Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
  • In Person
  • Seminar

Teen Socrates Seminar – Winter 2026

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

Feb 14 – 16, 2026
Aspen, CO

Date

Feb 14 – 16, 2026
2:00pm – 6:00pm MST

Location

Aspen Meadows Campus
1000 N. Third St.

Contact

    [email protected]
    970.544.7992

Hosts

  1. Aspen Community Programs

Online registration for this event is now closed. Registration for Teen Socrates opened in September and, due to high-demand, this event has reached full capacity. If you would like to join the waitlist, please email [email protected]. We encourage you to join us for one of our other upcoming youth programs.

A Reverence for Life
The Pursuit of Happiness: Vision and Creativity

The Aspen Institute offers its Teen Socrates Seminar each year to teens between the ages of 15-17 from the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, and beyond. Students convene to take part in this transformational experience and come away with a new perspective on their lives, their futures, and society.

The three-day seminar is dedicated to enhancing leadership, problem solving, and critical thinking skills for high school students in a setting conducive to thought and fellowship. 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.

Each seminar convenes a dynamic group of students for lively, intensive roundtable discussions led by expert moderator Allyson Breyfogle. Classic and contemporary texts reflecting the breadth of human civilization form the starting points of a rich conversation in which the questions posed by the group are frequently as illuminating as the varied, timeless wisdom of the texts.

The Aspen Institute is committed to bringing together students with diverse backgrounds and perspectives which adds depth and richness to the dialogue. This program is generously underwritten by the Wall Family Foundation.

Schedule

Session I: What makes us happy?
Saturday, February 14
2:00-6:00 pm

Session II: How do we want to live?
Sunday, February 15
2:00-6:00 pm

Session III: Where do we find inspiration?
Monday, February 16
10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Fee: $175, includes all sessions, readings, and light refreshments. Scholarships are available for those in need of financial assistance. For more information, please contact Katie Carlsen at [email protected].

Note: Participants traveling from outside of the Roaring Fork Valley to attend Teen Socrates must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. For the most up-to-date information on registration and more, sign up for our e-newsletter here.