The Mendes Gonçalves Foundation coordinates the European project Futures Explorers, an initiative that aims to help first-cycle children look to the future with more confidence. Funded with €60,000 by the Erasmus+ program, it will run for 15 months, between December 2026 and February 2028, and will be tested in schools in the Golegã region and Rhein-Neckar, Germany.
In a statement, the foundation explains that, in a context marked by rapid changes and challenges such as climate change, wars, and the evolution of artificial intelligence, Futures Explorers aims to develop essential skills for living in a changing world, such as managing emotions, overcoming difficulties, thinking autonomously, cooperating with others, actively participating in community life, and adapting to and responding to societal challenges.
The methodology will also be developed with the participation of the children themselves. Through games, stories, and imagination exercises, the students will become "explorers of the future": they will be invited to talk about what worries them, imagine the future they want, and think about small actions that can help build it.
“ We don’t want to teach children what the future will be like, but rather provide them with the tools to think about different possibilities, better cope with uncertainty, and realize that they have the ability and the duty to participate in building the world they want to live in. Preparing for the future is, increasingly, preparing for the anticipation of change and for involvement in the co-creation of possible futures , ” says CEO Tiago Pereira.
The project also includes teacher training and the creation of practical materials that allow these skills to be integrated into the daily dynamics of the classroom. The methodology will be monitored and evaluated throughout the project, allowing us to understand its impact on children, schools, and families.
The Futures Explorers project brings together partners from Portugal, Germany, and Denmark. Participating in the project are the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, with over 50 years of experience in the study of the future; the Observatory of Citizenship and Social Intervention of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra, responsible for monitoring and evaluating the results; and Die Traum-Schmiede, a German organization with over a decade of experience working with children and schools. It also has the support of the Integrated Center for Science Education (Vila Nova da Barquinha), Ciência Viva – the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture, and the Portuguese Order of Psychologists.
