Guest post by Liin Nur: Reflections on the 2025 SOIF Foresight Retreat

Guest post by Liin Nur, one of two Next Generation Foresight Practitioners (NGFP) network members Small Foundation supported to attend the 2025 School of International Futures (SOIF) foresight retreat.

During the last week of July 2025, SOIF kicked off its 13th annual summer foresight retreat. Over the five days, I was surrounded by likeminded people who were interested and working in the foresight space from around the globe. What a (re)treat!

My first foray into the field of foresight was when I did my Master in Design at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada studying in the Strategic Foresight and Innovation program. For my major research project, I developed a new framework to envision the future of cultural identities based on my arts-based foresight research with young Somali-Canadians in Edmonton and Toronto, Canada. I later reworked this research into an article published in the special issue of Foresight. Five years on, I am an NGFP fellow continuing this exploration. 

Before the retreat, I was at a critical point in my NGFP project where I’d started to coalesce a few conversations with my community into a tangible thing. I was feeling a bit stuck and was looking for some inspiration on how to do things differently to expand my thinking. During the retreat, I had multiple opportunities to reflect on the work I was doing with my community and be inspired by the incredible work others were leading. 

Here were some of my ‘aha’ moments that stick with me until this day:

1. The power of asking the right questions: I volunteered as a convener around the question: “Is there such a thing as a preposterous future?” In asking this question, I had my own views, namely that no, for communities who have been denied access to their full histories or the ability to mold narratives about who they are and who they can be, there is no limit to the future for them because who is setting this limit? Who is deciding what is and what isn’t a preposterous future? And what harm comes with this? The value of this open conversation was that others came with different, more grounded views. For example, that this definition can be useful in a decision-making context, such as setting an organisational strategy. 
2. The value of a good story: Coming from a culture steeped in storytelling (Somalia has been called the land of poets), I realised I had taken storytelling for granted. Growing up with a family who were always creating and retelling stories meant that in my community, our way of sharing was through painting a picture of what is and what was. During a session, we had to present our strategic policy recommendations to the client and set this context in a near-future world. Using the Heart, Head, and Hands model, my group crafted a narrative that connected emotionally, made sense intellectually, and showed actionable steps. That experience reminded me that storytelling isn’t just something we do over tea to pass the time. It can be a useful tool for persuasion and impact, especially when trying to help people envision and move towards futures they want to see.
3. The beauty of unexpected connections: Three weeks after attending the retreat, I was in Nairobi for my cousin’s wedding. While there, I met with Evalin who I met at the retreat and we had a lovely conversation about our experience and takeaways. Back in London, I met my learning partner Tulsi and it felt like no time had passed at all. Each time I have met with a fellow retreat attendee, the magic of that week comes back. The most valuable part of the retreat was the fact that we came from all over the world motivated by the same thing – wanting to make the world a better place.

Since July, I’ve been working on:

1. Continuing the conversation on diasporic futures. The conversations didn’t just end when we left the retreat. Three of my co-NGFP Fellows (Ammaarah, Siddhi, and Kushal) along with Tulsi have continued to discuss what the concept of ‘diasporic futures’ means. This has been such a joy because we all come to this from a different perspective in terms of whether or not we live in our countries of origin and even where those countries are. In December, we hosted a World Café session at the SOIF Alumni and Friends event exploring Futures of the Diaspora: Reimagining the Relationship between the Global Diasporas and their Home Countries. We have lots of ideas on what kinds of projects could take form and are always looking to hear from others interested in the same topic.
2. Convening a virtual gathering of Somali people working in the foresight space. Beyond the valuable tools and methods shared throughout the retreat, one of the biggest things I learned was how powerful network weaving is. Over the past 2 years, I’ve had the fortune of connecting with other Somali people working in the futures/foresight field in Europe, North America, and Africa on all sorts of topics ranging from business, environment, and belonging. In October, I hosted a Zoom call with all of these people I’ve connected with and we’ve agreed to continue having conversations so that we can learn from and support one another. 
3. Refining the focus of my NGFP project. In the weeks that followed the retreat, I have been thinking a lot about my project. I’ve decided to make a short archival documentary focused on the story of how the Somali language came to be written. Language, and its importance, was a key learning from my earlier research with Somali youth in Canada as this was something they felt was key in tying us in the diaspora to our homeland and histories. I’m hoping that by capturing this history in a short video, accessible to Somalis everywhere, it can become both a historical artifact as well as a tool to start conversations about the future. 

The retreat was a turning point for how I continue to develop as a futures practitioner rooted in community work. I’m deeply appreciative to Small Foundation for facilitating my attendance as well as to the entire SOIF team and my fellow attendees for making five days feel like a lifetime – in the best possible way. 

Interested in learning more about the retreat?

Early bird registration is available until 31st January 2026. Register today or email learning@soif.org.uk to find out more. Group discounts are available for multiple bookings.