Changing the Narrative
Southern California’s Inland Empire is one of the fastest-growing population centers in the United States – a region rich in diversity, culture and economic opportunity. Despite all of this, the IE has largely operated in the shadows of its coastal neighbors, much of that due to the difficulty it has had in telling a consistent strengths-based story about itself.
The 20/20 Network has taken the lead in changing that, working closely with community leaders, businesses, workforce and economic development interests, educational institutions, nonprofits and other stakeholders to build consensus and positive energy around all the IE has to offer.
An early partnership with the Funders Alliance of San Bernardino & Riverside Counties was designed to attract more philanthropic investment, government grants and individual giving to nonprofit organizations, but quickly evolved into a broader conversation about the IE as a hub for social and economic innovation.
Today, “Changing the Narrative” is part of the lexicon of the Inland Empire, and its framework is evident in emerging initiatives such as Inland Economic Growth & Opportunity (IEGO), a broad-based collaborative focused on bringing good-paying middle-income jobs to the region, and Inland California Rising, an inter-regional effort to position the IE, Central Valley and remainder of Inland California as the Golden State’s center of social, economic and technical policy innovation.