This summer, youth in Lalitpur, Nepal, and Phoenix, Arizona, were invited to do more than describe the challenges facing their communities. They were asked to imagine a just future, examine the forces shaping it and identify practical steps toward making it possible. Storying Just Futures fellows held two pilot workshops in the summer of 2026: July 18-19 in collaboration with Resources Himalaya Foundation in Nepal, and August 29 with Progress Pushers Arizona in Phoenix. The pilots tested an adaptable, community-centered workshop model that combines speculative storytelling, futures literacy, systems mapping and action planning.
With Resources Himalaya Foundation in Lalitpur, participants worked in small groups to explore what felt urgent, fragile, hopeful and unjust in their communities. They discussed challenges including unemployment, out-migration, rising living costs, corruption and climate-related threats to roads, water systems and other infrastructure. The Phoenix pilot was adolescent-centered and took place at Desert West Community Center in partnership with Progress Pushers Arizona. Participants began by identifying concerns affecting their lives and communities. Although they raised several interconnected challenges, they ultimately selected education as the central issue they wanted to focus on. Learn More.
The two workshops helped the fellows understand how this model can be adapted across different ages, cultures, and community settings. In both pilots, relationships with local collaborators were essential to creating an environment in which participants felt comfortable sharing their experiences and imagining a better future.