Date & time: 2 Dec 2025, 13:00–14:00 (EET)
Format: Zoom (online)
Speaker: Dr Sanna Ahvenharju, Senior Research Fellow, Finland Futures Research Centre
Dr Sanna Ahvenharju is a Senior Research Fellow at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC), where she explores how people think about and engage with the future. Her research focuses on Futures Consciousness and future-oriented thinking, particularly how these can be developed through education and other interventions.
She will deliver the talk “Futures Consciousness as an Anticipatory Capacity. What Shapes the Way We Imagine the Future—and How Can We Become Better at It?”
About the Talk
“Futures Consciousness as an Anticipatory Capacity. What Shapes the Way We Imagine the Future—and How Can We Become Better at It?”
Dr Sanna Ahvenharju will share insights from her long-term research on Futures Consciousness, a concept she co-developed to better understand how people relate to the future. The framework includes five dimensions: time perspective, agency beliefs, openness to alternatives, systems perception, and concern for others. These dimensions help us reflect on how we make decisions, set goals, and respond to change. To support this reflection, Sanna and her colleagues have developed the Futures Consciousness Scale, a psychometric test that allows individuals to assess their own future-oriented thinking. By becoming more aware of our futures consciousness, we can better navigate uncertainty and contribute meaningfully to shaping the future—both individually and collectively.
About the Speaker
Dr Sanna Ahvenharju is a Senior Research Fellow at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC), where she explores how people think about and engage with the future. Her research focuses on Futures Consciousness and future-oriented thinking, particularly how these can be developed through education and other interventions.
Over the years, Sanna has also studied complex societal challenges—such as overconsumption and biodiversity loss—through the lens of governance, examining how policies and instruments can evolve and gain public support.
Before joining FFRC in 2014, Sanna spent more than two decades working in sustainable development policy and governance. She led complex projects commissioned by the Finnish government, ministries, and state agencies, and has also worked with NGOs on municipal sustainability initiatives in Finland, Germany, and Lithuania.