This page describes the flow of the scenario workshop about the futures of Laurisilva (laurel forest), conducted in Ponta do Sol in November 2014. More information about the content of the workshop can be found on the Laurisilva Futures page.

10:00 - 10:20 M-iti, FoAM

Introduction workshop:

• Futures of Laurisilva: memories of the Laura Silva experience prototype, Laurisilva walk and lecture
• Four generic futures: Dator and Situation Lab's “The Thing from the Future” game
• Flow of the day: mapping the territory, playing the game, futures wheel, scenarios, incasting, storytelling
• Expected outcome: scenario sketches for M-ITI team to use in the design of the Laura Silva Context Aware Narrative

Introduction participants:

• If you were a forest, what kind of forest would you be? Describe yourself as if you were describing a forest.

10:20 - 11:00 Feedback Laura Silva experience prototype

The day before M-ITI took the participants through an experience prototype of a transmedia/context aware narrative about the fictional herbalist Laura Silva. In this session the participants are invited to give feedback to the team, using following questions:

• what worked for you?
• what didn't work for you?
• how did you think & feel during and after the experience?
• do you have any suggestions for the team?

11:00 - 11:15 Mapping the territory

Past & present: Group discussion and recollection of memories from the previous day: walk through the forest, known facts about Laurisilva, inputs from locals and experts.

• What do we know and what do we assume?
• What can we learn from the past?
• What are the known problems/challenges/dilemmas?
• What are the good practices already existing/underway?

The goal is to create a map of the territory in which the scenarios will take place and find some constant

11:15 -11:30 BREAK

11:30 - 12:15 The thing from the future

Icebreaker using the The thing from the future. These cards are based on four generic futures which we use in this workshop, and the game can help the participants to acquaint themselves with the concepts. The deck is slightly altered by adding one object card (Herbarium), that is the part of Laura Silva's story.

• 30min play (10 mins each round)
• 3 decks / 3 breakout groups
• 1-2 rounds with usual cards; 3rd round facilitator adds the context specific object card: herbarium.
• 10min sharing

12:15 - 13:00 Futures wheel

Mapping out change drivers on a futures wheel

• What influences the changes in the Laurisilva forest today and in the near future?
• What could impact its evolution - climate, culture, technology, economy, medicine…

Draw a diagram with the forest in the middle and different types of influences around it.

• Which influences are stronger, which weaker (closer or further apart)?
• Is this influence strongly present or only emerging?
• Who influences the influencers - what is the relationship between the different drivers?

Whole group instruction (5 min) → breakouts (20min) → synthesis in one group (20min)

13:00 - 14:00 Lunch

14:05 - 14:20 Generic futures writing exercise

Individually write:

• What would four generic futures of Laurisilva look like (Grow, Collapse, Discipline, Transform)?

14:20 - 15:00 Scenario skeletons

Group discussion to create skeletons of four generic futures for Laurisilva:

• What would the generic futures of Laurisilva look like?
• What happens to the drivers and their relationships in the different futures?
• Which worldviews would be prominent? Who would propagate these worldviews?
• Who would be the main stakeholders?

Whole group discussion (~10min per scenario)

15:00 - 15:15 BREAK

15:15 – 15:40 Fleshing out the stories

Adding details to the scenarios:

• What timeframe does your scenario represent (tomorrow, next week, next century)
• What happens to Laurisilva in this scenario?
• Who are the main protagonists in this scenario?
• What are the relationships between the protagonists?
• Are there any events, artefacts or initiatives that come to the fore?
• What is the history of this future - what happened from today until your future?
• What would you call your scenario?

In breakout groups 30 mins

15:40 – 16:00 a tourist poster from the future

Tourists are the primary target group for Laura Silva's story. We therefore decided to create a prototype of a poster from the different futures…

• What kind of tourists would you want to attract to your world?
• How would you describe your world to these tourists?
• What is the setting or the place in Madeira that best illustrates this scenario?
• How do you describe Laurisilva on the poster?

Make a poster to describe your world in a few words/sentences, drawings and images.

16:00 - 16:30 ending Laura Silva's story

• What happens to the herbarium in the different futures? Where is it? What does it look like?
• Who keeps the herbarium? Who has access to it? What are they doing with it?
• What are the consequences for Laurisilva, for Madeira, for her descendents?

Describe how Laura Silva's story would end in the different scenarios.

4 breakouts (participants can stay in the same group from the previous session or change groups if they prefer)

16:30 - 16:50 reporting

Whole group discussion, with different breakout groups reporting/presenting their scenarios, posters and the story of Laura's herbarium in their future.

Short reflection for each group (questions, discussion).

16:50 - 17:00 mood

Listening circle.

We began the day by describing yourself and your mood as a forest. Do this again and see if and how your forest has changed.

16:55 - 17:00 cheers

Standing circle.

All participants take a glass and a chocolate (hazelnut schnapps from Austria and Belgian chocolates). Slowly narrow the circle with a glass in your hand and all toast at the same time, to Laurisilva and Laura Silva!