Using Science Fiction To Introduce Futures Thinking To Communities in Pakistan

Ambassadors for the Peshawar in 2035 project toured the Old City. Image: Audacity Labs

Peshawar, a city in the northeast of Pakistan, is one of the oldest living cities in South Asia. It’s also the hometown of NGFP 2023 Fellows Ishtiaq Azim and Muhammad Jibran Arshad.

Driven by a deep connection to the city and a strong desire to see it reach its full potential, they decided to provoke new visions for Peshawar and stimulate imagination in the community, together with their team at Audacity Labs. Their project, Peshawar in 2035, aims to publish a science fiction storybook exploring how emerging technologies can positively influence education and law in the city.

“This project is born from a collective ambition to reimagine our beloved city, using creativity and community engagement to ignite a revolution of thought and action. We aim to inspire hope and curiosity among the youth and community members, encouraging them to think beyond present challenges and actively shape a brighter future.”
Ishtiaq Azim

To create the storybook, Ishtiaq and Jibran conducted a series of intensive brainstorming sessions and huddles with their team, local intellectuals and social activists, as well as international experts. They also carried out a signal analysis to extrapolate 2035. Now, the storybook is in the final design and editing phase, and is expected to launch this year.

Beyond the book, the project serves as a vehicle to introduce community members and the project team to futures thinking.

Hamza Khan, a legal research lead and co-author for the law story, said the experience gave him the opportunity to explore the thought process of futures thinking and design thinking, which he has started using as a law student to solve problems.

The team also reached the wider community through a participatory futures thinking workshop at the Peshawar Literature Festival 2024. More recently, they organised three science fiction prototyping workshops with school and college students, including at the festival Lahore Science Mela 2023. Students created fictional gadgets and learned about Peshawar in 2035.

Ambassadors for the Peshawar in 2035 Project took part in activities like futuring in nature and touring the historic city. Images: Audacity Labs

Additionally, Mahroosha Khan (Ambassadors Lead and Research Assistant for the law story) recruited 16 ambassadors to help promote the project idea. The ambassadors took part in online and in-person workshops introducing them to the Peshawar in 2035 project, and to the concept of future thinking. The workshops include a design session for the project, future thinking in nature (reimagining learning spaces in 2035), as well as an Old Peshawar city tour to connect them with the roots and culture of the city, and expose them to historical and archaeological sites. They’re now planning community engagement activities for the storybooks’ launch.

Ishtiaq and Jibran said the support they received through their NGFP fellowship – including a small grant, access to network sessions, mentorship and a sponsored invitation to attend the 2023 Dubai Future Forum – provided the necessary tools and connections to enhance their project.

Diverse perspectives from a global community of futurists, and mentorship from Laurie Smith, who leads strategic foresight for Nesta, ultimately led them to expand the project.

“Initially, we focused on envisioning a vibrant future for our city, but we never anticipated the launch and successful implementation of the ambassadors program. This initiative has empowered community members to become active participants in shaping our project and extends our outreach significantly,” explained Ishtiaq.

They’re already planning outreach activities for the launch of the storybook and to further promote futures thinking, including podcasts, a video series in English, Urdu and Pashto, book circles, and Future Series Discussions.

Workshops conducted with school children included an exercise to imagine fictional gadgets. Images: Audacity Labs

“We firmly believe that to reshape the future of this city, we must engage in future thinking and consciously design bold, inclusive and thought provoking visions for Peshawar.”
Muhammad Jibran Arshad

They’ve had a stellar start by bringing together a vibrant community of thinkers, dreamers, and doers, all working towards envisioning a brighter future for Peshawar.

If you want to support this project, the team is looking for community members to take part in a changemakers program. Click here to learn more, and follow their work on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.