The Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute offers its Hurst Student Seminar: Middle School Great Ideas to students in the 8th grade valley-wide each year. This seminar, now in its tenth year, is modeled after the Aspen Institute Executive Seminar which has been convening leaders from around the world for over 70 years.

The four-day seminar is dedicated to enhancing leadership, problem solving, and critical thinking skills for middle school students living in the Roaring Fork Valley. 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.

Moderated in traditional Aspen Institute Socratic style by expert moderator, Allyson Breyfogle, students read selections by such authors as Plato; Aristotle; Virginia Woolf; Hobbes; Martin Luther King, Jr.; and others.

A past high school (we also run a version of this seminar for high school sophomores) participant wrote, “The experience I had at this seminar is almost indescribable.  This was one of the best experiences I have ever had.  …I will carry this wisdom and passion for knowledge with me for the rest of my life.  Thank you!”

Schedule

Monday, December 4
Please arrive by 1:45 p.m.
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Refreshments will be provided each day

Tuesday, December 5
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, December 6
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. plus a parent reception from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 7
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Note: The 2022 Hurst Student Seminar will take place in person on the Institute’s Aspen Meadows campus.

Fee: $175, includes all sessions, readings, and light refreshments. Scholarships are available.