This event was recorded on August 1, 2023 at the Aspen Institute, in partnership with Aspen Public Radio.
What happens when we dream big about how children grow up surrounded by love? What if we challenge assumptions about what families need? We'll hear from leaders around the country who are disrupting systems to reclaim ways for children to thrive and flipping the definitions of wealth and well-being. We will delight in the joy that should surround families and the dreams they have for themselves right here in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Agenda:
Welcome - Marjorie Sims, Managing Director, Ascend at the Aspen Institute
Raising Children with Love and Honoring Families - What dreams do we all have for our children? What do we do differently when we recognize everyone is deserving, that parents do the best they can in challenging circumstances, and that children thrive when they’re with those who love them? The panel includes:
- Anthony Barrows, Managing Partner and Founder, Center for Behavioral Design and Social Justice (moderator)
- Christine Norbut Beyer, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Children and Families
- Aysha E. Schomburg, Associate Commissioner, Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Ebony Underwood, Founder and CEO, WE GOT US NOW
Eye of the Beholder: Disruptors at Work - Everyone deserves the opportunity to find their talents, support their families, and be the best version of themselves. Hear how leaders and communities are using art, and their voices and power to challenge perceptions and build ways for families and communities to thrive and use their voices towards the change they seek. Afterwards, visit the mural Bimmer is creating onsite. The panel includes:
- Joseph Jones, Founder, President, and CEO, Center for Urban Families
- Bimmer Torres, Muralist and Sculptor
- Daniel Williams, President and CEO, Steelcase Foundation
Can There be Well-being Without Wealth? - Economic disparities stifle opportunity. What are the big ideas to change the flow of capital – from wealth building to redesigning philanthropy – to put families and communities on a path to well-being? The panel includes:
- Kwame Anku, CEO and Chairman, Black Star Fund
- Andrea Levere, Executive Fellow, International Center for Finance, Yale School of Management
- Sherece West-Scantlebury, PhD, President and CEO, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
- Gillian White, Senior Vice President of Revenue and Programming, Capital B (moderator)
Creating Communities of Joy - How do we ensure that our communities truly reflect families’ aspirations for well-being and joy for themselves and their children - dreams in all their complexity and hope? We join local leaders in conversation with parents from Valley Settlement, a 2Gen approach to improving early childhood educational outcomes and providing immigrant families in the Roaring Fork Valley the support they need to thrive. The panel includes:
- Tina Alvarez, Parent Expert
- Karina Lara, Parent Expert
- Ivan Lara, Parent Expert
- Lizeth Zamorano, Parent Expert
- Bill Jaeger, Strategic Initiatives Officer, LOR Foundation (moderator)
Closing remarks - Lori Severens, Director, Leadership Programs, Ascend at the Aspen Institute
Click here to listen to Day 1 of VisionXChange.
Click here to learn more about Ascend at the Aspen Institute.