Future You Revisited

Between 2017 and 2019, as part of the FutureYou research-art exhibition, hundreds of young people (aged 12–18) wrote letters to their future selves. These letters—carefully preserved and unopened—will now be returned to their writers, offering a unique opportunity to reflect on personal growth and change.

Participants will have the chance to record and share their reactions through short videos, capturing the emotions of revisiting past thoughts, hopes, and aspirations. These reflections will be woven into a short film, which will be showcased at the event. We anticipate participation from around 100 previous letter-writers, along with parents and guardians, making this a truly communal experience.

Following this event, Professor Patrick Alexander, Research Lead for Education and Chair of the Oxford Brookes Children and Young People's Research Network, will collaborate with local schools to provide an activity pack, allowing a new generation of young people across Oxfordshire to take part in a similar letter-writing experience at scale.

Come along to watch the film, reflect on personal growth, and take part in a new letter-writing experience—closing one chapter while opening another.

This event offers a welcoming and inclusive space to explore themes of change, self-reflection, and the passage of time. Part of Oxford Brookes’ Think Human Festival, it celebrates the humanities’ power to shape how we see ourselves and the world.”