The UK is experiencing unprecedented political and social divisions. The Aspen method of text-based and professionally moderated conversations is uniquely placed to address these trends.

Each Aspen Seminar brings together a diverse range of professions, cultural backgrounds, ages, ideas and levels of leadership responsibility. We convene leaders from the corporate, political, creative, academic and third sectors, to address their own ideas and values, and to explore effective solutions to pressing social issues.

We believe that most decisions we make are moral, not technical or economic, and that leaders need opportunities to reflect on what they believe and why they believe it. Aspen Seminars are not skills training but intense, interactive dialogues.

Seminars are designed around carefully selected readings, which range from classical political thought to contemporary publications of global origin. The role of the expertly trained moderator is to guide the conversation, to ask questions about the texts and how they inform our view of current events, and to ensure that the voice of each participant is heard.

Aspen seminars follow Chatham House Rules of non-attribution, creating the neutral space required for interactive conversations which encourage insight, clarity, and innovative thinking.

In finding ways to listen more and judge less, we create the conditions for that rare occurrence – a genuine conversation about the things that matter