“Everything seems so complex now. So big, often so frightening. Small wonder that people look for easy solutions, attempt to find answers in simple alternatives….It is difficult to see the future, to understand the present needs, to recognize, grasp and follow our mission. Difficulty, however, is no excuse for sitting still or turning back. This is not the nature of the people of North Carolina.”

–NC Governor Terry Sanford, April 8, 1963

We’re talking about something complex at our Emerging Issues Forum in Charlotte on October 15. We’re trying to see if we can identify strategies that will enable us to make meaningful progress in helping working adults move up from jobs that enable them to barely get by to jobs that will help them support their families.

There’s nothing easy about that. Of the 1.35 million adults in our state who have only a high school education, about three quarters are making less than $35,000 a year. They want and need something to change if they are going to break out of the challenges of just getting by and move into the hope of being able to support their families in the future.

Join us on October 15, 2019, in Charlotte, as we focus on creating and strengthening pathways to sustainable wage employment for existing workers, examine ways to connect adult workers to information about sustainable-wage employment, identify accessible education opportunities and promote programs that remove non-academic barriers to, and provide support for, postsecondary education.

As part of the ReCONNECT to Economic Opportunity forum, we chose five communities to tell their story of economic opportunity. Here's a sneak peek!

Click here or the video image below.

Learn more and Register »

The Family Success Center model in Greensboro, N.C., uses a network of 30 community partnerships to help families move from poverty to self-sufficiency. By bundling, sequencing, and tailoring services, the centers help families become financially stable and successful on their own terms.

Learn more when they present at the Reconnect to Economic Opportunity forum in Charlotte on October 15!

Read more »

Citizens and police officers exchanged ideas in a Cary barbershop. Greenville community members gathered in a café to talk about the future of their city. Coworkers sat around a conference room table in Durham and discussed status and privilege. In cities across North Carolina, people recognized ReCONNECT NC Day on August 14 by having meaningful conversations about divisive issues.

Read more »

Our KidsReadyNC initiative aimed to bring together enthusiastic, multi-stakeholder teams from the state’s Tier 1 and 2 counties who were not currently engaged in significant new efforts but were interested in committing to improving the health and development outcomes of their young children. Take a look at some of the public resources that have been compiled in our KidsReadyNC resource library.

Learn more »

The Caldwell Fellows Program is developing the next generation of self-aware, globally-minded students that engage in creative, conscientious leadership, and IEI wants to help. Erica is a member of the 2021 Class of Caldwell fellows and will be working with IEI on its Service Year NC project.

It's Charlo-palooza! Leading up to our October 15 ReCONNECT to Economic Opportunity Forum, First in Future takes a weeklong sit-down with some of Charlotte's thought leaders.

Tune in September 3 - 13!

---

NC Rural Assembly
Presented by The NC Rural Center
November 21-22
Raleigh, NC Click here to learn more

---

Tune in to this week's episode of the Carolina Business Review. Our director, Leslie Boney will be appearing as a guest panelist.