The Aspen Institute

This rigorous four-day seminar is open to 24 high school sophomores from six valley-wide schools. Chosen by their respective school officials, the students are afforded the chance to learn in the Socratic method of dialogue from an expert Institute moderator. Students read selections by such authors as Plato, Aristotle, Virginia Woolf, Hobbes, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. The four-day seminar is dedicated to enhancing leadership, problem solving, and critical thinking skills for high school students living in the Roaring Fork Valley. Students are challenged to think more critically and deeply about their values and ideas, and those that make the good society. Our proven method of text-based dialogue offers participants a neutral forum in which to reflect on timeless human values, pursue common ground, and cultivate a richer understanding of the human condition. Participants emerge from the seminar with a new perspective as they confront the difficult choices of our ever-changing world.

A past high school participant wrote, “The experience I had at this seminar is almost indescribable. This was one of the best experiences I have ever had. …I will carry this wisdom and passion for knowledge with me for the rest of my life. Thank you!”

By invitation only.

Moderated by Lee Bycel
Lee T. Bycel is the founder and CEO of CedarStreet Leadership (CSL). He has also served as a senior moderator of Leadership Seminars at the Aspen Institute for over fifteen years. Lee has an extensive background in leadership positions, including as Executive Director of the Redford Center. He was Executive Director, Western Region of American Jewish World Service. He previously served as Senior Advisor, Global Strategy of International Medical Corps and has made several trips to East Africa including five humanitarian trips to Darfur and Chad where he visited several refugee camps. Born in Los Angeles, Lee graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in Philosophy. He earned his doctorate from the Claremont School of Theology. In April 2014, Lee was appointed by President Obama to be a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.