Rising Generations news, events, and more from Aspen Institute
Young people are not just the future—they are leaders today.
Beyond Test Scores: What Helps Young People Thrive?
Just under half of students enjoy going to school, according to the New Voices of Gen Z Study from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation. Conquering this challenge is about more than making school fun for kids; It's about creating a learning environment that is engaging and relevant.
Kaya Henderson, executive vice president and executive director of the Center for Rising Generations, joined NBC News to share context.
"We've reduced education to a set of basic academic subjects instead of creating a broad set of offerings that allow young people to discover their talents in addition to their test scores," she said. "Kids know the curriculum doesn't have a lot to do with the careers that they're looking for, and a lot of times teachers don't have the opportunity to build the deep relationships they need."
This fall, the Center for Rising Generations will bring 350 young people ages 18 to 24 to Bentonville, Arkansas, for a four-day festival centered on civil dialogue. Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations will include workshops, learning and leading labs, and seminar-based conversations designed to send attendees home with tools to foster civil dialogue in their own communities.
Creating a broader set of educational offerings that embraces future career paths is just one way the Aspen Institute is working to empower the next generation of leaders. We are also focsued on sports, programs that empower high school students to create solutions to real-world problems, and
initiatives to connect students globally to generate ideas and problem-solve together. The opportunities and responsibilities are endless, and our work goes on and on. Through community building, civic engagement, and meaningful participation, we are empowering Rising Generations to shape policies, institutions, and society.
Learn more about the Aspen Institute’s work to empower the next generation of leaders here.
Around the Institute
Rising Generations Fostering Exchange and Connection
Last month, the Aspen Institute International Partners hosted more than 100 delegates of the 2026 Y20 Summit, welcoming emerging leaders from across G20 countries, International Partners alumni, and Aspen Institute staff. After an evening reception, a panel of leaders from Institute policy programs discussed issues from economic opportunity and financial inclusion to energy, sustainability, and youth empowerment.
Read about the event.
Rising Generations When it’s Hot, Play it Cool
The Lorax speaks for the trees, and he also encourages young athletes to speak up when they’re feeling the heat. In the Play it Cool
campaign, a joint effort from the Energy and Environment Program and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the mustachioed character and his personal trainer Robin Arzón remind kids to “Speak up, sit out, and cool down,” presumably with a rest in the shade.
Societal Trust Gen Z Superstars: The New Faces of Health Innovation
At this summer’s Aspen Ideas: Health, former NIH Director Francis Collins hosted a session featuring three young medical innovators who are, variously, advocating for neurodivergent individuals, developing lab models for studying juvenile arthritis, and using retinal images to diagnose autism and ADHD. Watch the video
to hear from the next generation of medical problem solvers.
Rising Generations What My Summer Internship at Aspen Institute Taught Me
College may be about finding yourself, but a college internship is a great way to find one’s way in the world. As her term ended, Business & Society Program's summer intern Gabrielle Geller shared her reflections on career, purpose, and leading through uncertainty. Read more in her post.
Leadership Aspen Institute Seminars in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court
CRG, in partnership with Campaign Zero, brought Aspen Institute Socrates seminars to incarcerated youth, ages 13-20, at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. Using the 1949 Mann Gulch fire as a case study, students stepped into the roles of smokejumpers facing life-or-death leadership decisions, and consistently returned to questions of trust, courage, and what it means to lead if no one is willing to follow.
Read more on LinkedIn.
In the News
Rising Generations
In an op-ed for Education Week, Kaya Henderson of the Center for Rising Generations wrote about what should happen now that a California jury has found tech companies liable for harms tied to their platforms.
Rising Generations Janice Jackson of the Education & Society Program co-authored an opinion piece in the Chicago Sun Times centered around a new $10 million investment to reduce chronic absenteeism in Chicago schools.
Culture ARTNews reported on “The Rise of the U.S. Latino Art Market: Lessons from Latin America,” a half-day symposium at El Museo’s iconic Teatro in Manhattan hosted by Aspen Conexión and El Museo del Barrio and featured as part of Frieze NY: In the City program.
Leadership PBS NewsHour interviewed Tom Farrey of the Sports & Society Program about the stresses put on families as travel and club teams make youth sports more demanding—and more expensive.
Economic Opportunity Maureen Conway of the Economic Opportunities Program penned a Labor Day commentary for Federal News Network, in which she talked about the one big thing that’s been forgotten in crafting modern labor policy: making work better for workers.
