The Future of Belonging
Published in ATÖLYE Insights · 5 min read · May 27, 2025
How Intentional Spaces Foster Community
Authors: Mariana Ribeiro (Senior Service Designer, ATÖLYE), Milan Dragačević (Communications Associate, ATÖLYE)
Imagining Futures Together
Future Days is a global think tank and community advancing futures literacy - helping people and organizations imagine and shape better futures. This year, we were invited to facilitate an (Un)conference focused on the power of communities: what they are, how they thrive, and how they can help us shape the future.
It's hard to put into words what made Future Days feel different, but if we had to try, we'd say this: It wasn't just about inspiring speakers or radical ideas. It was about the feeling: the sense of belonging, the softness between sessions, the moment someone said something that echoed our own unspoken thoughts. The magic of Future Days didn't happen by chance. It emerged from the intentional design of the festival. It wasn't just about delivering content; it was about crafting environments where everyone had a voice, and every interaction could spark new insight. This environment, where people connect deeply, share openly, and learn collectively, was at the core of what made Future Days special.
The Heartbeat of Community
At Future Days, we chose to focus our (Un)conference on the power of communities: digging into what they truly mean, how they thrive, and why nurturing them is essential for shaping the future. As we explored the concept of community, it became clear that communities are not something we can simply create.
Communities are nurtured. They grow in environments where individuals are invited to show up, share, and contribute. Just as our (Un)conference wasn't about dictating a fixed agenda, it was about creating a space where the audience themselves could set the tone, build trust, and engage with one another in meaningful ways. At Future Days, we embraced the power of participatory activities and interactive polls to break down traditional power dynamics. One of the most moving moments of the festival came when we asked participants to reflect on their sense of community - whether they felt part of one, or if they were still searching. Many expressed that they were still searching, but in that moment, they felt they had glimpsed what future communities can embrace: a foundation of kindness, synergy, understanding, and respect.
This was the quiet power of proxemics - the deliberate arrangement of space to encourage connection. It's in the act of creating opportunities for people to relate to one another, rather than just present information, that community begins to take shape.
Collective Intelligence In Motion
Future Days brought together people from diverse backgrounds - urban planners, technologists, innovators, educators - to share their insights. This cross-pollination wasn't the exception; it was the core intention. Rather than experts simply sharing knowledge, the festival fostered collective idea-building, tapping into the group's collective intelligence. Through these shared experiences, transformative ideas emerged, not from a single expert, but from the collaborative input of the whole community.
To end our (Un)conference, we experimented with a threadball exercise, where participants shared stories about communities they admired or were a part of. Participants were asked about different types of communities in their lives, and if someone in the group related to the answer, they would hold the other end of the thread. As more connections were made, a spiderweb formed, illustrating how interconnected we truly are. This exercise revealed vulnerability because sharing personal stories and physically connecting with others requires openness and trust. It fostered a powerful sense of connection, both literal and metaphorical, highlighting the intricate ways our lives and experiences overlap.
Growing Together Beyond Hierarchies
In many ways, our (Un)conference at Future Days became a microcosm of what larger communities could be. It showed how people can connect, collaborate, and create beyond traditional hierarchies. The spaces we cultivated - both physical and emotional - allowed these connections to grow.
The key takeaway? Communities aren't built from the top down. They emerge when we provide opportunities for people to show up, engage, and contribute.
Our role is not to control, but to thoughtfully facilitate and nurture, allowing connections to unfold naturally while gently guiding their growth. By supporting these spaces, we shape a future based on interdependence and symbiosis: a future where trust, cooperation, and shared purpose guide us. Like all ecosystems around us, communities thrive when there is a balance of give and take, when each individual contributes, yet also receives from the collective.
The Invitation to Continue
In a world so fractured and fatigued, gathering to dream collectively isn't just hopeful - it's necessary. Imagining new futures is itself an act of resistance; coming together is an act of courage. But what happens when the gatherings end? How do we carry this spirit forward, beyond events and festivals? The future is already unfolding - in studios, on balconies, across oceans - and the question remains: How will you show up? How will you nurture connection, cultivate community, and shape the futures we all share?
If you're reading this, you're part of that ongoing story. The conversations continue, and so must our commitment to imagining symbiotic futures.
At ATÖLYE, we're passionate about creating spaces for collaboration and innovation. If this resonates with you, don't hesitate to reach out to us and start a conversation and explore how we can shape the future together.