Resnick Aspen Action Forum
July 2024 – Present
Overview
The Resnick Aspen Action Forum is an annual three-day summer gathering of international leaders and youth fellows focused on having Socratic Seminars to discuss complex issues like freedom of speech, our relationship with nature, and what it means to be human. I attended this event twice, and both times dramatically changed me.
Initial Experience
During the program, I participated in hours of Socratic Seminars and community-building activities with a cohort of 25 other 17–18 year olds, an experience that challenged me socially and helped me grow into a more community-oriented person. At the time, I was the kid who relished sitting alone at lunch. I found comfort in the silence and isolation and didn’t want anything else. Naturally, when I found out my mom was forcing me to go to a three day event entirely centered around talking, I was mortified. I was so against it, in fact, that even when I got there, I refused to talk with anyone outside of the socratic seminars, and the community building activities we did. I sat on the sidelines, trying desperately to avoid drawing attention or connecting, something that I immensely regret to this day. When I was on the plane flying out, I couldn’t think of anything except how much I wished I’d connected with other people.
Initial Growth
By the time I started 11th grade, those three days had completely transformed who I was. I talked to people left and right, and whenever my class had Socratic Seminars of our own, I would jump in to lead and act as a moderator, even going so far as to reach out to my professional moderator at Aspen to ask for advice.