Our vision: a just and regenerative future

Catalyst’s vision is to be “shaping liberatory technology for just and regenerative futures.” We've already written about liberatory technology. This article explains what the rest of our vision is about.

It covers:

• how people define 'just' and 'regenerative' in terms of our collective future
• our preferred definition of 'just and regenerative futures' (it’s evolving)
• why we want to support just and regenerative tech solutions
• an example of a digital project working to create a just and regenerative future for its community

Just futures and regenerative futures

Before we explain what just and regenerative futures mean to us, we’ve broken this term down. 

'Just' futures

When people talk about just futures they usually mean futures in which there is:

• social and economic equity
• political equality
• respect for everyone’s universal human rights 
• no oppression, exploitation or structural inequality

'Regenerative' futures

Regenerative futurism is another term for regenerative futures. Designer, teacher, futurist and start up coach Zahara Chetty describes regenerative futurism as:

“...a holistic approach that emphasises regenerating natural systems, rather than simply reducing harm.

She also says that "at its core, regenerative futurism is about creating a future that is sustainable, equitable, and thriving for all. It recognises that the challenges we face today — from climate change and environmental degradation to social and economic inequality — are interconnected and cannot be solved through a narrow or short-sighted approach. Instead, it calls for a comprehensive and holistic approach that addresses the root causes of these challenges and creates a regenerative future for all.”

Just and regenerative futures: a definition

We like Forum for the Future’s definition of just and regenerative futures. It’s clear and comprehensive and sees these futures as ones where: 

• social and environmental systems are thriving
• the planet’s health has been rapidly stabilised
• human rights are universally respected
• new economic models prioritise human wellbeing and ecosystem health over economic growth or short-term profit
• resilience and vitality across generations and geographies are supported.

It’s clear that achieving this means going beyond current Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and sustainability practices.

Why just and regenerative futures are relevant to Catalyst

In 2023 we carried out roundtables and sector research as part of our strategic review. They showed that the most recent inspiring and transformative shifts came from Black Lives Matter and the climate emergency movement. These movements highlight how the current system is broken and harmful. They seek a better and brighter future based on:

• justice for all
• acknowledging past and current power inequities and trying to counter them
• developing harmonious systems that renew and replenish, rather than extract and exhaust natural resources.

At the moment, most technology doesn't contribute to achieving this future.

Focusing on just and regenerative futures for Catalyst will help address the gaps and harms caused by the current system. We want to support just and regenerative tech innovations. We also want to help civil society to take a more inclusive and radical approach to digital, design and data. 

We’re doing this by modelling and sharing approaches that:

• build collective power
• put impacted communities at the centre of decision making
• enable new possibilities.

Understory: an example of working digitally towards just and regenerative futures

The Onion Collective is a social enterprise that works in North Somerset. It delivers community-led regeneration schemes that benefit people and the planet. 

The Collective prioritises connection, compassion and curiosity. It believes that an economy can support social, environmental and cultural wellbeing. Through its community and cultural projects, it works to show what the future could look like. 

In collaboration with social gaming studio Free Ice Cream, the Collective developed Understory. It's a digital mapping tool that communities can use to explore, measure and build their connections and relationships. Doing this helps communities:

• discover the hidden connections that bind them together
• identify and reflect on their collective strengths and purpose
• increase their resilience.

It also reveals the:

• interdependencies between sectors
• a community’s goals and how they change over time
• organisations that are working together well
• organisations that are working in silos.

The project has so far mapped ​35 communities across the UK. Its main findings include:

1. Community is often framed as being about neighbourhoods. But it’s better to define it using social connections and infrastructure, instead of size or geography. 
2. Community connectedness and mental health were in participants’ top 3 goals. 
3. In some places, statutory services were either overlooking or holding back a community's organisations and infrastructure. But in places where statutory services worked well with the community sector, their two-way relationship enabled them to make the most of their resources.
4. The maps showed that having a high density of networks is not always best (it might suggest a tribal or insular community). What’s better is a map with a dense centre and lots of connections to new information and resources.
5. Super connectors (well-connected people) are not always positive for communities. In some cases, they hoard power or resources.

Understory’s next steps include creating support for under-resourced communities. This will help them turn their relationships and networks into coordinated action.

An emergent term for Catalyst

Just and regenerative futures is a new term for Catalyst. So what we mean by it now, and how we think about it, will probably evolve.

Our vision is “shaping liberatory technology for just and regenerative futures.” And our mission is “centring community needs in design, digital and data decision making through building collective power.” We developed our mission and vision with our diverse Steering Group. After we agreed them, we carried out research on the term 'just and regenerative futures.’

We’ll be centering communities in our future work and asking them for their views. How we define this term will change as we involve more people.

We’ll be working with communities that are most negatively affected by technology. Technology that doesn’t take their needs into account. For example, disabled people who find digital services inaccessible. Or marginalised communities affected by algorithmic bias.

This work may also include social sector organisations. For example, charities, social enterprises and community groups who work with, or are led by, marginalised people.

We hope our activities will help them to positively shape future technology. The first thing we need to do is understand more about their needs. 

Our next steps

We're planning some climate-focused technology research. The focus will be on understanding gaps and opportunities. It could build on, and learn from, the Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund. We’ve looked at including the planet as a stakeholder in our sociocratic governing circles. This is an approach that some activist organisations have taken.

We’re also building a regenerative culture at work. This means prioritising rest and wellbeing alongside traditional ideas of productivity and impact.

Find out more

The Forum for the Future’s Compass for Just and Regenerative Business report is not just for businesses. It’s a good introduction to:

• what just and regenerative approaches look like
• why they’re important
• what they mean in practical terms.

Regenerative futures are the focus of many of the Royal Society of Art’s blogs and reports. And there’s more about the first phase of the Understory project in its learning report.

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Image credit: agroforestry research_harc_0074 by Mizzou CAFNR. Reused under a CC2.0 licence.