In this blog, broadcaster and ‘gardener of sorts’ John McDiarmid looks at how allotments contribute to community, wellbeing and the environment in the city, and the benefits of growing our own food. My hands are full of mud as I bend down on the allotment, the noise of the M8 running like a stream. But…
In this blog, musician and broadcaster Mary Ann Kennedy looks back at the life of renowned Gaelic singer Jessie MacLachlan and asks what we can learn from her for the future. In 2045 I shall be 77, if I’m not already just an inscription on some obscure prize at the Mòd or the occasional trawl…
In this blog, writer and publisher Màiri Kidd looks at how the translation of literature between languages – large and small – can give us other windows on the world. I was once told, I’m pretty sure – and if it’s not true, I don’t care, because it would be great if it were true…
Gus seachdain na Gàidhlig 2022 a chomharrachadh, iarr Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air grunn luchd-labhairt Gàidhlig na beachdan aca a thoirt dhuinn mun àm ri teachd. Tha am pròiseact, a chaidh a ruith le taic bho Oifigearan Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, ag amas air cur ri lèirsinn a chaidh a chur ri chèile aig tachartas aig…
Gus seachdain na Gàidhlig 2022 a chomharrachadh, iarr Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air grunn luchd-labhairt Gàidhlig na beachdan aca a thoirt dhuinn mun àm ri teachd. Tha am pròiseact, a chaidh a ruith le taic bho Oifigearan Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, ag amas air cur ri lèirsinn a chaidh a chur ri chèile aig tachartas aig…
Gus seachdain na Gàidhlig 2022 a chomharrachadh, iarr Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air grunn luchd-labhairt Gàidhlig na beachdan aca a thoirt dhuinn mun àm ri teachd. Tha am pròiseact, a chaidh a ruith le taic bho Oifigearan Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, ag amas air cur ri lèirsinn a chaidh a chur ri chèile aig tachartas aig…
Gus seachdain na Gàidhlig 2022 a chomharrachadh, iarr Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air grunn luchd-labhairt Gàidhlig na beachdan aca a thoirt dhuinn mun àm ri teachd. Tha am pròiseact, a chaidh a ruith le taic bho Oifigearan Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, ag amas air cur ri lèirsinn a chaidh a chur ri chèile aig tachartas aig…
Gus seachdain na Gàidhlig 2022 a chomharrachadh, iarr Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air grunn luchd-labhairt Gàidhlig na beachdan aca a thoirt dhuinn mun àm ri teachd. Tha am pròiseact, a chaidh a ruith le taic bho Oifigearan Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, ag amas air cur ri lèirsinn a chaidh a chur ri chèile aig tachartas aig…
Gus seachdain na Gàidhlig 2022 a chomharrachadh, iarr Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air grunn luchd-labhairt Gàidhlig na beachdan aca a thoirt dhuinn mun àm ri teachd. Tha am pròiseact, a chaidh a ruith le taic bho Oifigearan Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, ag amas air cur ri lèirsinn a chaidh a chur ri chèile aig tachartas aig…
Gus seachdain na Gàidhlig 2022 a chomharrachadh, iarr Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air grunn luchd-labhairt Gàidhlig na beachdan aca a thoirt dhuinn mun àm ri teachd. Tha am pròiseact, a chaidh a ruith le taic bho Oifigearan Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, ag amas air cur ri lèirsinn a chaidh a chur ri chèile aig tachartas aig…
If a week is a long time in politics, how can Parliaments and Governments take decisions for our long-term future? This seminar in March 2022 explored what Scotland can learn from Wales.
Gus seachdain na Gàidhlig 2022 a chomharrachadh, iarr Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air grunn luchd-labhairt Gàidhlig na beachdan aca a thoirt dhuinn mun àm ri teachd. Tha am pròiseact, a chaidh a ruith le taic bho Oifigearan Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, ag amas air cur ri lèirsinn a chaidh a chur ri chèile aig tachartas aig…
To mark Seachdain na Gàidhlig (Gaelic week) this year, the Futures Forum will publish a series of Gaelic blogs specially commissioned for the occasion. In our event on the future of Gaelic in 2019, one participant shared a vision of a Scotland where “Gaelic is visible and audible in public life, with Gaelic routinely used for non-Gaelic…
Round-table discussion in March 2022 with Scottish Parliament Education Committee: How will and should the learning experience in schools continue to change alongside developments in society and technology?
Round-table discussion in February 2022 with Scottish Parliament Education Committee: In a time of change, who should run Scotland’s schools?
This COP26 event asked parliamentarians, advisers, citizens & academics to explore how Parliaments must evolve in the context of a Code Red for humanity.
After taking part in a 2021 Festival of Politics event on Scotland as a sustainable society in 2045, writer James Robertson shares his reflections on our future
An update from the Scottish Parliament’s think-tank from autumn 2021. It includes information on the Festival of Politics and new directors.
Online discussion from September 2021: What does a sustainable Scotland look like? How can we build a society that works for all our citizens? What changes do we need to make as individuals?
18 August 2021 – Online seminar with Scotland’s Climate Assembly: How should Scotland change to tackle the climate emergency in an effective and fair way?
Update on board changes and plans from Scotland’s Futures Forum from summer 2021.
Scotland’s Futures Forum is the Scottish Parliament’s futures think-tank. Our work is designed to inform MSPs and enable them to consider the effects of decisions taken today on Scotland’s long-term future. In the fifth session of the Scottish Parliament, from May 2016 to March 2021, we fulfilled our remit to promote research and to stimulate…
Can we do politics differently? This seminar in January 2021 explored what the Scottish Parliament can learn from the work of the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland.
Conference asking participants to take a step back from the day-to-day challenges of Covid-19 and consider the future: where next for education in Scotland?
As part of our conference with the Goodison Group in Scotland “What’s next for education in Scotland?” , we were keen to highlight the great work and innovation already possible in Scottish education and learning, including anything that has been introduced because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Creative Bravery Festival Team described these as ‘pockets…
2020 has been a year like no other. Often, it has been hard for many of us to look beyond the end of the week, let alone into the long-term future. At Scotland’s Futures Forum, like many other places, our work has been curtailed in 2020 as we’ve adapted to changing circumstances. But before the…
The Scotland 2030 Programme has been an investigation into the kind of country we want Scotland to be in 2030 and beyond. Through it, Scotland’s Futures Forum has explored how Scottish culture and society is changing and will change. We have looked at the issues through different themes and from different perspectives, with the overall…
Throughout the Scotland 2030 Programme, our event participants shared their thoughts and ideas on how to approach the future. These are 10 ideas for the Scottish Parliament to consider – with some background information to support them. A Museum of Failure If we don’t fail, we don’t learn. Using the legend of Robert the Bruce…
Stories, artwork and other creative reflections on Scotland’s future produced during the Futures Forum’s Scotland 2030 Programme
Scotland’s Futures Forum, the Scottish Parliament’s think-tank, is today publishing the findings of its Scotland 2030 Programme, looking at what sort of country we might become, and what our response might be to the great changes of the next decade and beyond. Open our report: Scotland 2030: A Positive View of Our Future The work,…
Tha Prògram Alba 2030 air a bhith na rannsachadh air an t-seòrsa dùthaich a tha sinn a’ miannachadh a bhios ann an Alba ann an 2030 agus nas fhaide air adhart. Troimhe, tha Fòram Alba air Thoiseach air coimhead ri mar a tha cultar agus comann-sòisealta na h-Alba ag atharrachadh agus mar a dh’atharraicheas e…
Thursday 19 November 2020, 7pm to 8.30pm, online and free As Scotland’s Futures Forum publishes its report into Scotland in 2030 and beyond, join an expert panel at the Scottish Parliament’s Festival of Politics to discuss the kind of country Scotland will be and how we can tackle the challenges ahead. Scotland faces unprecedented change…
After her participation in a 2020 Festival of Politics event on Scotland in 2030, chaired by Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh MSP, writer and presenter Tomiwa Folorunso shares her reflections on the next 10 years. Open the Scotland 2030: A Positive View of Our Future report Scotland’s Futures Forum has been investigating the kind of Scotland we…
Ahead of his participation in a Festival of Politics panel discussion on Scotland in 2030, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland Bruce Adamson shares his reflections on the next 10 years. Planning ahead would be easy if we had a crystal ball, but the Futures Forum’s Scotland 2030 Programme is perhaps the next best…
Scotland’s Futures Forum is delighted to partner with the Scottish Parliament on its first virtual Festival of Politics, which takes place from Thursday 19 November to Saturday 21 November 2020. With events moving online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire Festival is free to attend. As the Futures Forum brings to a…
The Scottish Parliament’s think tank, Scotland’s Futures Forum, has today published analysis which shows the large amount of space private cars take up in Scotland’s cities. The aim of the project was to look creatively at the role of transport in climate change by assessing how much space is dedicated to private vehicles in comparison…
Land-use analysis of three sites in two Scottish cities shows that private cars are taking more than their fair share of the available space. The research was conducted by Marli de Jongh, a PhD student at the University of Glasgow, during a policy internship funded by SAGES, the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society….
A story by Laura Scotland about Scotland in 2030. Written in 2020, “Chrysalis” explores the experience of a new parent in a world laden with technology.
A story by Katya Bacica about Scotland in 2030. Written in 2020, “The Thief and the Watchdog” follows a journey in a very different Edinburgh.
A story by Sophie Charlotte Baumert about Scotland in 2030. Written in 2020, “Saplings” follows a school trip into the countryside.
As part of the Futures Forum’s Scotland 2030 Programme – our aspirational exploration of Scotland’s culture and society in 2030 and beyond – we were delighted to support a short story competition to help us imagine the future. We teamed up with Cymera, Scotland’s Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Writing, and Shoreline of…
What could schooling, education and learning look like in 2030 and beyond? Starting with this question, the Goodison Group in Scotland and Scotland’s Futures Forum have been exploring education, schooling and learning in 2030 and beyond. This Schooling, Education and Learning report presents a scenario of what education might look like in Scotland in 2030…
Tuesday 10 March 2020, at the Scottish Parliament To mark the publication of the Futures Forum and Goodison Group in Scotland report exploring the future of education in Scotland, leading figures from Scottish education joined pupils from Glasgow for an event on 10 March 2020 to discuss how schooling might change by 2030. The Schooling,…
Wednesday 4 March 2020, at the Scottish Parliament In conjunction with the David Hume Institute, Scotland’s Futures Forum held a seminar in March 2020 with Olli-Pekka Heinonen, the Director General at the Finnish National Agency for Education. Olli-Pekka spoke about the Finnish approach to education and how it is preparing its people to meet the…
Wednesday 5 February 2020, at the Scottish Parliament What jobs will there be in a net zero Scotland? With a climate emergency to respond to while new technology pushes at boundaries and disrupts our lives, many jobs in Scotland will change or disappear completely. New jobs will also emerge. How can we ensure these jobs…
Tuesday 10 September and Thursday 30 January 2020, at the Scottish Parliament Open the Scotland 2030 Leadership in Education report Scotland’s Futures Forum and the Goodison Group in Scotland continued their exploration of education in the future with two events on leadership in education. The events brought together leading figures from education for interactive workshops…
Scotland’s Futures Forum continues its exploration of our future with a series of events in spring 2020. Covering the future of education, the impact of innovation and sustainability on the jobs we do, and the shared ethics and values that will shape our political decision making, these events all take a long-term perspective on current…
With the Goodison Group in Scotland, the Futures Forum has been investigating the future for schooling, education and learning in Scotland, looking to 2030 and beyond. In a series of interactive seminars, participants from a wide range of backgrounds, including education, academia, government and business, have been asked to consider our aspirations for education and…
2019 has been a busy year for Scotland’s Futures Forum. We’ve explored our shared future in urban and rural communities, hosted discussions on transformative ideas like a citizen’s income and a wellbeing economy, and welcomed the best of Scotland’s sporting leadership into Parliament to talk about their journey. Read our review of 2019
What would success look like in for Gaelic in Scotland by 2030? This half-day conference in December 2019 explored the future for one of Scotland’s official languages. Features videos and event report
A’ Ghàidhlig – cò ris a bhiodh soirbheachadh coltach? Dè a bu chòir a bhith an dàn don Ghàidhlig ann an Alba? Cò ris a bhiodh soirbheachadh coltach ann an 2030? Aithisg na co-labhairt Leugh an aithisg air fad: Bhidiothan Coimhead air bhideo an tachartais: Geàrr-chunntas bho Oifigear Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid, Alasdair MacCaluim air beachdan…
This seminar in 2019 with writer Tom Chivers explored how artificial intelligence [AI] is developing and changing our lives. Includes report and podcast.
#OurFutureScotland challenges everyone – from the First Minister and other party leaders, to leading business and technology figures, and award-winning authors and artists – to share their aspirations for the kind of country they want Scotland to be in the future. Check out the video to see what our First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Makar Jackie…
Saturday 29 June 2019, at the Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament opened its doors to the people of Scotland for an afternoon of celebration to mark its 20th birthday. As part of the celebrations the Futures Forum held a debate on what life, and the Parliament, might be like in 10 or 20 years time….
Wednesday 26 June 2019, at the Scottish Parliament Life in Scotland’s towns and cities is forecast to change significantly in the coming decades. Cities are set to continue to grow, facing the challenge of providing housing and services for new populations, while the role and place of towns in Scotland remains uncertain as traditional high…
A blog by Felix Esche, a work experience student in June 2019, on the future of our cities.
Thursday 20 June 2019, at the Scottish Parliament Since 2010, Nordic Horizons has brought six Nordic experts a year to Scotland to share their experience and expertise from some of the world’s most successful countries. It has covered issues as varied as Finnish Prisons Policy, Norwegian Outdoor Kindergarten, the Icelandic Crowd-sourced Constitution, Swedish Voting Systems…
Tuesday 11 June 2019, at the Scottish Parliament This seminar, chaired by Sir Andrew Cubie, was the second in a series of debates focusing on leadership in education, particularly leadership of change. It featured a presentation from Neil McLennan, Director of Leadership programmes at the University of Aberdeen, a small-group workshop session and reflections from…
On Wednesday 5 June 2019, former Fed Cup Captain Judy Murray spoke at the Scottish Parliament as part of the seminar series with Leaders in Sport and Physical Activity hosted by the Futures Forum and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). Judy reflected on her experience of coaching in tennis in Scotland, the lessons she’s…
On Wednesday 29 May 2019, the founder and chief executive of Street Soccer, David Duke, spoke at the Scottish Parliament about his journey through sport and the lessons he has learned along the way. Organised by the Futures Forum and the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe), this seminar was part of a series reflecting on…