The Work

The Aspen Challenge builds future generations of engaged and equitable leaders by providing tools and a platform for young people to play critical roles in identifying, designing, and implementing solutions to their community’s biggest needs.

Featured Challenges

CHALLENGE

I challenge you to design a solution that addresses homelessness among high school students and young adults in your community, and emphasizes the importance of stabilizing their access to education and academic performance.

CHALLENGE

We challenge you to design an innovative approach for helping youth effectively navigate their mental health journey by creating a roadmap that will connect them to resources to support their wellness.

CHALLENGE

I challenge you to design a program that educates students about the multiple pathways to post-secondary success by promoting the exploration of those pathways as opportunities for economic mobility.

CHALLENGE

I challenge you to collaborate with your neighbors to use your community assets in creating a solution that improves the food landscape and promotes a culture of health in your community.

CHALLENGE

I challenge you to create and test a business idea that will help address a problem of poverty within your community.

CHALLENGE

I challenge you to reimagine urban spaces by creating better access to healthy foods and lifestyle choices for underprivileged communities.

Featured Solutions

SOLUTION

We are transforming our school yard into a space that is fun and welcoming for everybody in our community, and that is created by the community. We believe intentionally designed space will help address climate change and improve the environment while acting as an event space, and resource hub for homeless youth.

SOLUTION

We envision a community where young people acknowledge toxic traits within relationships and are able to take toxic traits as warning signs. We want young people to continue this initiative with their peers, families and younger generations, so that they can all understand and remember the healthy definition of love.

SOLUTION

Using advertising to connect people to affordable childcare services will allow ALICE families to spend less of their income on childcare, which allows them to have more freedom when allocating their earnings.

SOLUTION

Wildcat Outreach provides hygiene products to women facing homelessness as a way to respect each person's dignity and promote healthy communities.

SOLUTION

wholeheARTed is disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline through education, mentoring, and collaborative artistic expression. Utilizing mobile, student-created art installations, and social media, we engage the larger community in restorative justice.

SOLUTION

By offering mentoring, special events, and little food pantries, SUPERFood aims to encourage families, peers, communities, and each other to eat real food and lessen the reliance on junk food.

Special Guests and Judges

Judge

Troy Johnson

Owner & Content Chief, San Diego Magazine

Judge

Dr. LaShyra Nolen

Founding Executive Director, We Got Us

Speaker

Nadia Lopez

Chief Impact Officer, College and Community Fellowship

Judge

Kia Robinson Hatfield

Director of Programs, Marketing, and Communications, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.

Speaker

Misty Copeland

Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre

Speaker

John Lewis

Former U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th District

Speaker

Komal Ahmad

Founder and CEO of Copia

Speaker

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

Drummer, DJ, Producer, Culinary Entrepreneur, Designer, New York Times Best-Selling Author, and Member of The Roots

Speaker

M. Night Shyamalan

Screenwriter, Director and Producer