Beyond Project Timelines: The 7-Generation Vision for Sustainable Development 🌿
In my facilitation work with resource projects and communities, I’ve witnessed a profound shift in perspective when we embrace Indigenous wisdom about time. While we often think in quarterly reports and annual projections, traditional cultures think in generations – approximately 490 years into the future.
This World Water Day has me reflecting on a fundamental truth: we’re all just visitors on this land. Our largest development projects are mere moments in the grand timeline of a place’s history and future. This realization transforms how we approach community engagement and project design.
Here’s how I integrate Co-Design principles to create genuine co-ownership:
1. Honor Multiple Ways of Knowing
2. Design for True Participation
3. Share Power Authentically
4. Think in Generations
When we embrace co-design principles, we tap into communities’ collective intelligence – wisdom accumulated over generations about their waters, lands, and sustainable futures.
The question isn’t just “Will this project succeed?” but “How will this serve the seventh generation?”
#Sustainability #CommunityEngagement #CoDesign #WorldWaterDay #IndigenousWisdom