Teen Socrates
Teen seminars are patterned after the adult seminars, in that they are text-based, Socratic explorations of critical leadership challenges of the day. Noteworthy differences are that Teen participants are high school age youth and that the youth are not included in the adult social activities, and the preparatory readings are shorter.
Through the generous support of Anne and John Doerr, scholarships are awarded to ensure that diverse perspectives are represented at the Teen seminar tables. Apply for the scholarship.
Summer Teen Seminar Session
June 26-29, 2009
Aspen, Colorado
Environment and Energy: The World We Will Inherit and Build
AO Forbes Co-Founder, Tomorrow's Voices
As teenagers we are joining the conversation about stewardship of the Earth approximately forty years after the first Earth Day, and the early warning signs on global climate change. Former President Jimmy Carter referred often to the need for a transition to a renewable energy economy, and in the mid seventies said that solving the energy problem was the moral equivalent of war. And yet, for many reasons, the transition off of oil to renewable fuels has been delayed, and the many warnings about the costs of delay - economic, political, and environmental have become realities. The pace of global climate change, for example, has exceeded most of the responsible climate modeling predictions. What are we as teens to make of this? What values in our parent's generation led us to this predicament, and what other values might actually make a difference going forward? What role can the US play as the developing world rapidly increases its consumption of resources? What are the new possibilities for change, and the basis for optimism?
Margaret Fisher
Program Coordinator
Public and Policy Programs
The Aspen Institute
One Dupont Circle
Washington DC 20036
(202) 736-1497
margaret.fisher@aspeninstitute.org