The Whistler Sessions Scenarios were developed using the Transformative Scenario Planning methodology. This approach was born out of South Africa during the transition from apartheid, when in 1991-92, a diverse group of South Africans from across the political spectrum came together to develop the “Mont Fleur Scenarios”, with the impartial facilitation of Adam Kahane, currently Director of Reos Partners and author of the book “Transformative Scenario Planning” (TSP).

Over the past three decades, this method has been applied at national, regional and global levels on topics including democracy, climate change, drug policy, justice, education, land reform, food security and more. It has also been applied to national and regional futures including in South Africa, Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Israel-Palestine, Thailand, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. Across contexts, this method has consistently generated new insight, enhanced trust, increased mutual understanding, established new partnerships, and enlarged capacities for strategic foresight and leadership.

The method is different from other scenario planning approaches in that the scenarios are developed not only with the intention to adapt to the future, but rather with the intention to shape the future. Furthermore, the scenarios are not developed by think tanks or academic experts, but rather collectively drafted by a highly diverse group of individuals who have a stake in the issue at hand and represent a cross-section of a particular society, sector, or system.

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