We recognize that the view of and power over the future has been held by the few—and our ways of imagining the future have caused harm, whether individually or collectively. And, just as humans have had an outsized impact on our physical world, we’ve also had an immense impact on the imagined space of the future*. This matters because:

1. The present we live in exists first in our imaginations as the future. The world we will inhabit in 2, 10, and even 150 years is being shaped by how we’re envisioning and directing resources toward it, today. 

2. If our popular visions of the future only serve and reward certain views—the ones held by the few—the future we create does not serve the needs of our planetary collective. 

3. We simply cannot create a flourishing future (even for the few!) from a place of scarcity, harm, and exclusion.

Many of us at Advance Notice have been part of this system, and our relationship to it is complicated. We have simultaneously benefited, while also being excluded. 

As we look ahead to the community we’re creating here, we ask ourselves: What if the ways in which we imagine the future, and the futures we imagine, could be tools for collective healing? 

We recognize that to care for the future means that we must prioritize collective healing—in our lives, within our chosen families, in the communities we are a part of, in the vibrant cultures adjacent to our own, and in our relationship to the natural world and our more-than-human community members. Within this space, our deepest hope is that our work can enable collective healing, at all levels, for all communities. That means imagining future worlds that are better for the many.

We recognize that many of the voices, perspectives, and ways of knowing that are critical for guiding us toward a better collective future have been there all along. We’re only now—individually and collectively—beginning to listen. It’s our continued work to make sure we aren’t ignoring or discounting these voices and are, instead, doing the work to get to know them more deeply. The wellbeing, joy, pleasure, and liberation of these communities exist at the center of everything we do.

We’re committed to embodying our vision of the future through our work. We recognize that, despite our best intentions, our visions of the world will always be incomplete in some way. They will need to enliven, grow, and change as we do. Today, we consider our privilege and positionality in:

• What We Create: We’re actively rethinking what a vision of the future looks like, how it comes to life through initiatives and offerings, and how we challenge what visions are marginalized or overlooked and what visions dominate. 

• Who We Create For: We continue to broaden and rethink who our audience is and who gets to experience the visions of the future that we create. 

• How We Create: We are conscious of who participates in research we conduct, and deeply consider whose voices are absent and how we can equitably invite participation from a greater number of communities. We are continuing to expand what individuals and ways of knowing are a part of our collective. We examine how we show up for each other from different spaces of privilege.

As we benefit from material abundance, we will continue to direct resources to individuals, communities, and organizations whose wellbeing is critical to creating a flourishing future. The organizations we’ve supported materially in the past include the Audre Lorde Project, Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN), Native Women Lead, NDN Collective, and Sistering.

Part of our commitment is to keep listening, learning, and supporting you and your community. If you have ideas or feedback, please email us with the subject line “Collective Healing” at hello@advancenotice.co.

* A huge debt of gratitude to the ever poignant adrienne maree brown for her role in shaping our understanding. And thanks to the many thinkers who have brought us to this reflection: Bayo Akomolafe, the staff and writers at Emergence Magazine, Eula Biss, Tara Brach, Arturo Escobar, bell hooks, Thomas Hübl, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Melissa Febos, Joanna Macy, Resmaa Menakem, Audre Lorde, Krista Tippett and the guests of the On Being podcast, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, and Michelle Zauer.