The COVID-19 pandemic is first a human tragedy, but it is also the most serious economic crisis that Italy and the rest of the world must face from the end of World War II. The effects we are seeing are of a violence that makes us think that our habits and the society in which we live will deeply change.
Driven by the historical significance of this event, a group of alumni of the master’s in Strategic Foresight of the University of Trento decided to leverage the competences acquired, the professional background and the power of their collective intelligence to analyze the COVID19 impacts in Italy through a systemic and futurist approach.
The scope of the exercise was to explore the consequences of the pandemic and identify those areas that in the future could evolve in more evident and structural criticalities. But not only: in addition to the analytical aspect, the intent was to pursue a popular purpose, in the belief that the time has come to support and promote the dissemination of new skills in society to think better about the future (“futures literacy”). It was therefore chosen a simple approach, in order to allow even the non-specialist reader to become familiar with the systemic approach and futurist methods.
In carrying out this work, the level of deepening of the various areas is not homogeneous, due to the diverse backgrounds within the team, that was formed spontaneously and not following a precise purpose.
However, the methodical approach as well as the thematic analysis enable the understanding of the systemic dimension – and therefore the interrelated nature – of the phenomena that have been analyzed. The method utilized is known as “Futures Wheel” and it helps broaden our vision and our horizon.
We trust that all readers, from students to policy makers, will find food for thought and stimuli to take the next steps. That is, to deepen specific areas in an open and structured way, in order to drive each one towards his choices and decisions, whether individual or collective.
