In this episode of the Futures Hub podcast, amalia deloney of Point A Studio explores how communities can move beyond abstract futures thinking and into meaningful, grounded action.
Drawing on over two decades of experience across social justice, philanthropy, and community-based work, amalia shares a powerful perspective: people already carry visions of the future within them – the role of futures work is to create the conditions for those visions to surface and connect.
amalia explores tensions shaping futures work today, including the pull between long-term vision and short-term constraints like funding cycles and strategic planning, and the gap between global challenges and local, community level action.
amalia also shares practical tools from her working, including:
- a Civic Compass to help groups navigate uncertainty without rigid roadmaps
- a Futures of Belonging card deck, inspired by conversations about identity, place and community
This conversation invites a deeper question: What happens when we treat futures work – not as a technical exercise – but as a collective, relational practice rooted in care?
Whether you’re working in foresight, community engagement, policy, or simply curious about what comes next, this episode offers a thoughtful and practical lens on how we can imagine and build futures together.
Timestamps
04:00 – About amalia: Finding Futures Thinking Early
05:20 – From Social Justice Work to Futures Practice
05:45 – Futures Practice: Translating the Abstract into the Tangible
09:09 – Shifting the Approach: Starting with People, Not Frameworks
11:01 – What People Talk About When They Talk About the Future
12:13 – Galvanizing Communities Towards Action: A Civic Compass Case Study
15:53 – Understanding and Communicating Impact across Timeline Constraints
20:17 – The Futures of Belonging Card Deck: Origin, Purpose and Next Steps
25:06 – When to Call Point A Studio
26:20 – Expanding the Frame: Experiential Futures x Speculative Design
27:11 – Big Issues, Local Decisions: Recognizing the Whole in the Multitudes
31:35 – Display as Discourse: The Amphibious Council
33:48 – Reflections on Futures Practices: Futures as Something We Do Together