The 2013 Project Play Summit

Note: This is a past event, additional resources may be available below.

Date

Apr 9 – 12 2013
5:30pm – 11:00am

Location

Aspen, CO, United States

The summit convened sport leaders with those from health, philanthropy, media, industry and other realms to start a national conversation about how to give stakeholders–from parents to policy makers–the tools to build “Sport for All, Play for Life” communities. Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the event launched The Aspen Institute’s Project Play, a two-year initiative that will include a series of roundtables to address the barriers that limit children’s access to sport activity that is healthy, fun and developmentally appropriate.

Project Play represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine youth sports in America, with special focus on underserved communities and the needs of public health. The perspectives, ideas and research shared at the roundtables and other events will lead to the publication of a final report, also underwritten by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in late 2014.

Attending the inaugural summit were more than 80 organizational and thought leaders including U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun, Oregon State Men’s Basketball Coach Craig Robinson, Google senior executive David Drummond, and top officials from sport governing bodies. The agenda included sessions on the past, present and potential future of youth sports, capped by an evening town hall — open to the public — featuring Olympic champions Gary Hall Jr., Michelle Kwan and Nancy Hogshead-Makar, and Paralympians Sarah Reinertsen and Jon Lujon.

Project Play Summit Summary Report: (.pdf)

Summit agenda: (.doc)

Summit participants: (.doc)

Childhood Obesity Rates in US Compared to Other Countries (.doc)

Future Scenario Planning – a look at 3 possible outcomes (.doc)

Graphic Artist Rendering Day One: International Models and Suggestions for National Policy on Youth Sports

Graphic Artist Rendering Day One:  Future Scenarios

Graphic Artist Rendering Day Two: Youth Panels and Windows of Opportunity

Graphic Artist Rendering Day Two: Breakthrough Ideas at the Local Level and National Governing Bodies

Aspen Daily News coverage of public town hall: Athletes to Local Kids: Train Hard, Have Fun”.

Blog and video of town hall featuring athletes:  The Aspen Institute’s Project Play Launches

More video of featured conversations from the summit, plus additional materials, will be made available on this page as it becomes available.

Aspen Ideas Festival 2025

Bold ideas. Bright minds. One transformative week.

Psychedelics and the Brain: Unlocking New Possibilities for Healing

Featuring Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor in Neurology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco.

Food, Family, and Tradition: A Conversation with Lidia Bastianich

Featuring Lidia Bastianich, acclaimed chef, restaurateur, best-selling author, and Emmy-winning TV personality.

Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America

Featuring Barbara McQuade, former US Attorney, professor from practice at the University of Michigan Law School and best-selling author.

How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain

Featuring Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, renowned psychologist, neuroscientist, best-selling author, and University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University.

Advancing America’s Prosperity

Join the Aspen Economic Strategy Group for a conversation with economic experts about ongoing developments in US economic policy.

Citizenship, Democracy, and America’s Role in the World

Featuring Dr. Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens.”

The Future of Journalism: Trust, Truth, and Technology in a Changing Media Landscape

Featuring Meredith Kopit Levien, president and chief executive officer, The New York Times Company.

Reagan: His Life, Legacy, and the Shaping of Modern Conservatism

Featuring Max Boot, historian, foreign policy analyst, and best-selling author.