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How do students participate in Future Problem Solving?

Future Problem Solving Overview Who We Are Infographic

New? Find everything you need to know to get started with Future Problem Solving and get to work preparing for the competition season.

Getting started

  1. Find your local FPS.
  2. Get familiar with our programs.
  3. Register with your local FPS.
  4. Develop your coaching plan.

Find your affiliate

Future Problem Solving regional affiliates and partners serve students around the world. Use our network finder, to connect with FPS in your local location. Our Open Affiliate supports students who live in regions not covered by an active regional affiliate or partner. 

Get familiar with our programs

  • Global Issues students learn to thoroughly research and analyze real world issues and use our proven 6-step problem-solving method to develop relevant action plans. They apply this knowledge plus divergent and convergent thinking skills to imagined future scenarios in our competitions. 
  • Community Projects asks students to thoroughly research and analyze a real world issue area and apply our proven 6-step problem-solving method to develop a project plan and take action. In addition to increasing engagement in their communities, students gain more choice and voice in their own learning. 
  • Creative Writing students thoroughly research a real world issue and then imagine possible outcomes of future actions or events. Writers develop a creative, futuristic narrative to entertain and inform readers. The Creative Writing program strives to help students enlarge, enrich, and make more accurate their image of the future, while refining their writing skills. 
  • Storytelling students thoroughly research a real world issue and then imagine possible outcomes of future actions or events. Storytellers develop a creative, futuristic narrative to entertain and inform listeners. Instead of writing out the story in full, students tell their story in a more natural oral performance. 

Some students may compete in more than one, though it can be helpful to start with just one program in your first year. 

Register with your local FPS

After finding your local FPS and deciding what program(s) you are interested in competing in, it’s time to register. Follow the website instructions for registering. Early registration often grants access to resources and help earlier in the year.

Develop your coaching plan

Students participate through schools, clubs, or independently with their local Future Problem Solving.

Every team or individual works alongside an adult who serves as their coach or adult sponsor. While coaches are often educators who may utilize their classroom time for Future Problem Solving, anyone may serve as a coach. Parents, administrators, retired teachers, alumni, and other professionals interested in helping students become better prepared for the future are all welcome. Often, experienced Future Problem Solving students (with an adult sponsor) also serve as coaches for younger students. Self-starting students can also self-coach. They still need an adult contact to liaise with their affiliate and handle competition materials.

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April Michele

April Michele Bio

Executive Director

A seasoned educator, April Michele has served as the Executive Director since 2018 and been with Future Problem Solving more than a decade. Her background in advanced curriculum strategies and highly engaging learning techniques translates well in the development of materials, publications, training, and marketing for the organization and its global network. April’s expertise includes pedagogy and strategies for critical and creative thinking and providing quality educational services for students and adults worldwide.

Prior to joining Future Problem Solving, April taught elementary and middle grades, spending most of her classroom career in Gifted Education. She earned the National Board Certification (NBPTS) as a Middle Childhood/Generalist and later served as a National Board Assessor for the certification of others. She was trained and applied the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) in Humanities, which helped widen the educational scope and boundaries beyond the U.S. In addition, April facilitated the Theory and Development of Creativity course for state level certification of teachers. She has also collaborated on a variety of special projects through the Department of Education.

A graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s in Elementary Education and the University of South Florida with a master’s in Gifted Education, April’s passion is providing a challenging curriculum for 21st century students so they are equipped with the problem solving and ethical leadership skills they need to thrive in the future. As a board member in her local Rotary Club, she facilitates problem solving in leadership at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute and earned her certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Edyth Bush Institute at Rollins College.