Scenarios stories for berry futures

Through a partnership with Doug Cost, UAF School of Education, we are envisioning stories of possible berry futures and brainstorming ways to get to a desirable future. The mini-scenarios workshop was adapted for Winterberry from Cost's prior work with high school youth during the Northern Alaska Scenarios Project (NASP).

The experience takes youth groups through an investigation of patterns in the berry data they collected and the data from groups in the diverse climates across the Alaska. They imagine themselves and their Winterberry field site in the year 2040, and what it will look like. Using a graphic organizer, the youth collaboratively brainstorm strategies for sustaining berries into the future. Will we need new technologies, new policies, new berry crops, or improved stewardship? They then quick-write or sketch two alternate scenarios of possible berry futures; one where they have applies some of their brainstormed ideas, and another where they do nothing. Youth share their stories, then prioritize the actions they could realistically undertake to plan for the best berry future.

We thank project mentors Jasmine Shaw and Christine Villano and scientists Katie Spellman, Christa Mulder and Elena Sparrow for collaborating with Cost on developing the activity.

Here are some tools they developed to help use the activity with diverse youth groups:

• Getting to the Best Berry Future - graphic organizer
• Berry Scenarios Stories - activity sheet