Aspen Challenge welcomes youth voice into the conversation around critical community issues and invites young people to take a seat at the table as active change-makers.

From historic Boston to sunny San Diego, high school students are stepping up to create meaningful change in their communities through this season’s Aspen Challenge. Following the February Aspen Challenge: Challenge Forums in both cities, youth-led teams are now back in their classrooms and out in their communities, creating solutions that address some of the most pressing local issues with a fresh perspective and their own unique vision.

“Leadership isn’t about stepping away from challenge. Leadership is about stepping to it,” Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper said, setting the tone for the Challenge Forum.

In San Diego, San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Fabiola Bagula kicked off the day by reminding students, “There is no failure unless you quit.”

At both forums, students heard from inspiring leaders, or Challengers, who are experts in their fields and want to engage the next generation of leaders to help problem-solve and innovate on issues like gun violence, homelessness, green spaces, screen time, rising sea levels, equity and belonging, career pathways, substance use, and social media. After the Challenges on these topics were presented, students regrouped with their teams to choose the issue they plan to tackle. Now, the real work has begun, as teams dive deep into research, collaborate, and ultimately lead the charge in finding a way to address the issue they’ve chosen. Teams have used the last month to develop and fine-tune their work, and will then take the stage to present their Solutions at the Aspen Challenge: Solutions Showcase in their respective cities in April.

As current participants push forward, they can look to past teams for wisdom and motivation.

Project B.L.A.C.K., a winning team from the 2023 Aspen Challenge: Brooklyn season’s Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School, challenged teams in Boston by saying, “The question we have is, are you going to do the research to make the connections and take the action?” They emphasized the importance of working together as a team, tapping into the community and resources, and fully embracing the possibility of what “could be” by taking more chances and “saying yes” to opportunities without knowing where they might lead.

Mira Mesa High School’s winning team, Student Guide to Wellbeing, from the 2024 Aspen Challenge: San Diego season, knows firsthand what it takes to create meaningful impact. Their advice? “Don’t be afraid to ask anybody and everyone for advice and help, otherwise you won’t get it.” They also highlighted the importance of representation, saying, “The people you’re helping – you need to get them involved. That’s what we did. We went straight to the source to get the community involved.”

Immigr8t, the winning team from the 2024 Aspen Challenge: Brooklyn season at Multicultural High School, reflected on presenting on stage and how passion makes a difference, noting “When you speak, do take it personally. When you take it personally, you speak from your heart.”

Teams will share their Solutions on stage in front of a panel of judges and their peers at the Aspen Challenge: Solution Showcase – Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in San Diego, and Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Boston. Top teams will be invited to Aspen, Colorado, to present their winning Solutions at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June.