History, Charter, Vision, and Mission
History
FutureWatch was founded in 1993 by two graduates of the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto. Debra Kosemetzky and Philip Lucima envisioned the possibility of bringing community leaders together in partnerships to find solutions to complex social, environmental and economic problems.
Today, these complex problems affect all communities at a very local level. Yet the decision-makers who create or perpetuate them often do not consider the impact of their policies and practices on the local community. The challenge is to bring together communities for the purposes of understanding these complex issues through learning and participation.
Philip Lucima was born in Uganda. He lived and studied in Toronto for several years. Unfortunately, Philip did not live to see his dream come alive. Today, FutureWatch carries on the vision in his memory.
Charter
FutureWatch partners with community leaders and groups, both domestically and abroad, to collaborate on grassroots-based projects focusing on sustainable environmental, cultural and economic development.
FutureWatch upholds the underlying principle that cross-cultural understanding and environmentally-sustainable practices facilitate the growth and development of healthy communities.
Vision
FutureWatch EDEP is facilitating communities of diverse people working together to discover their shared goals, valuing themselves, their social fabric and the environment, thus creating healthy and sustainable societies.
Mission – Building Community Through Learning and Participation
We achieve our mission through:
- Creating opportunities for people of all ages in cross-cultural settings to learn from each other
- Coordinating projects to address complex environmental, social and economic issues
- Researching practical, realistic and measurable options in communities in Canada and the developing world
- Providing support and training, hands-on experiential learning to build capacity to sustain community efforts