Two different stimuli where used to help children consider change and how the future might be different from the present.

One was "Where the forest meets the sea" a book by Jeannie Baker exploring visions of the past, present and future.

The other was a Christian Aid video exploring the effects of Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua and Nicaraguan children's visions for the future.

Children considered what a future world might be like. In particular the Year 2052 was considered. They thought about the world they would like to see, the world they would not like to see and the world they actually did expect to see in 2052.

They then designed posters which gave their view of the world in 2052. On the back they gave a short explanation of their poster and thoughts about the world in fifty years time.

Some children imagined a world far worse than today, a world where the warning signs have been ignored and humanity has decided not to follow a path of sustainability.

Rossana imagined that by 2052, “All the trees have been cut down and there’s nowhere for the animals to live. There’s lots of litter and pollution.
Some land has turned to desert and some homes have flooded”.

Others however thought that humanity would come to its senses and decide to reduce its footprint, embarking on a more sustainable path.

Anna May & Bethany Parker thought that, “In 2050 we think that there will be 95% less pollution and lots more people will be walking and cycling instead of driving. If anyone does have a car they will be water powered or solar powered. The water will be cleaner and more trees and grass will grow. Forests will grow bigger again as there will be a ban on chopping down most trees”.

Benedict’s poster portrayed an equally optimistic view of the world in 2052: “This is a good world. It is good because the Government have actually tried and succeeded in cutting pollution and green house gas levels. There are wind farms and houses underground…to conserve the heat inside. The chimneys are not pollution, they just let fresh air in. There is also a factory try to generate electricity with air pressure”.