Setup
All great superheros have origin stories, those profound life experiences that compel them to fight for a cause. Join us for a breakfast conversation with three remarkable Aspen New Voices Fellows who have turned their life experiences into power to address some of the world’s most difficult social issues. Metsehate Ayenekulu, the daughter of a child bride who narrowly escaped a similar fate herself, now teaches young couples in Ethiopia about family planning. Shadia Elshiwy watched her young cousin endure the pain of female genital mutilation, and now works to end the practice across North Africa. Mohamed Bailor Barrie grew up in rural Sierra Leone and became one of the first to graduate from the country’s medical school. He uses that knowledge to treat civilian amputee victims of Sierra Leone’s civil war. Through their lived experiences they show us how to drive change in our own communities with dignity and respect.
Explore More
Health

In a time of heightened distrust, how can media outlets reclaim the public’s confidence? We hear from a longtime journalist.







The idea of unity is a compassionate, hopeful aspiration for a country ravaged by a global pandemic, racial injustice, economic downturn and mob violence.



This week marks one year since the first known COVID-19 death. And while the remarkable pace of vaccine development is widely praised, the lag in its distribution is concernin...



Peggy Clark asks Dan Glickman to reflect on this past year and to share what he expects from our country under President-elect Joe Biden’s leadership.



“We are not in a rush to pull people back into the workplace,” says Rob Falzon









On November 9, 2020, as coronavirus cases surge, President-elect Joe Biden named a COVID-19 Advisory Council. Aspen Ideas has been honored to host several of the council membe...

Not by shying away from arguments but by embracing them. Arguments are our legacy and our shared history.



Two pro athletes talk about the perils of speaking up for justice in 2020, and what it would take to see progress and create measurable societal change.

The highest court often seems distanced from our day-to-day lives, but the rulings that come out of the Supreme Court are woven into the fabric of the nation. Though it aims t...