Engage. Inspire. Lead. That’s the motto of the Aspen Challenge launched by the Aspen Institute and the Bezos Family Foundation. Since its inception, the Challenge has had more than 4,500 students participate in 400 student-led solutions from coast to coast. Aspen Challenge participants are empowered to use their imagination, enthusiasm, competitive spirit, and sense of global citizenship to solve some of society’s toughest problems.
In February 2023, Street Plans’ Principal and Cofounder, Mike Lydon, was honored to be a Challenger, asking this year’s cohort to reimagine Brooklyn’s streets so that people of all ages and abilities can safely travel wherever they want to go. Brooklyn is the tenth addition as the newest Aspen Challenge partner city.
Each year, the Aspen Challenge partners with an urban school district to bring the Aspen Challenge to a new city. Twenty schools are invited to participate, and each high school forms a team of 8 students and 2 educators who serve as coaches. Participants take the following steps to complete the Aspen Challenge: Build Empathy, Get Inspired, Design a Solution, Give the Solution a Voice, Outreach and Community Engagement, Present and Compete, and finally Reflect and Grow.
Learn more at aspenchallenge.org