ReCONNECT NC

Jun 18, 2021

Digital Durham (Reconnect to Technological Opportunity)

The “digital divide” in our country looks different depending on which side you sit on, and what sort of community you live in. Laura Fogle is one of the founders… 

Jun 18, 2021

United Way of Greater Greensboro (Reconnect to Economic Opportunity)

United Way of Greater Greensboro (UWGG), through its Family Success Center (FSC), is helping dozens of people in a single ZIP code of the city connect to economic opportunities. The… 

Jun 18, 2021

Growing Outdoor Partnerships (Reconnect Rural & Urban)

Growing Outdoor Partnerships (led by Mountain Bizworks) is a wildly diverse coalition that seeks to develop outdoor industries that draw on the assets of the region while cultivating the character… 

Jun 18, 2021

Choosing Social Equity Series (Reconnect to Community)

The challenge of the Choosing Equity Series (CES), led by the Asheville City Schools Foundation (ACSF), is overcoming deep-rooted issues of race and equity and, as director Copland Rudolph puts… 

May 27, 2021

Director’s Log | May 2021

Anchors in a Storm Back in 2015, the Institute for Emerging Issues made a tricky commitment. We said we wanted to work on a project with The Duke Endowment to… 

Feb 26, 2021

Director’s Log | February 2021

What Comes Next? Without thinking about it last week, I found myself whistling a tune after we finished our Emerging Issues Forum. I know the whistling was partly relief —… 

Feb 2, 2021

First in Future: Sarah Langer Hall

In this episode of First in Future, we have the first five time guest, Sarah Langer Hall, the Institute for Emerging Issues Senior Policy and Program Manager. We talk with her about the 35th Emerging Issues Forum, which happens virtual over four days with a range of exciting guests. We learn how she pulls it all together, what she has learned along the way and attending this forum, what will we come away with. 

Jan 29, 2021

Director’s Log | January 2021

What Is This Glorious Mysterious Thing? One of the oldest stories in folklore is the tale of the blind men and the elephant. Each of them feels a different part… 

Jan 26, 2021

First in Future: Mark Burrows

The percentage of people showing “empathy” has nosedived over the past 40 years – down 48%. Four years ago, a group in Transylvania County decided to do something about it. Project Empathy has led to tough conversations about guns, racial equity, rural urban divides and other topics. Two years ago, IEI lifted up the program as one of five state examples of how to “connect rural and urban.” Project manager Mark Burrows talks with us about what he has learned, and is learning, about the power of empathy. 

Jan 5, 2021

First in Future: Dan Barkin of Business NC

This episode of First in Future we hear from Dan Barkin of Business NC. As the former managing editor of The News & Observer, he has great insight and institutional knowledge about the rapid development of North Carolina, and we hear about his thoughts on broadband, which is a key issue on many minds these days.