The Aspen Challenge recently concluded Solution Showcases in New Orleans and Brooklyn following eight weeks of critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving initiated at the Challenge Forums in each city earlier this year. The culmination was Solution Showcases in both cities – which resulted in student-led teams presenting remarkable and innovative solutions addressing critical issues and ultimately helping to make their communities better.

In New Orleans, Aspen Challenge partnered with New Schools for New Orleans, where 19 high school teams competed in five challenge topic areas: climate change, housing access, mental health, food insecurity, and gun violence. After an intense competition, the Travis Hill School and Sarah T. Reed High School emerged in an unprecedented tie for first place.

Travis Hill School’s winning project, “The Voices Behind the Walls,” responded to the mental health needs of New Orleans youth by hosting bi-weekly family counseling sessions for families of incarcerated youth.

Travis Hill School. The Aspen Challenge: New Orleans Grand Prize Winning Team.

Sarah T. Reed High School’s project, “RE2ED,” focused on raising awareness about the climate impact of Louisiana’s consumer waste through the transformation of recycling bins into “Learning Hubs” that educate community members about recycling and environmental preservation.

Sarah T. Reed High School. The Aspen Challenge: New Orleans Grand Prize Winning Team.

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, 20 teams of students from Brooklyn North High Schools participated in the Challenge, choosing to tackle issues in the areas of mental health, food security, post-incarceration, economic mobility, and street planning. Teams from Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School, East Williamsburg Scholars Academy, and Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory School were named winners.

Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School (BCAM) created “Project BLACK,” a hub empowering students to explore post-secondary pathways following high school.

Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School. The Aspen Challenge: Brooklyn Grand Prize Winning Team.

East Williamsburg Scholars Academy’s “Toxicity in the City” fostered healthy relationships through outreach events, games, panel discussions, and social media.

East Williamsburg Scholars Academy. The Aspen Challenge: Brooklyn Grand Prize Winning Team.

Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory School ensured equitable access to good food with their “CHCP Family Feeds” market and digital cookbook, supplemented by partnerships and plans for a community garden.

Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory School. The Aspen Challenge: Brooklyn Grand Prize Winning Team.

The Aspen Challenge continues to empower young individuals across various school districts, fostering a sense of social responsibility, and equipping them with a platform and the tools to address critical issues and make a difference in their communities as tomorrow’s decision-makers. Sarah T. Reed from New Orleans and the top three teams from Brooklyn will enjoy an all-expense-paid trip to Aspen, Colorado for the opportunity to present their projects at the Aspen Ideas Festival, an annual gathering of global leaders in Aspen, CO, from June 24-30, 2023.