Aspen ThinkXChange
August 29, 2012 | Convenings
The Aspen ThinkXChange, a signature convening of Ascend at The Aspen Institute, brought together 150 dynamic leaders from cutting-edge community-based programs, policy programs, academia, philanthropies, businesses, and the media to discuss and debate opportunities, challenges, and solutions for moving parents, especially women, and their children beyond poverty toward educational success and economic security.
The Aspen Institute has a long history of bringing together values-based leaders to discuss big ideas — from climate change to Middle East peace — that move our country and communities forward. We believe that growing inequality in the U.S. is a fundamental challenge to our democracy. However, periods of deep crisis can spur powerful innovation. We are on the cusp of new solutions, and the time is ripe to explore and elevate breakthrough ideas and proven strategies for building economic mobility for vulnerable families.
Bold Ideas Moving Toward Action: The theme of the 2012 ThinkXChange was the power and potential of two-generation approaches, which focus on creating opportunities for and addressing the needs of both vulnerable parents and children together. The Aspen ThinkXChange included panel discussions, interactive design labs, and “big tent” plenary sessions. Key content included the voices and narratives of low-income families; piloting, scaling, and replicating promising models; federal and state policy opportunities; early childhood education; postsecondary education and the integration of economic supports; social capital; and metrics that capture improved outcomes for parents and children, return on investment, and/or benefit-cost analysis.
Participants and Partners: With a strong focus on new ways of doing business, the Aspen ThinkXChange is a powerful platform for innovators — both established and emerging — from across sectors to present breakthrough ideas, share case studies, understand promising practices and policies, and identify proven strategies to move families toward educational success and economic security. The Aspen Institute 2012 Ascend Fellows played a leading role in session design and facilitation. Ascend is collaborating with strategic partners to move the conversations from the Aspen ThinkXChange to a wider audience.
Related Posts
In July, Ascend at the Aspen Institute hosted the Postsecondary Leadership Circle Activation Fund Midpoint Convening at Montgomery College.
I started off the 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival at Aspen Words Book Ball, a passion project of Isa Catto and Daniel Shaw.
This year, the Aspen Idea Festival returns to in-person programming at our campus in the Rocky Mountains June 25 - July 1, 2022.
On Tuesday, June 1st, 2021, Ascend at the Aspen Institute’s Family Prosperity Innovation Community hosted a panel discussion about the recently prop...
This blog is part of Ascend at the Aspen Institute’s 2Gen Level Up series. Ascend challenged organizations that work with and/or on behalf of c...
Governors, mayors, and families are on the front lines of communities coping with changes in the pandemic world. As the school year begins, the Aspen ...
Physical and mental health and well-being are core components of the two-generation approach that builds family well-being by intentionally and simult...
States and communities are where policy translates into real life outcomes. For nearly a decade, state and local entities have leveraged various ...
The Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) Initiative at Ascend at the Aspen Institute hosted a two-day convening to mark entering its second p...
Families must be at the center of any and all work to address intergenerational poverty. That’s why our Aspen ThinkXChange 2019, which focused on us...
Two-generation (2Gen) convenings have the potential to create change for whole systems and the lives of the families they serve. This planning guide i...
It was another great day of provocative conversation at ThinkXChange. Here are three of our favorite insights from the breakout group on cash transfer...
The racial wealth gap is well-documented and undisputedly real. The median white family has 41 times more wealth than the median African-American fami...
With family voices at the center, Ascend brought together leaders from across key issues and sectors at the Aspen ThinkXChange 2019: Ad...
At the second Aspen Forum on Children and Families last month we brought together national leaders – policymakers, practitioners, researchers, ...