Our team has compiled the below list of frequently asked questions (FAQs). If your question is not answered here, please reach out to our Program Associate, Jordan Colvin (jordan.colvin@aspeninstitute.org), and we will respond to your message as soon as possible. Thanks for your interest in the Aspen Institute Ascend Network.
Becoming a Network Partner
First, please take the Ascend 2Gen Survey here. This 15-minute survey is designed to capture important information on your 2Gen efforts as well as help you identify areas of growth for tracking 2Gen outcomes. It also equips the Ascend team to understand where your strengths and areas of growth are in the 2Gen context.
Please reach message Jordan.Colvin@aspeninstitute.org if you have questions or concerns with registering.
Organizations spanning the entire 2Gen continuum, from just starting to implementation and measurement, are encouraged to join the Network.
There are no fees associated with joining the Ascend Network. We often say, you get out what you put in. That is to say, when you stay connected and reach out when you have questions, we do our best to help or lead you to others that can guide your journey.
Once you have completed the survey and registered on 2Gen connect, we will reach out to you for a quarterly onboarding session. You will also be enrolled in our ongoing Newsletter immediately, receiving invitations and resources to start your journey.
Currently, Network Partner status lasts indefinitely.
Partnership Overview & Benefits
Becoming a member of the Ascend Network taps you into a community of more than 500 organizations that are exploring, implementing, or incubating a 2Gen approach. As part of this community, you have opportunities to connect with peers through office hours and convenings, have your work featured in Ascend’s email newsletter, and receive priority for potential technical assistance. The Ascend Network is a learning community and the source of many of tools and resources for the 2Gen field. We are always looking to share the innovation happening on
the ground.
– Provide feedback on annual surveys;
– Participate in Action + Impact calls;
– Utilize the five 2Gen Principles and share feedback with Ascend on progress toward tracking outcomes for children and the adults in their lives;
– Respond to requests and opportunities to advance 2Gen policies and systems changes in your county and/or state.
You can find a list of Ascend Network members here to explore our national reach in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Rwanda, and Guatemala. If you’d like to connect with peer Network Partners, you can always reach out to the Ascend team for connections.
2Gen Approach Journey
Ascend created a three-part toolkit to help organizations on their 2Gen journey:
– 101: Trying on a 2Gen Approach: 101 Activity: Seeing where you belong on the 2Gen continuum. This activity is the first of a three-part toolkit.
– 201: 2Gen Action Plan: 201 Activity: 2Gen Action Plan. This is the second part of a three-part toolkit.
– 301: Community Guide to 2Gen Approaches: The Community Guide to 2Gen Approaches helps communities understand how they deliver services to their populations and how they can become more efficient and effective at achieving lasting outcomes. This brief community guide is designed to help leaders.This is the third part of a three-part toolkit.
For more resources, please check out our 2Gen Resource Library.
We invite you to stay connected by attending Network Office Hours and subscribing to the Ascend email newsletter. We also invite you to reach out with any questions. Some additional publications that are helpful as you seek to deepen your 2Gen work is the Making Tomorrow Better Series:
– Making Tomorrow Better Together: Report of the Two-Generation Outcomes Working Group: This report for the Two-Generation Outcomes Working Group is designed to set a foundation for how practitioners and policymakers consider the intended outcomes of two-generation program and the pathways to achieve those outcomes.
– Making Tomorrow Better Together: A Guide to Outcomes for Policymakers: This report from the Two-Generation Outcomes Working Group is designed to set a foundation for how practitioners and policymakers consider the intended outcomes of two-generation programs and the pathways to achieve those outcomes. This report leads with 5 principles policymakers should consider when designing evaluation plans for their 2Gen effort.
– Making Tomorrow Better Together: Process Outcomes and Measures for 2Gen Organizational Change: The purpose of this guidebook is to help organization and agency leaders set goals and develop measures to track their progress and achievement of 2Gen change. The introduction begins with definitions of key terms used throughout the guidebook, then provides a brief history of the 2Gen approach and describes lessons learned that inform today’s “2Gen 2.0” efforts. It continues with discussions of the 2Gen continuum of policy and systems change, the role of organizational change in achieving parent and child outcomes, and stages of organizational collaboration.
For more resources, please check out our 2Gen Resource Library.