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Letters to the Future

Facilitators Guide (January 2025)

1. 1. Our Intention
   2. History
   3. Preparations to facilitate a session
   4. Proposed facilitation formats for hosting a Letters to the Future Event

1. Our Intention:

As seniors passionate about climate change and social justice (suzukielders.org), we ask ourselves, and hear from our friends, “What can I do?”. The notion of a Letter to the Future is one such response to that question. The feedback we’ve gotten from both facilitators and participants of the sessions we’ve led so far, is that there might be value in sharing this format more broadly.

A group within the Suzuki Elders based in Vancouver experimented; we tried different formats as approaches for facilitating individuals within groups to write Letters to the Future. This allowed flexible choices available to accommodate the different leadership styles of volunteer leaders.

We provide this as a collection of some of what we’ve learned so far. We’d love to hear from you if you experiment with this idea. Please, if you feel so inclined, send us what you learned and how you may have improved the presentation of Letters to the Future. Let us know if we may share your findings, including your organization’s name, with others interested in the project.

2. History: Where did the Letters to the Future project come from?

The Suzuki Elders Letters to the Future project is based on similar ideas by writers (e.g. Kurt Vonnegut) and more widely by a project started in 2015 preceding and following the Paris climate talks.

“The Paris Climate Project asked writers, scientists, artists and others to predict the outcome of the Paris talks (the success or failure and what came subsequently) as if writing to their children’s children, six generations hence. In the letters, they told future members of their own family or tribe, living at the turn of the century, what it was like to be alive during and after the historically crucial events of the upcoming U.N. climate talks.”

https://LettersToTheFuture.org/

Subsequently, the Letters to the Future took a variety of forms and were introduced to community groups, dedicated to helping people both express their feelings about the environmental crisis as well as consider solutions that they could engage in and/or support.

The Suzuki Elders provided different formats as approaches for facilitating individuals within groups to write Letters to the Future. This allowed flexible choices available to accommodate the different leadership styles of volunteer leaders. The letters help individuals to formalize the answer to the question “What can I do?” as well as sharing a vision of a possible future. Choosing to whom participants address the letter (family, grandchildren etc. and/or politicians) is left to the individual. However, a key learning from our first year of experiments was to be very clear in our “marketing” and introduction, about whether it was a personal decision to share the letter publicly, whether Suzuki Elders were going to share the letters or post them on our website, or whether we would take responsibility for distributing them to politicians, etc.

3. Preparations to facilitate a session working with Staff in Seniors Centres, advertising, meeting room set up, equipment, facilitator preparation, etc.

Venues: Throughout the Lower Mainland of Vancouver there are many neighbourhood houses and seniorsseniors’ centres with workshop spaces. We used our connections to contact several of these spaces, offering to facilitate a conversation.

While some centres have communication processes and protocols, we offered a poster to promote the LTTF which is attached to this resource guide.

Meeting room set up, materials and equipment:
In one session, a video was shared as an introduction. We suggest testing the video set-up prior to the presentation .
Paper and pencils for writing the letters were provided and photos from magazines, provocative questions or word prompts on separate cards were placed on the tables. Sometimes the questions were posted on the wall for all to see. (See the last pages of this guide for sample questions). Resources sometimes included a list of government and politician/political party addresses and postcards to share with friends.
The room seemed to work best when set up with small tables at which three or four could sit, so that seniors could hear and talk to each other. Given the diverse population of Vancouver, there were some language issues which made it important for participants to be able to hear each other.

Facilitators: The facilitators for our experiments in 2024 had met in person, in advance of the session to agree on the flow of the session, and the role each would play. These people were all comfortable with facilitating, and had prior experience .

Proposed Formats for hosting a Letters to the Future Event

We know that facilitators of a Letters to the Future event are likely to craft their own agendas and use their particular gifts to create a powerful session. These proposed formats are simply offered as thought-starters for those facilitators.

Format 1: Structured questions to stimulate thinking about what kind of future the participants would like to see

1. 1. Land acknowledgement
   2. Introduction of the facilitators
   3. Outline of the session
   4. Self – Introduction of participants and a one sentence statement of what they hope to receive from the session or their interest in environmental issues
   5. Questions to stimulate content for the letters (have on wall for all to see). (We didn’t do this.)
   6. Encourage verbal answers and sharing but also to make notes to self about individual answers
   • • What kind of future do you wish for humanity and the earth?
     • What would have to happen now to make this possible?
     • What might we have to let go of?
     • What choices could we make now that would support your positive vision of the future? What would you like to do?
     • What message would you like to send to today’s leaders in support of your vision of the future?
     • Imagine a connection with someone living in this future? What would you like them to know about how we tried to build the future they are enjoying/enduring?
   7. Invite participants to share their vision of the future and write a letter to a family member, your future self, the children (or seniors) of the world, the candidates in the upcoming election to let them know you want them to take action to address the climate crisis.
   8. Participants encouraged to read their letter to others, if they wish.
   9. Discussion about letters and where they can be sent. Handout for the email addresses for municipal, provincial and federal leaders.

Format 2 – less structured but with prompts for writing

Less structured but with prompts for discussion and writing land acknowledgement (example follows)

“We acknowledge today that we are holding this workshop on the traditional, unceded and ancestorial lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations who lived on this land and cared for it and all its creatures for time immemorial.”

Introduction of facilitators and project: they introduce each other and each give background and interest in the project and environmental issues. The Letters for the Future project developed out of our desire to reach out to individuals, both seniors and younger folk, and talk about climate issues and the ways that we can share our ideas and make an impact with actions that we can collectively take. We hope that this workshop will be an opportunity to start to answer the question that David Suzuki says he most often hears – that of “What can I do?” By writing down our vision for the future for ourselves, our children and the future generations of the children of our world, we can formalize priorities and from there develop actions. Evidence tells us that action builds hope, & in turn hope builds action. Your participation in this conversation is one small action, and we all know that 100, 1000, a million small actions matter. By the end of this session we will have talked about what to do with our small actions.

Warm-up Participant introduction: Invitation to share two sentences about who they are and why they are attending the project with a neighbour and then report to group.

Videotape of speakers Jane Goodall, Seth Klein, David Suzuki – Recognition that it is easy to feel hopeless and despair but… There is hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94O0__ge-VA

Pictures and statements on table these are some prompts that may help you to begin your letter. Consider a moment of awe or a memory that you have that you want to capture in your story. (list of words and nature pictures). Facilitators might say something like:

“Think of a recent moment of wonder and beauty that you experienced in connection with nature; –window box, taking a walk… Share a memory using your senses (what did you see/ hear/ feel etc. (to open up the language of the imagination to bring into the imagining the future). Share with the person next to you.”

(1 min. plus 1 min.) then introduce each other and what he/she said. (e.g. this is A, her moment of wonder was…)
What might be included in a letter to future generations?

• • Reflecting on the past: Consider what has shaped the world to this point
  • Sharing experiences: Discuss how the present moment has been eye-opening
  • Offering advice: Provide guidance on how to navigate the world
  • Sharing hope: Express optimism for the future and the potential for positive change
  • Calling for action: Encourage the future generation to work towards a better world
  • Highlighting the importance of community: Emphasize the value of cooperation, respect, and support

You will have 30 minutes to write the letter and then if you feel comfortable sharing them we will have time to share some of them .

Sharing by those who wish. What would you like to do with your letter? There are many ways to make this a climate action by sending it to your children, saving it for your grandchildren to read in the future, sending it to your local, provincial and federal representatives. If you are not already involved there are many climate action groups and you have just been part of one by being here tonight. Here is a list of some of the groups for you to take home.
Closing circle: As we leave tonight let’s say a brief thought about what we are excited about after this project and what we are grateful for within our world.
(If you create your own agenda or template for facilitation, please consider sharing it with us).

OUR LEARNINGS TO DATE: After the first several sessions were held, the facilitators gathered to harvest their learning:
The representative Comments from workshop participants were posted, then grouped into common themes.

What we heard:

• • I am ashamed that I didn’t do more to prevent this catastrophe.
  • I am afraid there will be no future.
  • What’s the point? I don’t have grandchildren.
  • I’m angry! We didn’t do enough when we could have.
  • Anxiety
  • Apathy – It won’t make any difference
  • Boy! The animals are taking a beating!
  • Desire to DO SOMETHING
  • It’s not too late, but we have to ACT VERY DIFFERENTLY RIGHT NOW!
  • Love and concern for family
  • A desire for Hope
  • We’re not alone – reassuring to be in a circle of caring
  • The Chinese character for “crisis” also holds “Opportunity”
  • Giving up is not an option.
  • Now is the time for a “Brave new world”
  • All will be well,…the Earth is resilient, humans may not be.

As facilitators we explored: What we learned about facilitating these sessions:

WE LIKED: Lots of energy and enthusiasm in the group

• • The JOY of being asked/engaged
  • Lots of talk re: the 6 questions
  • Excited that we were connected with DSF
  • Gratitude for the opportunity to talk about it
  • Excellent co-facilitators

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT:

• • More clarity and specificity on where to send our Letters to the Future? postcards to send to Mayor, MLA, MP
  • What to do with our letters (often only half-done)
  • 100 or 200 years is too far in the future – maybe write to our grandchildren instead – question how far into the future to imagine?
  • Some didn’t want to write a letter
  • More time for discussion, less time writing
  • Desire for What’s Next
  • What do I actually DO?

FOR FUTURE WORKSHOPS:

• • Offer a topic and be ready for a response, or a DEVIATION! – helpful to have experienced facilitators
  • Need for a session “Climate Change 101” – some people need more education and information
  • May want to invite participants to join Suzuki Elders or co-facilitate a future session with us
  • We can now create a “user guide” to share more broadly (this is it!)
  • Go to where people, especially seniors, already gather – research other venues, also repeat session at same venues we’ve been to
  • We want more chances to talk together
  • Are there other venues of existing seniors groups where we might offer a LTTF Workshop?
  • Are there other Suzuki Elders who would like to co-facilitate with one of us, to learn and eventually deliver them?
  • Two sessions already booked for 2025

Please add your comments on our website, and good luck for whatever your Letters to the Future event reveals.