On 19 November 2025, in the Le Salon room at the Casino de Montbenon, the TRANSIT think tank invited participants to try out three games exploring themes of the future and future skills during the event Thinking in a playful way about future trends and the skills of tomorrow. Participants from the fields of adult learning and education, as well as from practice and research took advantage of the late afternoon to reflect on questions about the future in a fun way and reflect on them together.
Introduction and thematic framework
Alexandre Lecoultre (project manager) opened the event with a warm-up on the future using the questions about the future from TRANSIT. A brief presentation of the fourth TRANSIT trend report, ‘Future Skills and the Future of Adult Learning’, highlighted the key findings on Future Skills. The presentation emphasised that Future Skills are not only individual abilities to adapt to a changing world of work, but can also be seen as a collective resource for shaping the future of society. The newly printed poster, which summarises the main contents of the trend report concisey, clearly and inspiringly, arrived just in time for the event.
Playing and reflecting
The rest of the event was devoted to trying out three different games:
- Card game ‘Cards of Hope’: sparked discussions about desirable futures from different perspectives and contexts, varying time frames and multiple themes.
- Card game ‘Futures Cards’: emphasised inclusivity and diversity as key points for envisioning the future. Participants saw opportunities for reflection and development in their respective professional fields.
- Zukunftstrends card game: opened up perspectives on general societal developments. Participants noted the topicality of the themes, their concrete application in scenarios and the stimulation of reflection.
After each game, the groups wrote down their thoughts. The evaluation showed that participants generally found the game format inspiring, practical and adaptable to different contexts.
Thinking ahead: TRANSIT toolbox
In the final part, participants were invited to write their own ideas on flipcharts, asking themselves what tools or games would be ideal for advancing a process of reflection in their work. These proposals are very valuable for the idea of a TRANSIT toolbox. The aim of this toolbox would be to strengthen adult learning and education as the key to social transformation and to enable actors to develop responses to key social challenges. The objective is to make adult learning and education innovative and forward-looking, while encouraging adults to take action so that they can actively engage in promoting a sustainable society. In concrete terms, the toolkit should offer a mix of knowledge, methods and playful elements. It should both inspire and provide practical tools that can be used in different adult learning and education contexts.
Among the concrete proposals made by the event participants were:
- up-to-date and reliable resources
- a focus on the specific needs of institutions
- dedicated time and space
The discussions continued during the drinks in the lobby, which was provided by the excellent Brasserie de Montbenon.ssurance of materials, to establishing a network of interested individuals.
Conclusion
The event showed that games can be an effective means of initiating conversation about future skills and trends. They make complex topics tangible and open up spaces for shared vision and reflection. Building on the experiences and ideas gathered, TRANSIT will now examine how it can design the toolbox to help strengthen adult learning and education as a space for adressing future social issues.