The Dubai Future Foundation published a revised Global 50 Report in 2025. This shared 50 opportunities to ponder, posing What if.... questions to encourage thinking.

The Ōtautahi Futures Collective hosts What if Wednesdays to explore one of these opportunities. At each gathering one Global 50 question is explored. Each month a new person takes the lead by choosing a question from the report and designing the conversation.

Our next What if Wednesday will explore the question: What if experiencing dystopian futures inspired purposeful action towards a better future?

This is Question 21, nested under Societies Empowered. You can find more details or this opportunity here.

Host: Sam Woolf

Sam is a local to Aotearoa New Zealand and has spent the last few years in Ōtautahi Christchurch. With a background in Adventure Based Learning and Curriculum Design, he now works with Ako Ōtautahi Learning City Christchurch and the Riverlution Café. In his spare time, you can find him shooting a roll of film, facilitating ESL sessions, and training for the next XFit competition. He believes that quality learning experiences are intrinsically a human right and is always looking for examples of this in action across the city and beyond. His current interests include sustainable textiles, macrohistories, and urban design (both cultural and structural).

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How will the event run?

The conversation will take place at Beat Street Cafe from 8:00am - 9:00am. You will need to order and pay for your own coffee, food etc on arrival. The host will introduce the topic and ignite the session with some provocative challenges. There will be a chance to talk through this, and deepen thinking. Meeting together with curiosity and openness is part of us continuing to develop futures mindsets and being open to diverse perspectives. The conversation and connection is important - let's make it fun!

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Registration

You do need to register for this event so we can let Beat Street know how many to expect. And if you register please turn up. If you are up for the challenge sign up now!

Cheryl

Futures Aunty, Think Beyond