Why is Leaders 2020 Needed? |
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Founded by Equinox Center in collaboration with a number of other organizations, Leaders 2020 is a nonpartisan civic network focused on advancing a more sustainable future for the San Diego region.
Joining Leaders 2020 begins with a call to action. Why? Because the San Diego region needs strong leadership today.
- Our region is losing 20-30% of its college graduates to other regions and San Diego has not appeared among the top 15 cities for young adults on any recent national listing.
- College-educated 25-34 year olds prioritize quality of life in new ways. In short, place matters. This demographic is twice as likely to identify with the statement: "I'll choose where I want to live and look for a job there," over the statement "I'll pursue my dream job, and go wherever it takes me." (Yankelovich/CEOs for Cities, 2005)
- Yet, major decisions that impact the region’s future economy, environment and quality of life are being made now, without the voice of its future leaders. Ensuring the region can attract and retain young people begins with engaging your voices in regional planning.
- If we continue with a piece-meal approach and short-sighted policies, we will forfeit our region’s competitive advantage to attract new business and top talent, find ourselves stuck in longer and more frequent traffic jams, worsen our air and water quality, and struggle to create the well-paying jobs we need to have a thriving economy.
Solving these challenges is possible. But it cannot be done without the commitment of the San Diego region's decision makers and young people alike.
For downloadable background on Leaders 2020, click here.