Aspen Summer Ideas Festival Reflections

The Aspen Institute conducts a remarkable conference in July called the "Aspen Ideas Festival." The date for the gathering was July 5 - 10. For those intrigued by star gazing, i.e., having both the opportunity to listen and engage with national and international "stars"during the day and evenings such as Colin Powell, Bill & Hilary Clinton, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Jim Lehrer, William Bennett, Derek Bok, David Boies, David Brooks, Wesley Clark, Jane Goodall, David Gergen, Jason DeParle, and many more, and then during the night, spending the time networking with leaders -- searching for solutions to economic, education, and health challenges facing the nation and the world, all the while gazing at the skyline -- then the Aspen Ideas Festival is a place for you! Here is a sample of a plenary session that the National Urban Alliance (NUA) participated with Jason DeParle, social policy writer for the "New York Times:" Family in Focus: A Shot at the American Dream. "We all know that children are our future, but 17 percent of America's children -- more than 11 million -- live below the official poverty line, and it is estimated that another 16 million live in families that don't have the resources to meet basic needs, although more than 80 percent of low-income families have at least one working parent. Studies point to connections between low incomes and poor performance in school, which is in turn associated with poor employment prospects, early child bearing and continuing the cycle of children living in poverty -- as well as lost learning opportunities, lost creativity and innovation, increased need for public services, and decreased ability to contribute to the economic vibrancy of our country. With such a significant portion of our future in this kind of jeopardy, why is this not an issue of national importance? This session will tackle the impact of the economy on children, the conundrum of this issues low profile in public discourse, and ideas for addressing these questions and creating a better future. Jason DeParle and Eric J. Cooper, Presenters.