#46 Redesigning Democracy: Future Generations at the Table | A Conversation with Suzette Brooks Masters & Clint Wilkins

In a time of deep division and rising authoritarianism, what if we could reimagine democracy—not for the next election, but for the next generation? In this inspiring and provocative episode of The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations, co-hosts Dr. John Izzo and Alain Gauthier speak with two visionary leaders who are doing just that.

Suzette Brooks Masters, leader of the Better Futures Project and advisor to the School of International Futures, and Clint Wilkins, retired educator and intergenerational climate action leader with Elders Climate Action, introduce us to the practice of Future Design—a foresight method that invites participants to role-play as future generations.

Together, they explore:

• Why U.S. democracy feels broken—and how Future Design can help renew it.
• What happened when elders, youth, and midlifers “time-traveled” to the year 2049.
• How elders can serve as conveners for intergenerational healing and bold democratic imagination.
• Why local communities—not Congress—may be democracy’s best hope.

If you're restless about the state of our world but still believe in the power of human imagination and agency, this episode is your invitation to help shape what comes next.

Subscribe. Share. Start a Future Design conversation in your own community.

 

Show Notes

Episode Title:
Designing Democracy: Future Generations at the Table

Guests:
Suzette Brooks Masters – Strategic foresight leader and director of the Better Futures Project

• Website: Democracy Funders Network
• Report: Imagining Better Futures for American Democracy (PDF)
• LinkedIn: Suzette Brooks Masters

Clint Wilkins – Educator, intergenerational facilitator, and leader at Elders Climate Action

• Elders Climate Action: https://www.eldersclimateaction.org
• Elders Action Network: https://www.eldersaction.org

Topics Covered:

• What is Future Design and how it works
• Role of imagination and intergenerational empathy in civic renewal
• Inside the ECA Future Design retreat
• How to bring Future Design into your local town hall
• Why elders are essential catalysts in shaping long-term democratic vision

Production Team:

• Hosts: Dr. John Izzo & Alain Gauthier
• Producer: Jim Burke
• Editing: Camtasia 2025

Watch more episodes of The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations:
https://www.youtube.com/@RegenerativeConversations

 

Special Thanks
We’re grateful to our sponsors, Elders Action Network (EAN) and Elders Climate Action (ECA), for supporting this intergenerational exploration of democracy, imagination, and the future. Your leadership shows that elderhood can be a time of action, not retreat.