In 2024, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) launched a participatory and evidence-informed foresight initiative to explore the future of forced displacement and guide the development of its next organisational strategy. The aim was to ensure that the JRS Strategic Framework 2025–2029 would not only respond to current challenges but also anticipate future uncertainties and remain rooted in the organisation’s mission and values.
I designed and facilitated a scenario planning process tailored to JRS’s strategic cycle. Futures thinking methods were applied to test assumptions, identify emerging external drivers of forced displacement, and connect strategic choices with global uncertainties.
The process also created space for a parallel reflection on values and organisational culture, ensuring that the future strategy was aligned with JRS’s humanitarian mission. By involving leadership teams throughout, the initiative strengthened both the analytical basis of the strategy and the collective ownership of its direction.
The foresight process directly informed the approved JRS Strategic Framework 2025–2029.
Humanitarian leaders built shared ownership of the strategy, strengthening commitment to its implementation.
JRS reinforced its role in enabling communities and cultivating new partnerships, positioning itself to respond more effectively to the evolving landscape of forced displacement.
