The Aspen Institute offers its Teen Socrates Seminar to teens between the ages of 15-17 from the Roaring Fork Valley 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 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 diverse group of students for lively, intensive roundtable discussions led by skilled moderators. 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.
Moderated in the Aspen Institute Socratic style by expert moderators, students read selections by such authors as Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Mary Oliver, and Martin Luther King, Jr., among others.
The Aspen Institute is committed to bringing together students with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, which adds depth and richness to the dialogue. Thanks to the generosity of the Wall Family Foundation, we are able to offer scholarships to those in need of financial assistance.
Upcoming Teen Socrates Seminars
The Power of the Human Spirit
Spring 2024 Virtual Seminar | May 13-16, 2024
Zoom
Monday, May 13
Session I: Creation and Destruction
4:00-6:00 pm MT
Tuesday, May 14
Session II: Adventure and Rest
4:00-6:00 pm MT
Wednesday, May 15
Session III: Treasure and Loss
4:00-6:00 pm MT
Thursday, May 16
Session IV: Time and Eternity
4:00-6:00 pm MT
Registration for the spring 2024 seminar is now open – click here.
All sessions will take place on Zoom. For the most up-to-date information on registration and upcoming youth programs, sign up for our e-newsletter here.