The world faces a new wave of infections caused by the Omicron variant, and disinformation about the pandemic continues to run rampant. In recent events hosted by the Science and Society Program, public health officials said variants are nurtured by both vaccine hesitancy and vaccine inequity, making trust our most important weapon against these insidious problems. But the question remains—how do we build trust in this time of great uncertainty?

Over the last two years, the Institute’s Health, Medicine & Society Program and the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have built a roadmap for the future of the neuroarts field. Along with a cross-discipline cohort of leaders and researchers, they envision a world in which the arts, like regular exercise and a healthy diet, are essential to human health. Renowned soprano Renée Fleming served as one of the initiative’s co-chairs and spoke to us about her hopes for the burgeoning field.

The news brings a report of a gun-related incident almost daily. The latest episode of the Aspen Global Leadership Network’s Value of Leadership podcast explores what leaders get wrong about gun reform and how inclusive approaches can get us “unstuck” on the issue. It features former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who works on the ground level in Chicago, and Megan Ranney, an emergency room physician who tackles gun violence as a public health issue.

Next year, many Aspen Institute programs will expand their reach by launching a climate-focused Ideas Festival in Miami Beach, training a new generation of innovative thinkers in high schools across the country, and even building a market for microloans in communities of color. Learn about these hopeful things 2022 will bring.

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SOF members enjoy unparalleled access to Aspen Institute programs, including discussion receptions, luncheons, intimate dialogues, half-day forums, and multi-day symposia featuring experts on policy and current affairs. They are the first to know about Institute events, and receive special invitations to member-exclusive programs in locations across the country.

In the News

Oceans Are the Key to Carbon Removal

The ocean covers more than two-thirds of the surface area of our planet, yet it remains the least explored and understood ecosystem known to humankind. It also offers a potential solution to the climate crisis, as explained in a new report from the Energy and Environment Program, a Guidance for Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal Projects: A Pathway to Developing a Code of Conduct, which was covered by Axios, E&E News, and other outlets.

The Right Way to Give Back

The Guardian reported on a call to action from members of the Institute’s New Voices Fellowship “to move away from colonial ideas and create meaningful change.” The story noted that fellows “want donors to exercise humility and trust those receiving grants to know what their communities need.”

Latino Prosperity Is American Prosperity

What makes Latino economic mobility so critical for the prosperity and wellbeing of the nation as a whole? A new report, The Economic State of Latinos in America: The American Dream Deferred, released by the Latinos and Society Program in partnership with McKinsey & Company outlines immediate public- and private-sector interventions that can break down barriers to full economic participation. The report prompted coverage in NBC, Axios and elsewhere.

Register Now

Join the Aspen Institute for this year’s Annual Awards virtual program as we present the Henry Crown Leadership Award to Dr. Francis Collins and the Corporate Leadership Award to Ursula M. Burns. The honorees will be featured in conversations with Andrea Mitchell and Darren Walker. Your participation and support of this year’s event is greatly appreciated, raising unrestricted revenue vital to the Institute’s mission and programs. The event will be released online in early January.

Fostering an Inclusive Recovery: Building Back Better Through EDA’S Regional Build Back Better Programs

January 10, 2pm ET

Latinos and Society will host the US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo and Co-Founder and Executive Director for the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University Bruce Katz for a conversation focused on the US Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) newly launched American Rescue Plan programs.

Winter Words with Heather Hansman

January 12, 8pm ET

Join Aspen Words for a conversation with Aspen Skiing Company’s SVP of sustainability, Auden Schendler, and veteran ski journalist and environmental writer Heather Hansman as they discuss Hansman’s new book, Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow. An exhilarating journey into the hidden history of American skiing, the book reckons with how the sport is evolving in the face of climate change and rising wealth inequality.

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