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[Futurists gather in Toronto for unique conference](/markdownify/node/3555) June 23, 2025 # Futurists gather in Toronto for unique conference ![Conference artwork](/sites/default/files/styles/1_5_1_large/public/2025-06/Untitled-1.png.webp?itok=Y8J5yhoh) APF conference artwork From Aug. 15 to 17, OCAD U joins with the Association of Professional Futurists (APF) to co-host the conference, [*The Futures of Creativity and Compassion*](https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apf.org%2Fevent-hub%2Fapf-ocad-nexus-event-2025&data=05%7C02%7Ckmccarthy%40ocadu.ca%7C9e471f6004f04e6c8a0208dda431b624%7C06e469d12d2a468fae9b7df0968eb6d7%7C0%7C0%7C638847255602194355%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2B5bijlimOLoB4nJY2Zq4mKWhq%2FPkvSQuJIFdfl7wZps%3D&reserved=0 "Original URL: https://www.apf.org/event-hub/apf-ocad-nexus-event-2025 Click to follow link.") at the Waterfront campus. This is the first APF event to take place in Toronto since 2010. The gathering is bringing together foresight practitioners, designers, artists, and changemakers committed to doing things differently, and is celebrating the APF Hub in Ontario. “In a time of social disruption and fragmentation, this conference is particularly significant,” says one of the organizers, OCAD U Associate Professor Suzanne Stein. She is also the director of the Super Ordinary Lab and OCAD U’s special advisor for strategic foresight. “The conference aims to navigate towards a more desirable future by emphasizing the importance of compassion and collective understanding. By fostering deep connections and collaborative efforts, the conference seeks to address current societal challenges and inspire participants to envision and work towards a more harmonious and inclusive world,” she says. The program features interactive social technologies that foster collaboration and engagement; experiential futures installations and performances; unconference sessions for emergent conversations; spaces for rumination and reflection; and a speaker’s corner. ## Other Recent News [### 2026-27 Call for Funding Proposals for Student Groups that Support Creative Entrepreneurship on Campus The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) invites OCAD University student groups with a mandate to support entrepreneurship on campus to apply for funding for student-led initiatives that strengthen and expand the creative entrepreneurship ecosystem at OCAD U. This funding is intended to help student groups create opportunities for entrepreneurship skills development, community building, and revenue-generating activities for students and recent alumni, while reducing barriers to participation for equity-seeking individuals. November 6, 2026 ](/news/2026-27-call-funding-proposals-student-groups-support-creative-entrepreneurship-campus) [### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create CDCC Projections Program Career Launcher. Four (4) to five (5) selected emerging artists will receive $690 to exhibit work in a single channel, projection-based screening program that will be displayed at the CDCC in March 2027. October 30, 2026 ](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists) [### Call for Vendors: BAM! Holiday Art Market 2026 OCAD University's RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is excited to partner again with Wychwood Barns to offer a curated group of OCAD U students and recent alumni the opportunity to share a vendor table at the BAM! Holiday Art Market. October 26, 2026 ](/news/call-vendors-bam-holiday-art-market-2026) Related Stories ## Related Stories [### 2026-27 Call for Funding Proposals for Student Groups that Support Creative Entrepreneurship on Campus The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) invites OCAD University student groups with a mandate to support entrepreneurship on campus to apply for funding for student-led initiatives that strengthen and expand the creative entrepreneurship ecosystem at OCAD U. This funding is intended to help student groups create opportunities for entrepreneurship skills development, community building, and revenue-generating activities for students and recent alumni, while reducing barriers to participation for equity-seeking individuals. November 6, 2026 ](/news/2026-27-call-funding-proposals-student-groups-support-creative-entrepreneurship-campus) [### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create CDCC Projections Program Career Launcher. Four (4) to five (5) selected emerging artists will receive $690 to exhibit work in a single channel, projection-based screening program that will be displayed at the CDCC in March 2027. October 30, 2026 ](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists) [### Call for Vendors: BAM! Holiday Art Market 2026 OCAD University's RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is excited to partner again with Wychwood Barns to offer a curated group of OCAD U students and recent alumni the opportunity to share a vendor table at the BAM! Holiday Art Market. October 26, 2026 ](/news/call-vendors-bam-holiday-art-market-2026)