Between utopia and dystopia: regaining the power to act!

How do we keep the momentum going, when we're facing headwinds? What stories can we tell to regain the power to act? A conference-workshop by Chantal Peyer, at Maison de l'Avenir, to question our narratives and think about sustainable futures.

Human beings are not only rational beings: numerous studies show that our behavior is linked to our values, emotions, social norms and unconscious worldviews, rather than to an analysis of the facts.

So…. What if we first had to change the story to change the world? What if we had to work on our emotions and imaginations as much as our solutions?

Chantal Peyer will talk about the uncertain times we live in, and the importance of storytelling. She will explore the representations of the future with which we are collectively imbued, through the films we watch or the books we read. And she’ll talk about the impact of these imaginaries on our resilience and our ability to mobilize for change. It will get you thinking about the new narrative in which you’d like to place your action and your business. Finally, she will suggest a few keys to finding the courage to act with lucidity and optimism in these uncertain times.

Chantal Peyer is a futurist, political consultant and professional coach. She seeks to understand how to create momentum and courage to build a sustainable world, in which it is good to live.

In 2023, Chantal Peyer co-created the association le Hub des possiblesan association that aims to support the posture of lucid optimism, the emergence of a new narrative and the transition to action for a sustainable Switzerland. She launched the podcast “2040 j’y vais! which goes out to meet the actors of change in French-speaking Switzerland, and imagines with them the horizon of 2040. Le Hub des possibles also offers forward-looking and imaginary workshops to explore futures, so we can act more effectively in the present. These workshops are offered to companies, public administrations and non-governmental organizations. Chantal Peyer is also a freelance coach. She has trained at the Wa-Kan Institute in Geneva, the Presencing Institute in Berlin, and the Institut des futur souhaitables et à futuribles in Paris. Prior to this, she spent twenty years working on sustainability and human rights. She has carried out research on social responsibility in various countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and China, lobbied the Swiss parliament and held various positions as team leader in ethical economics. She is also President of the Jury for the Swiss Ethics Prize.

Practical information:

The conference takes place on February 11, 2026 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at Maison de l’Avenir in Geneva.

 

With :

Chantal Peyer is a political consultant, professional coach and explorer of futures. She seeks to understand how to create the momentum and courage to build a sustainable world in which to live.

In 2023, Chantal Peyer co-founded le Hub des possibles, an association that aims to support the posture of lucid optimist, the emergence of a new narrative and the move to action. It has launched the podcast “2040 j’y vais!”, which meets with change agents in French-speaking Switzerland and imagines the horizon of 2040 with them. Le Hub des possibles also offers forward-looking and imaginary workshops to explore futures and shed light on the challenges of the present. Chantal Peyer is also president of the jury of the Swiss Ethics Prize and an independent coach. She has trained at the Wa-Kan Institute in Geneva, the Presencing Institute in Berlin, the Institut des Futur Souhaitables and the Institut Futuribles in Paris.

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