Blog
The Time Is Always Right To Do What Is Right
With eyes wide open and steady resolve, the importance of leadership, courage, and conviction can’t be understated. We need leaders to pull us into a post-pandemic world, crack the walls of systemic racism so they come crashing down, and build a society that collaborates to create opportunity for those often blocked from it. Reimagining a…
Four Outstanding Projects Selected for Ascend Impact Fund
Four outstanding organizations and partnerships have been selected to receive flexible grant funding to accelerate their work moving children and families with low incomes toward educational success, economic security, and health and well-being. Ascend Impact Fund awardees are: Association of Children’s Museums and Center for Community Resilience Center for Urban Families, Early Childhood Innovation Network,…
Investing In Futures Means Investing In Families: Announcing The 2Gen Prenatal To Three Learning And Action Community
The COVID-19 pandemic has made more evident than ever the need to transform policies, practice, and systems to build upon the inherent resilience of families – especially those with low incomes and from BIPOC communities. The challenge and opportunity to rebuild systems and help families recover is why Ascend is launching the Two-generation Prenatal to…
Announcing: Ascend and JED’s Mental Health Partnership for Student Parents
Contact: Alexis Williams Ascend at the Aspen Institute alexis.williams@aspeninstitute.org Ascend at the Aspen Institute and The Jed Foundation Announce Partnership To Develop a Mental Health Framework Focused on Students who are Parents Based on results from a literature review released today, leaders will develop evidence-based resources and expert-informed recommendations to address the mental health…
Parents’ Voices 2020: Focus Group Findings
This fall, Ascend at the Aspen Institute launched the Parents’ Voices 2020 Project, the next step in our longstanding effort to cut through the national noise and ask parents directly for their hopes, dreams, challenges, and solutions. With a strategic and intentional focus on racial and gender equity, and an expanded definition of family structures,…
The Secret Sauce: Strategies to Include Social Capital in Human Services
Social capital is the “secret sauce” of the two-generation (2Gen) approach. It manifests itself as increased peer support and a sense of community; connections to family, friends, and neighbors; participation in community and faith-based organizations; school and workplace outreach; leadership and professional development programs; engagement with case managers or career coaches; and other social networks…