A time to embrace change and foresight
Does it often feel like our world is transforming more quickly than ever? Like we’re always falling behind the pace of change around us?
In these dynamic and uncertain times, embracing fresh perspectives and creative thinking is needed. This is how we shape the future and make way for new possibilities.
But, where to start?
Not to worry … we’re here to help!
At ICCROM, we believe exploring the future is the best way to prepare for it. That is why, since 2021, ICCROM has been turning to Strategic Foresight – a powerful set of tools designed to systematically help with anticipating change, assessing risks and opportunities, and reimagining what lies ahead for cultural heritage. This became our Foresight Initiative, a vehicle proactively driving a resilient future that is better for everyone.
The Foresight adventure kicked off with a horizon scan study to explore how broad global trends, such as demographic shifts and economic uncertainty, could impact cultural heritage. Building on this, our 2023 literature review mapped out possible futures for the sector. These insights have informed the development of a new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, developed through the Alliance for Research on Cultural Heritage in Europe (ARCHE) project, for a new EU partnership on Resilient Cultural Heritage.
These first steps sparked a deeper reflection on the ways large scale long-term trends might influence how future societies perceive, value, and interact with cultural heritage. They also showcased core Foresight methodologies and made a strong case for integrating Foresight more widely in heritage work.
The next phase was to put Foresight into action. To define ICCROM's path forward, Staff and Council came together in Spring 2024 for a series of workshops, aiming to envision possible heritage futures in 2035. Out of these, ICCROM's Strategic Directions for the 2026–2031 cycle emerged. These will be fundamental to ensuring ICCROM is well-positioned to support the heritage sector in the future.
Heritage Driver Cards: A free resource to expand outlook
To facilitate these workshops, the team gathered the intel gained from horizon scanning and the ARCHE literature review into a set of ‘Driver Cards’ meant to stimulate creative thinking about the forces driving change in our world. Having now tested them within ICCROM, we’re happy to share these cards as a free resource for anyone curious to dive into potential heritage futures.
Within the deck of cards, you’ll find 25 forces of change (or ‘drivers’) organized across societal, technological, environmental, economic, and political themes. From rising inequalities and artificial intelligence to sea level rise and extreme weather, each card provides a breakdown of a driver topic and poses a couple of questions to help unlock your thinking about its impacts.
Join the Conversation!
The future belongs to everyone. We invite each and every one of you to have a go at these cards. We encourage you to use the cards to challenge your assumptions about the future and consider various ways that these drivers might impact your personal or professional contexts.
To get you started, we’ve included a few suggestions on how to use the Heritage Driver Cards. That said, don’t let these limit you – the possibilities for these cards are endless.
Have you tried out the Heritage Driver Cards? Want to share your experience of using them in your own context? Or have suggestions for new uses, or new cards? Get in touch!
We look forward to hearing your stories and feedback at foresight@iccrom.org.