Giving Yourself Permission to Dream: Building Hope in Dystopian Times
There are countless, pressing issues in the world as it is. But now more than ever, it's critically important to imagine more hopeful futures and dream of the world as it could be.
Course Overview
Why Dream Now?
Stories of doom and gloom are everywhere, from horrifying news stories to post-apocalyptic movies and games. Dangerous science fiction and hate-filled political agendas have come true, all while billionaires are pushing their narrative for the future of mankind. It feels like we're living through dystopia.
There’s a real possibility that the problems in the world as it is could deepen and things could get worse.
But there’s also a very real possibility things could get better, if we can imagine and build more hopeful futures for the world as it could be.
It all starts with giving ourselves permission to dream again.
That's easier said than done. There are many different rationales that keep us from dreaming. Dreaming may feel too theoretical to see real value (the classic "If I won the lottery..." thinking). It may feel like there are more pressing issues at hand, and it's never a good time. Some of us have even had painful personal experiences with unfulfilled or failed dreams.
This course challenges those ideas and offers alternative beliefs grounded in hopeful resistance, clearly structured strategy to make big dreams buildable, and a designated space to play with possibilities.
We'll utilize inspirational texts from thought leaders, emerging research on “futures thinking,” lessons from early-stage education entrepreneurs, and creative storytelling games to proactively build the future of our dreams.
How This Course Is Structured
This course is explicitly designed to help you give yourself the time and permission to dream.
We do that by providing a collaborative environment and scaffolded curriculum that facilitates dreaming and learner agency.
To that end, this course includes a deliberate blend of session formats, including presentations, dialogues, workshops, collaborative storytelling games, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, and more. The specific format of each class will reflect the content covered. For example, when we cover The Experience of Dreaming, the class will mostly be dialogue-based as we share some of our own experiences that have inspired us to dream.
While there will be additional enrichment opportunities and resources provided, there will be very little required prep or "homework" to make sure that this course is accessible to all, and that extra time outside of class is never a barrier to participation.
Where We'll Begin
Bring whatever interests, ideas, and hopes are bubbling up for you personally or professionally (e.g., passion projects, community event concepts, small business ideas, content creation aspirations, hobbies you wish you could do more with, creative curiosities, and more). Through the arc of the course, you'll explore expansive possibilities for how you can potentially bring those sparks to life.
Regardless of whether or not you have a specific dream in mind, you are welcome in this course. If you don't have a specific idea yet, you might be delightfully surprised at what dreams emerge through the process.
If you'd like to get an idea of what types of material we'll talk through in between interactive sessions before this page is updated with the full syllabus, check out some of these resources. This is completely optional, as we'll review and discuss in class as well. If you've already seen some of these, you're in the right place!
"'Lots of Extra Time and Privilege to Just Dream of Utopia': Barriers to Long Term Visioning in Racial Justice Work". Hillary Carey & Alexandra To, Journal of Futures Studies. (article)
Imagination: A Manifesto. Ruha Benjamin. (book)
Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination. Robin D.G. Kelley (book)
Emergent Strategy. adrienne maree brown. (book)
"What if we tested schools the way chefs test new restaurants?" Matt Candler. (article)
What is Effectuation Theory? | Entrepreneurship | From a Business Professor. Business School 101. (video)
Innovative Games Meta Curriculum. Curated List of Innovative Indie Tabletop Roleplaying Games. (google sheet)
If these catch your interest, don't forget to sign up for the waiting list to get updates on this course!
Additional Context
The course is designed around the Buildable Dreams framework, a model built on Keaton Wadzinski's expertise from supporting 600+ education entrepreneurs as the former Innovation Lead at national incubator 4.0 Schools.
Where most innovation frameworks like "design thinking" and "lean startup" orient around solving problems, Buildable Dreams orients around exploring emerging possibilities.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is for the person who's always had big aspirations but struggles to find the time and opportunity to build those big ideas. It's built for people who are ready to dream big, but need a little scaffolding, structure, and clarity to help them make sense of it all. It works particularly well for those who are ready to explore a new chapter in their life or career
What You'll Learn
- Learners will understand the core of their dream and be able to communicate it effectively
- Learners will be able to visualize their dream on multiple time horizons and take action to build it
- Learners will understand the Buildable Dreams framework be able to practice it independently
What's Included
Live Sessions
Interactive classes with your instructor
Session Recordings
Lifetime access to all recordings
Community Access
Connect with fellow learners
Certificate
Proof of course completion
Real-World Project
Learners will choose one of three options for their real-world project.
Option 1: Coordinate a series of "empathy interviews" and small group discussions to learn from others' experiences
Option 2: Plan, promote, and host a pop-up event, either in-person at a local library, park, or other community space, or online if needed.
Option 3: Create a comprehensive, miniature version of their big dream (e.g. if the dream is to write a book, they will write a book proposal)
About the Instructor
Imagining and Building More Hopeful Futures
At age 18, Keaton became a national leader in the Student Voice movement. In college, he founded a nonprofit to support the local education innovation ecosystem, including hosting an annual Youth Summit to celebrate student creativity. Since then, he's served as the Innovation Lead at 4.0 Schools, supporting 600+ education entrepreneurs in the early stages of idea development. Across these experiences, Keaton has developed unique insight into how to dream big and make big dreams Buildable. Where most innovation frameworks orient around solving problems in the world as it is, Keaton's Buildable Dreams framework instead explores emerging possibilities of what the world could be. Drawing on his unique expertise, Keaton offers "Strategic Dreaming" engagements for organizations seeking to engage their stakeholders in collectively dreaming big about what's next.
Frequently Asked Questions
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25 students max
6 sessions
90 min each
