development, school based management, health care systems integration, renewing religious congregations, sustainability programs, youth and family projects, land use and water-resource planning, technology management, Agenda 21 and community planning, and hundreds of related purposes.
We also serve with orientation meetings for potential sponsors, mentoring new members, researching outcomes, managing Network projects and writing for our web site and newsletter.
Colleagueship
We mentor, support and train future search facilitators. We assist newcomers in gaining experience and seek diversity in staffing projects.
We encourage members to work in teams. We assist each other in planning, documenting results, and holding follow-up review meetings. Because we share common principles, we can staff projects requiring large numbers of able facilitators on short notice.
Learning
We consider future search a learning laboratory for shared leadership, self-management, and sustainable planning. We sponsor internet dialogues, face-to-face Learning Exchanges, a newsletter edited and written by members and a data base of world wide conferences. Our web site is continuously updated with case studies and examples of good practice.
Through our "Ripple Research" project we collect follow-up studies, stories, articles, reports and dissertations that add to our knowledge of effective social action.