Thinking and Designing Futures

How do we want to live in the future? This question is of central importance against the backdrop of dwindling hope for the future and in view of climate crises, conflicts, wars and ruptures on many societal levels. Young people in schools and other educational institutions are especially affected. Their questions, perspectives and needs will guide the interdisciplinary educational conference "Thinking and Designing Futures": How can we enable young people to develop visions of the future and actively shape them? What kind of Future Skills and Futures Literacies do they need? With a view to language education in schools: how can they be empowered to articulate their visions in societal discourses about the future?

The conference welcomes researchers, teachers, teacher educators and other experts at the intersection of language education, futures education and societal transformation. Talks and panel discussions will address current theoretical, empirical and pedagogical perspectives on Futures Education, bringing together researchers from Applied Linguistics, TEFL/EFL Pedagogy, Cultural Semiotics and Multilingualism as well as Public Environmental Humanities, alongside experts from schools and teacher training.

📅 Oct 1–2, 2026 [1:30 p.m. – 7.30 p.m. & 10.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m.]
📍 Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Apostelnkloster 13–15, Cologne (Neumarkt)
🗣️ Language: primarily German
🆓 Free (and certifiable as continuing professional teacher training)
📝 Register by Sept 15, 2026: https://ccm.uni-koeln.de/thinking-designing-futures