For Rockwood’s annual staff retreat, we spent the day at the Institute for the Future (IFTF), an independent nonprofit research organization in Palo Alto with a 45-year track record of accurately forecasting the future.

I walked in the door with what I see now were very restrictive ideas about “the future”. I thought it was something uncontrollable and unchanging, and the only way to avoid becoming obsolete was to know what was coming next and change accordingly.

So I was surprised and inspired by IFTF’s idea that the future is actually something we can make. They shared with us the framework they use to develop forecasts for the future, which typically provides a variety of pathways and outcomes an organization can work towards (for more, check out Executive Director of IFTF Marina Gorbis’ book The Nature of the Future).

This framework got me thinking about Vision, one of Rockwood’s practices, and how vital it is in creating social change. Developing a clear and compelling vision not only provides us with the plan for how we’re going to create a future, but it also allows us to include others in that work and gives us something to connect back to if we lose our way.

However, actually sitting down and crafting a “vision plan” can be daunting. That’s why we created this free ebook to help you plan whatever future you’re being called to make.

If you have a vision you want to share with the world, or even just clarify for yourself, this ebook will help you articulate it. Starting with some creative play and ending with how to share your vision with others, these 5 questions allow you to gather your ideas and turn them into actionable tasks so you can get started:

Happy Visioning!