The Bright Future Network

The Bright Future Network (BFNet) is made up of the graduates from the Bright Future Now course. Your course registration provides you with a lifetime membership in the network.

There are currently 361 people from 34 countries on 6 continents in the network.

We view this as just a start. We’re developing the network’s support systems so that it can grow much larger yet still retain its friendly, personal, human-scale feel.

Purpose

The purpose of the network is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable planetary future by helping its members in their culture-changing activities.

Research shows people in strong networks are more successful and resilient. BFNet brings this power of networks into the service of its members and of the world.

Diversity

In addition to the geographic diversity shown on the map, the network has many other dimensions of diversity:

• Within the network, we have entrepreneurs, educators, ecovillagers, lawyers, students, visual storytellers, programmers, parents, artists, activists, consultants, writers, engineers and more
• Members’ ages range from 16 to 92
• There’s a good balance and diversity across the gender spectrum
• We have lots of cultural and ethnic diversity.

All of this diversity means that you’ll connect with people outside of your usual circles. That’s both fascinating and it makes the network more valuable to each member.

At the same time, our shared experience in the course provides common language and common tools so that we can easily collaborate across our differences.

Activities

BFNet’s activities support its members. In that sense, it’s like a professional association. Here are some of the things we’re already doing:

• Support for members’ independent projects – Many network members are actively involved in culture-changing projects. We support each other in these projects and the network provides communications infrastructure support to each project that wants it. A few example projects are REDES in Senegal, BERAS International and Jazz Leadership.
• Common Interest Groups – The network makes it easy for small groups of members to cluster around shared interests. These are just getting started and so far have included groups on Education/Learning and Visual Storytelling.
• Shared learning activities – Our online forum provides a place for many kinds of exchanges. We do video-call gatherings and workshops on a wide variety of topics. We’ve also had book groups and groups that take an online course together as a BFNet team.
• The Buddy Program – This program makes random pairings among network members who choose to participate, so the paired members can do a get-to-know-you video call. The program runs for seven weeks at a time and each week you get paired with a new person. It’s quite fun and the connections often turn out to be remarkably useful.
• Project Incubation – We help members develop new projects. The Buddy Program is a good example. The two network members who are creating that program plan to offer it commercially to many other organizations. They’re using the network as a testing ground while they develop the software and systems that support the program. Another example is REDES in Senegal, an innovative grass-roots group that needs to step up to a new level of capacity so it can respond to the strong interest it’s generated. Network members with organizational development experience are helping REDES make that transition.

A Living Laboratory

Beyond those specific activities, we view everything we do in the network as an opportunity to live into Planetary Era culture or, as we like to say, build new cultural DNA.

This is especially important in the ways we organize ourselves internally, the ways our internal teams support the network and the ways we offer and support the Bright Future Now course. We’re always looking for new ways to better embody the frameworks and skills that are part of the course.

Join us in this journey to the future

If you’d like to learn more, please visit the other pages that provide an overview and go into depth on the content and the process.

If you’re ready, we’d love to have you join us.