Civil Society

How do we listen even when we are the most hurt? How do we disagree without disappearing?

At the Resnick Aspen Action Forum, changemakers explored what it means — and what it takes — to stay at the table during the most difficult moments. This conversation turns toward clues in history, reminding us that the institutions of today were once the result of creative innovation.

Taking inspiration from youth and the artistic community as sources of “research and development,” this conversation invites us to wrestle with tension rather than treating conflict as failure, allowing us to remain in relationship through our differences. Whether operating in small towns in a single U.S. state like South Carolina, or across multiple nations in the Middle East, panelists discussed the conditions that we can create in ourselves and in our communities to design new ways forward.

Senior representatives from the US government’s cybersecurity response headlined the seventh annual Aspen Cyber Summit. Guests heard keynotes from DHS Under Secretary for Policy Rob Silvers, TSA Administrator David Pekoske, and White House Principal Deputy National Cyber Director Kemba Walden.

Local media and civic institutions must support one another’s mission if they are to serve the community and its informational, multilingual, and multicultural needs. 

America is in a crisis of trust and truth. Bad information has become as prevalent, persuasive, and persistent as good information, creating a chain reaction of harm. It makes any health crisis more deadly. It slows down response time on climate change. It undermines democracy. In their final report, the Aspen Institute’s Commission on Information Disorder makes 15 recommendations for how government, private industry, and civil society can reduce the greatest harms of mis- and disinformation.

OCTOBER, 6, 2021 – Much more than just policymakers, the Aspen Cyber Summit aims to engage the boots on the ground with some of the most influential voices on cybersecurity.

By listening to the communities around us, we can collectively help America live up to its ideals.

On October, 17th 2019, Lebanon saw a series of protests led by the people that called for political and economic reform. What could be characterized as a political revolution creating intense civil unrest became the backdrop when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Without a stable government structure, civil society has stepped in to fill the gaps.