“Megatrends in Global Interaction” Presented at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, DC (October 1, 2012) – The Global Futures Project introduced its recently published Megatrends in Global Interaction at a symposium at Washington, DC’s Gallaudet University, the world’s only university dedicated to serving the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The event brought the research of the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Global Futures Project to a new audience.

Jonathan Stevens (left) and sign-language interpreters prepare for a live, online broadcast about the Global Futures Project and "Megatrends in Global Interaction".

One of the project’s main content drivers, Megatrends in Global Interaction has been warmly received by foundations, think tanks, universities and private-sector representatives worldwide. The Gallaudet event was the first opportunity to bring the research themes of global trends and our shared global future to an audience that was predominantly deaf.

Sign-language interpreters allowed university students and faculty, and an online audience around the United States, to follow Project Director Jonathan Stevens’ two-hour interactive lecture.

The lecture’s objective was to connect members of the Gallaudet community with future trends in demographics, energy, governance, security, biodiversity and economics. The Global Futures Project provides opportunities for global audiences to understand our common future and to shape it by using the power of networks and wide-ranging online collaboration tools. The project also offers a forum for discussing new research, innovative ideas and best-practice examples in many overlapping fields.

For the Gallaudet audience, special emphasis was placed on the visual aspects for delivering this information. These include infographics, interactive maps, and the richness of futurechallenges.org, the project’s online portal. The project and the lecture reinforced the need for inclusion in any discussion of our global future.

This article was originally published on Bertelsmann Foundation’s website.