by Annie Makela, Founding Director of the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship
Have you ever written your future self a letter? I highly recommend it. For the past couple of years, I have formalized this process for myself using the Futureme.org website. We’ve had a lot of unique moments since last March, and taking time to reflect feels critical. One of the reasons teaching social entrepreneurship to young people is so motivating to me is that it allows us to imagine what might be. We needed imaginative capital more than ever this year, as it gave us hope and a sense of community care. So, take a little time to look back and reflect on what has changed and what has stayed the same, but also to imagine what might be (personally, locally, or globally) as we move forward. Write it down so your future self can laugh, smile, lament, or even receive an important reminder.
While writing a letter to your future self holds a certain amount of vulnerability and bravery, it can be freeing and fun as well. September and May in schools are full of optimism. While there is nothing quite like being an educator trying to wrap up a school year, May also represents so many moments of joy and hope. As I question and imagine the world I want for myself, my family, my friends, my colleagues, and, most importantly, for young people, here are some questions I posed to myself to think about this summer.
Dear Future Me,
What if we found more effective ways to assess students’ learning that recognize the short-term effort and the long-term impact?
What if we valued community care as the most critical form of self care?
What if we ate more kelp?
What if loneliness and disconnection from ourselves, our communities, and nature might be our next epidemic?
What if the imagination was seen as a critical form of capital and therefore treasured and protected like dollars in a bank?
What if we embraced that technology was a critical part of solving the world’s biggest problems and also made space to understand the limitations and impact it has on our daily lives?
Hugs and High Fives,
