Aspen Insight

What will it take to bring the country together? The Civil Society Fellowship – a partnership of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network–AGLN- answers that question by engaging the next generation of community and civic leaders & activists on AGLN’s new Value of Leadership podcast. This episode is a repost of our sister podcast from the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN).

The Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute recently released its annual report. Listen to their Executive Director, Nikki Pitre, explain how it's a resource and roadmap to help decrease barriers and increase the opportunity for Native youth.

Despite the stories commonly taught about the first Thanksgiving, the truth behind this holiday is much darker. Listen to Nikki Petre of the Center for Native American Youth talk about what work is left to be done around a holiday that is constructed on false history, and how native youth across the country are creating positive change in their food systems.

Former US Secretary of Education John B. King and Former Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman believe the education sector can be a force for climate change. That's why they joined the Aspen Institute's K-12 Climate Action Commission to create a comprehensive action plan to address climate change in the United States by leveraging the power of the education sector.

It's one of the craziest election years in America's history, and it's inevitably causing a lot of stress. But cybersecurity expert and Aspen Tech Policy Hub Founding Director Betsy Cooper says we don't need to panic. She helps keep things realistic by explaining the different threats to election security this November and how probable the doomsday events actually are.

We preview the new “Shades of Freedom” podcast from the Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative. The initiative’s Director, Dr. Douglas E. Wood, spoke with Dr. Monique Morris about the criminalization of Black girls. Morris is the founder of National Black Women’s Justice Institute, the executive director of Grantmakers for Girls of Color, and the author of several books, including Pushout. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

30-40 million renters are at risk for eviction because of expiring eviction moratoriums across the country. Katherine Lucas Mckay, Senior Program Manager at Aspen's Financial Security Program, explains how we can stop evictions, the long-lasting effects it has on mental health, and why evictions will make it harder to vote.

Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright recently spoke with Jan Eliasson, Swedish diplomat and former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, about the new thinking required to tackle issues in the 21st century: a pandemic, climate change, war, and more. Madeleine Albright is the founding member of the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Minister’s Forum, which serves as a leading platform for nonpartisan dialogue aimed at building upon and improve the work of key international institutions.

East Harlem is an overlooked neighborhood of Manhattan, made vulnerable by structural racism and gentrification. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, the neighborhood had its own preparedness organization run by women of color who work and live there. Listen as Ann-Gel Palermo—an East Harlem resident, an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and an Aspen Institute Health Innovators fellow—discusses preparing for disaster.

Artist, advocate, and entrepreneur Paula Crown reflects with Artist in Residence Edmund de Waal on his work.

The following is a cross-posted conversation between Dan Porterfield, CEO and President of the Aspen Institute, and Denver Frederick, the Host of The Business of Giving Podcast. On the episode, Dan Porterfield talked about leading the institute into a pandemic, a new social contract, and why this is a moment for servant leadership to shine.

As COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly, the global trends around information flows seem to be moving even faster. In this episode, Aspen Digital Executive Director Vivian Schiller answers pressing questions like the long term impact of misinformation on government trust and transparency.

Is universal basic income, or any cash transfer program, a silver bullet or money without accountability?

Every year during National Native American Heritage Month, the Center for Native American Youth puts out a report centered on Native Youth and the issues they are working towards solving in their communities. This year’s report was centered on civic engagement and belonging.

When it comes to being an immigrant and helping women succeed, former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is unapologetic.

Maria Pacheco and Alexandra Kissling speak about combatting machismo is Central American society and empowering Central American women with the tools they need to succeed economically and socially. They are two of the founders of Vital Voices Central America in Costa Rica and Guatemala and are 2019 John P. Mcnulty Prize Laureates. Pacheco and Kissling are also part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, joining more than 3,000 high integrity, values-based entrepreneurial fellows around the world.

There have been many proposals on how to fix the healthcare system in America. One proposal in particular, Medicare for All, has gained a lot of popularity. Margot Sanger-Katz from The New York Times joins host Amina Akhtar to explain the proposal and what it means for the 2020 election.

With such drastic measures being taken both by government and companies selling vaping products, it begs the question: what’s the deal with vaping? Internationally recognized anti-tobacco experts Deborah Arnott and Matthew Myers give us their take on vaping from the Aspen Ideas Health Conference.

Starting the week of September 23rd, the Aspen Insight Podcast will be back for its third season with host Amina Akhtar.

Inside and outside of the classroom, community colleges are teaching America lessons in workforce readiness and economic development.

A tide of threats against the ocean is rising, but pioneering ocean scientist and advocate Dr. Sylvia Earle, co-chair of the Aspen High Seas Initiative, has a solution.

For decades, Americans have been losing trust in democratic institutions, particularly media. A 27-member commission created in part by the Aspen Institute is finding ways to strengthen trust and democracy.

The influence of the German Bauhaus School is difficult to ignore on the Aspen Institute’s Colorado campus. Walk the for 40-acre grounds and you’ll see artifacts designed by Bauhaus teacher Herbert Bayer.

A record number of women are heading to Congress and state legislatures across the country. What led to this “Women’s Wave,” and how might policies change with more women at the helm?

How can we create a more inclusive, just, and optimistic world? We hear from two innovators working to replace hate with humanity.

Uganda, in East Africa, has more startups than any other country in the world, but they’re driven by necessity. The number of young people searching for work dramatically exceeds the number of jobs available.

How would sports change if athletes of all genders were able to compete side by side?

Rugged cowboys, high-noon gun fights, and Manifest Destiny—all images of the Old West in America. But what did the 19th century in the West really look like?

On the Season 2 premiere of Aspen Insight, The Aspen Institute's new President and CEO Dan Porterfield discusses his vision for the organization and how it can make demonstrable impact in the world.

A Muslim youth choir and an Aspen Institute program are working to bring religious groups together.

What does it look like when people rise to the challenge and tackle problems in their communities and around the world?

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is leading the probe into Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential campaign. Garrett Graff was one of the first journalists to closely follow his career, and leads the Aspen Institute Cybersecurity & Technology Program.

Two former members of Congress — a Republican and a Democrat — describe how they worked across the aisle and suggest ways to tackle today's deep partisanship. And Native American youth from Montana to Alaska are working to build healthier communities.

What is the best way to speak up and navigate difficult conversations? This episode examines how breaking the silence about sexual harassment is leading to change, along with the best ways to engage those with whom we disagree.

What drives us to find a sense of power we didn’t know was there? It could be a crisis, or feeling unequal or left out. In some cases, the power we discover inspires us to write.

The toll of the opioid drug crisis in America is far-reaching. We talk to a mother who battled addiction during pregnancy, and policy experts who are working to solve this epidemic. What’s can we do to win this battle? War in East Congo forced Robert Hakiza from his home. His new life as a refugee in Uganda was plagued with problems until he realized he could turn despair into action. What’s the likelihood of a sixth mass extinction? Some say it’s already underway. We talk to Collin O’Mara, president of the National Wildlife Federation, about the connection between too much screen-time for kids and the survival of species.

Who is watching us when we aren’t looking? And what can we learn from keeping an attentive eye on the world around us? This episode features the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci, advice on how to stay safe online, what's new in a college basketball scandal, and how young Syrian journalists are digging up the truth in their war-torn country.

How do we have difficult conversations about race in America today? In our debut episode, Clarence B. Jones, a close advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr., discusses what it was like to work with King in the 1960s and why Americans continue to grapple with talking about race.

In a world where finding common ground can feel impossible, the Aspen Institute brings people with different points of view together to grapple with society's most complex problems. Join co-hosts Marci Krivonen and Zach St. Louis on this new podcast as they learn from the experts who pass through the Institute's halls.