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

Built by and for Young Adults, Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations Set to Reimagine Civil Dialogue in America

Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations will bring 350 young leaders to Bentonville, Arkansas this November.

Washington, DC, July 15, 2026 — The Center for Rising Generations (CRG) at the Aspen Institute today announced Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations, a four-day convening taking place November 13–16, 2026 at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas. Bringing together 350 young adults aged 18–24 from across the United States, the festival is the newest extension of “Aspen Ideas,” the Aspen Institute’s signature public events brand, and the first built entirely for and by young adults. 

At the center of the festival are ideas, themselves. Participants will engage with a curated set of meaningful issue areas across four content tracks. They will have the time and space to explore them together, discussing what they believe, learning from one another’s perspectives, and considering what those ideas could mean for their own communities. 

“Young people are already leading in their neighborhoods, on their campuses, and in their broader communities,” said Kaya Henderson, Executive Director of the Center for Rising Generations and an Executive Vice President at the Aspen Institute. “This festival exists for them. Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations gives them the space, the peers, and the programming to take big ideas to the next level, and sends them home ready to build upon their leadership and continue the conversations.”

Programming is organized across four content tracks – Code + Conscience (technology and AI), Earn + Build (economic opportunity), Make + Move (culture and creativity), and Spirit + Purpose (faith and meaning), each built around a set of ideas participants will explore together through conversation, debate, and reflection.

Participants will move through the festival with a Home Team, a small peer cohort designed to build the trust and relationships that make honest conversation possible. Beyond the tracks, the festival includes skill-building workshops rooted in the art of productive dialogue, reflection seminars built on the Aspen Leadership Seminars model, lightning-round talks on issues that matter to young adults, evening programming with arts and music, and place-based experiences throughout Bentonville and the surrounding Ozark community.

“Since its founding, the Aspen Institute has been devoted to the power of big ideas to change the world — and for 21 years, we’ve seen this come to life through the Aspen Ideas Festival, our largest public convening. Now, we are creating a new space explicitly for  young adults that is organized around the ethos of Aspen Ideas,” said Maria Acebal, Interim President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “Investing in the rising generations is a cornerstone of our strategic plan, and Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations is an important part of that commitment. ”

Perhaps the most consequential part of the festival happens after it ends. Every participant leaves with a commitment to bring the ideas and conversation skills they practiced in Bentonville back to their own communities and lead similar conversations at home. Across 350 participants, that adds up to countless youth-led conversations about consequential ideas, happening in communities across the country in the months following the festival.

CRG’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) has shaped the programming and design from the start, ensuring the experience reflects what young adults want rather than what institutions assume they need.

“Young people have all been in rooms that were supposedly ‘for us’ but didn’t really feel like it,” said Sophia Turning Robe (age 25), member of the CRG Youth Advisory Council from Spokane, Washington. “This one is different. We’re helping to build it, and the questions driving the conversations are questions young people are truly living. I genuinely can’t wait to be a part of this.”

The Crystal Bridges campus sits in the heart of the Arkansas Ozarks, and the venue choice was by design. Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations is built to reach young adults from every corner of the country, not just its coasts, and Bentonville reflects that commitment.

Young adults ages 18–24 are encouraged to apply at aspenideasrisinggen.org. Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations seeks applicants who are active in their communities and genuinely curious about people whose journeys are different from their own. Demonstrated commitment is the criteria, not academic credentials or institutional affiliation. Travel, lodging, and meals are fully covered for all accepted participants. Applications are open through July 29 at 11:59 PM EST. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations is the latest addition to a portfolio of Aspen Ideas programming produced by the Aspen Institute that builds off the marquee Aspen Ideas Festival, which takes place each summer in Aspen, Colorado. Aspen Ideas: Health, which happens in advance of the main Festival, centers around dialogue focused on health and wellbeing. Aspen Ideas: Climate will take place from July 20-22 in Chicago, and focuses on climate and energy solutions. And Aspen Ideas: Economy, taking place October 13-14 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will anchor critical conversations about the global economy in real places, people, and dialogue. Aspen Ideas: Rising Generations rounds out the year from Nov. 13-16, 2026.

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About the Center for Rising Generations

The Center for Rising Generations (CRG) at the Aspen Institute connects young people to real leadership opportunities across communities, institutions, and systems, and builds the ecosystem of partners, proof points, and support that moves employers, policymakers, and organizations to open more doors. Through storytelling, events, leadership development, and cross-sector partnerships, CRG works to make youth leadership a predictable, embedded part of how institutions operate. For more information, visit: www.risinggenerations.org.

About the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Contact: Eric Baker
Senior Media Relations Manager
[email protected]

Contact: Eric Baker
Senior Media Relations Manager
[email protected]