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We’ve selected some of the brightest minds on the Ideas Festival stage to participate in an afternoon of Big Ideas for young people: an interactive afternoon that will include debates, performances, poetry, presentations and interactive sessions. We’ll tackle questions like how do non-conformists move the world? We’ll consider empowerment issues like how to use the Youth V...
Today, there is global demand for prosperity that is inclusive, sustainable, and fair. Growth without equity is no longer an acceptable outcome. Who is going to lead us into a future where growth and social equity go hand in hand? From the private sector to government to philanthropy and everywhere in between, women are driving change on new terms, with powerful results. J...
The historic candidacy of Hillary Clinton meets a Supreme Court vacancy and a presumptive Republican nominee with overwhelming unfavorables amongst women—suddenly feminism is front and center this election season. Be it wage inequality, women’s health, or paid family leave, many issues important to women at both ends of the economic divide are hotly contested this election...
Whether it's their views on immigration, gun laws, or climate change, young people today are changing the face of politics. Are millennials and post-millennials becoming more progressive, or will they "grow into" conservative views? How might they change the Democratic 2020 primary? And how has their support for Trump changed since 2016? Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican...
Since 2016, we’ve watched women rack up unprecedented wins in statehouses, city halls, and even Congress — and thousands more are throwing their hats into the ring. How did factors like Donald Trump’s win and #MeToo influence this wave, and why does the movement seem to be taking hold now? We’ll take a look at the different governing styles and priorities women exhibit com...
The innovative philanthropist who paid off the student debt of the entire graduating class of Morehouse College class of 2019 talks about how to ensure all communities benefit from the digital revolution.
You have a passion and you want to make change in the world. But how? Political office! So you run, raise money, hire a staff, hit a grueling campaign trail, and win the election. There’s a big party, tons of press, and your team enjoys a celebratory high. Then what? What’s the first year like for a newbie in Congress? Is it motivating and inspiring, or do the realities of...
It is no surprise that trust in institutions, be they private, government, nonprofit, or media, has suffered huge declines globally and throughout the United States. According to the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, we are suffering a crisis of trust not seen in recent memory. How do we reverse the trends? What can leaders of institutions do to restore faith in institutions?...
On June 3, 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to climb the 3,000-vertical-foot granite face of Yosemite’s El Capitan, alone, without ropes, a feat that was chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary, Free Solo. In his New York Times op-ed column, Bret Stephens wrote that with that act, “Honnold gave an extraordinary gift to everyone who believes that the l...
The Pew Trust’s 2014 study of Evangelicals notes that roughly 25 percent of adults in the United States identify with evangelical Protestantism, the largest Christian following in the country. Three-quarters are white, though the share of non-whites who identify as evangelical is growing. On average, evangelical Protestants have somewhat lower levels of education compared...
Aspen Institute President Dan Porterfield and Festival Director Kitty Boone kick off the 2018 Aspen Ideas Festival. This session features conversations with Jeffrey Goldberg, Brittney Cooper, Fred Dust, and a host of ideas that just might change the world.
2017 brought a sea change in gender equity and power. With the rise of the #MeToo movement, new opportunities and challenges have emerged to ensure all sectors — from corporations to government and beyond — are equipped to support women and girls at all levels. How can the momentum for women’s empowerment be harnessed for lasting, systemic change? The leaders of the Aspen...
The United States, long grounded in the idea of individual liberty, also boasts a deep, cross-partisan history of national service. Building on a belief he first shared at the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival, retired General Stanley McChrystal recently called on the president to invest in national service for one million young Americans annually “to ensure the strength and secur...
What is feminism, and is anyone doing it right? As the movement has gone mainstream and come under greater scrutiny, it seems any consensus on the meaning of “feminism” has been lost — but was there ever agreement on what it was? In this panel, a collection of leading thinkers will define feminism and attempt to answer what makes a good feminist in 2018. How can we get les...
In April of 2018, two black men walked into a Starbucks in Philadelphia for a business meeting. Ten minutes later, while waiting for their colleague to arrive, a manager called the police and they were arrested. Rosalind Brewer, one of the most accomplished African American women in business had just become COO of Starbucks. In navigating how the company should respond to...
Discussing her 2018 book "Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch with Science, Love, and Common Sense," author and political commentator Mona Charen takes aim at liberal assumptions around feminism and progress. She believes the feminist movement has taken several wrong turns that have ultimately made women less happy in their professional and personal lives. Marshali...
Yuliya Tychtivska is the dynamic executive director of Aspen Institute Kyiv, an Aspen Institute partner organization in Ukraine, founded in 2015. Less a conversation about the war and of strategies and global actions to support a Ukrainian victory, this will be an opportunity to probe the human dimensions of the tragedy. Tychtivska will talk about her experiences, emotion...
American women have lived their daily lives — before and after the epic election of 2016 and its accompanying drama — up against a set of structures, barriers, and mindsets that rarely make the headlines. What it is like to be a woman in America today? Which circumstances and experiences bind us together — and which ones tear us apart? Leaders share the experiences they l...
Audrie & Daisy is an urgent real-life drama that examines the ripple effects on families, friends, schools, and communities when two underage young women find that sexual crimes against them have been caught on camera. From acclaimed filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk (The Island President, The Rape of Europa), Audrie & Daisy—which made its world premiere at the 2016 Sun...
What does it mean to have lived a “Well Lived Life?” Previously, U.S. Trust’s annual survey has shown that satisfaction with increased wealth comes from being able to use it with increased purpose: To achieve goals, to make a difference in areas that matter most, and to live up to personal expectations. Their 2015 survey explored expectations of a life well lived, includ...