Letter to future generations

Description

Tuning in (10 minutes):
Exploring the DearTomorrow website, where people can leave messages to the future generations: deartomorrow.org

Participants spend 5 minutes with eyes closed, listening to hopeful music and imagining the kind of future they would want to participate in building.

Exercise (20 minutes):
The participants write letters to the future generations together, one sentence at a time. The facilitator instructs:
What would you want to say to the future generations? Do you want to ask something, for instance, or tell a secret, give advice, ask for forgiveness, or say thanks?

Everyone gets an empty sheet of paper where each participant writes an opening greeting and the first sentence of the letter. After this, participants can move freely around the room and continue any letter they wish to, always one sentence at a time. Instruct writing in clear handwriting so that the other participants can read others writing without problems.

The facilitator also begins one letter and participates in writing the others.

The participants write in silence and move around the room until every letter has about 7 sentences. After this, everybody returns to the letter that they started.

Reflection (15 minutes):
Each participant reads out aloud the letter that they started. When all letters have been read, discuss in the group what repeating themes there were in the letters and what thoughts the letters inspired. If the atmosphere in the group is safe, the reading of the letters can be turned into a small ritual. The participants stand in a circle and the facilitator marks the beginning and the end of the ritual with an instrument such as a drum or a gong. The participants take turns stepping in the centre of the circle to read their letter, figuratively sending it to the future as they do so.

Variations

Resources

Climatechangeinme.fi deartomorrow.org

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