Two Generations. 
One Future.
Ascend at the Aspen Institute is a hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move children and their parents toward educational success and economic security. Ascend takes a two-generation approach to our work – focusing on children and their parents together – and we bring a gender and racial equity lens to our analysis.
Statement and Call to Action: Condemn Police Violence and Structural Racism
Dear Ascend Community: Ascend is committed to the work of anti-racism. Seeing and experiencing week after week what Black people and families go through, and the threat of violence they are subjected to on a daily basis, is completely unacceptable and must end. We stand against this ongoing oppression and the white supremacy that breeds…
2Gen COVID-19 Webinar Series: Building a Response for the Future
As we respond to the economic and health impacts of COVID-19, Ascend’s founding mission to build an intergenerational cycle of opportunity and family prosperity is more urgent than ever. This is a moment of profound disruption, but it is also a time for innovation. We at Ascend are redoubling our efforts to highlight 2Gen solutions…
1L of a Year
In the fall of 2019, I began my first year of law school as a single mother in a new state living in hotels with my son. Now, we are stuck at home hiding from a pandemic. We have effectively gone from houseless to only staying at home. In this blog, I want to share with…
An Unfinished Thought: My Life in Quarantine
A partially folded pile of laundry, an essay left undone, kids’ toys everywhere. The coronavirus has turned my life into an unfinished thought – well-intentioned in the beginning but falling flat during execution. Pre-quarantine things were going fairly smooth for my family. We moved to the town where my daughter attends school, which cut my commute down by 30 minutes. My son was finally…
Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents Initiative Success in Workforce Programs for Parents