The ASU+GSV Summit brought together incredible panelists to share how scalable youth work-based learning initiatives can help address workforce pipeline challenges. Leaders from education, government, nonprofits, and innovation sectors discussed strategies for equipping young people with real-world experiences that align with future career opportunities.
We are so honored to be part of the latest cohort of grantee organizations through American Student Assistance. Over the next two years, in partnership with SparkNC, we’ll expand Spark Teamship Statewide in North Carolina with the goal of providing all public high school students access to meaningful internship experiences.
Teamship is proud to be featured on the Innovative Models Exchange from Transcend. The Models Exchange is a source to discover inspiring learning models and the support to help implement them. We’re honored to be part of this library, offering innovation-minded leaders the resources they need to lift their students up.
Two Spark Teamship alumni were interviewed at the American Student Assistance Work-Based Learning Leadership Forum about their experience. Spark Teamship is a program by District C partnered with SparkNC, where NC high school students have a remote opportunity to work with real businesses to help solve real problems. These students are assigned to diverse student teams, paired with businesses and are tasked to pitch a potential solution for a real problem that a business is currently struggling with.
Marymount University will provide students across all three colleges access to Teamship. Unlike traditional internships, the Teamship model provides inclusive access for students who face barriers to conventional internships. It also develops in-demand skills like critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving in a scalable framework that benefits students and employer partners.
The expanded partnership marks the fourth summer that Wake County students will participate in Teamship, District C’s innovative real-world learning model that matches students with organizations to solve real business problems. “District C’s Teamship program has proven time and again to be a powerful work-based learning model for Wake County students,” says Jo Anne Honeycutt, CTE Director at WCPSS. “It is a natural fit in the CTE space, strategically helping students build durable skills–like teamwork and problem-solving–that they need for any future career,” she continues.
Another year is in the books. Since 2017, more than 7,000 students have had a Teamship experience, 575 business partners have provided problems to solve, and 354 educators have become certified coaches. Thank you to all the District C supporters out there. Without you, these numbers would not be possible. Here’s to even more growth in 2025!
Duquesne City School District launches District C’s Teamship program for 7th and 8th grade students. “It prepares them for a real-world experience, as they develop skills to help them with their careers,” says Adam Ryan, the program’s ELA teacher.
Dan shares how District C is disrupting traditional learning by fostering innovative partnerships between students and businesses. From developing essential work-based skills to preparing students for the challenges of the digital age, this episode is packed with inspiration and actionable ideas.
“We all have that common goal of creating that high-quality local workforce, but this is just a way to engage with students and make that happen.” Ashley Fahey, Teacher at MPS. Juniors at Reagan and Hamilton High Schools partnered with regional and local businesses, such as Johnson Financial Group and Northwestern Mutual, to solve real business problems through Teamship.
District C was featured in the latest American Student Assistance report: Building Bridges Between Education and Industry: Youth Work-Based Learning as Talent Development Strategy.
District C and Ablr paired sighted and non-sighted students together to solve real-world problems for their business partners. We utilized inclusive technology and adapted the Teamship model to ensure that everyone was equally able to participate and be heard.
Check out the recap video to hear from this year’s showcase students and see how Teamship is preparing them for the future.
Every Teamship experience is an opportunity for students to gain invaluable knowledge, connect with businesses to help them solve problems, and learn skills that will be in demand for the future of work.
In July, 21 students from across the state of North Carolina came together at North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics for a week to solve real problems for real businesses. Thank you to SparkNC and NCSSM for collaborating on such an incredible week-long program!
District C teamed up with The College Board in Denver as part of their new Career Kickstart program. More than 130 educators nationwide came together for a week-long intensive training. District C was a proud partner to deliver professional development to the educators in attendance. The training will help educators coach students on professional skills as part of the Career Kickstart pilot.
This summer, 61 coaching fellows went through the District C Coaching Institute, making it the largest one yet.
Sylvester Chisom interviews Dan Gonzalez and shares their conversation on how to balance technical and human skills for success, tackle real business problems in the classroom, and discover the power of Teamship in equalizing voices in team dynamics.
Hear directly from students on their gratitude and appreciation for their teachers and District C coaches.
Congratulations to SparkNC for winning the ASU+GSV Summit Education Innovation Showcase. We are so proud to be partnered with you on this journey bringing students of NC Teamship experiences!
Students today are not having the same experience their parents did when pursuing an internship. Co-written with NAF, we share how students are solving real-world problems and not running to get coffee.
Teamship alum Kayle Maxfield shares her experience through Teamship and the skills she will take with her in her college and career journey.
What is CTE? Career and technical education, or CTE, prepares students for high-wage, high-skill and high-demand careers. Celebrate CTE Month today and advocate for more work-based learning opportunities for students.
In most conversations about education innovation today, skills are the “what”, and tech-enabled efficiency (increasingly powered by AI) is the “how.” A “skills-plus-tech” algorithm misses the relationships that ensure students have the support they need and the opportunities they want. That’s where District C provides a solution.
By intentionally creating diverse teams and integrating District C’s coaching philosophies, the students in Milwaukee Public Schools built psychological safety with each other to work through the business problem, establish trust, and take risks.
“In the next five years, almost every area of our lives will be fundamentally changed by advances in artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.”
Last summer, 640 students in the state of North Carolina took part in Teamship – a reimagined internship where teams of students solve real problems for real businesses. Hear from students and business partners as they share their experiences in the Summer Career Accelerator (SCA).
VACTEA panel Michelle Simmons, Anne Jones, Cynthia Chambers, Dr. Aundrea Smiley, Regina Williams, and Rebecca Saunders.
Teamship alumna Alexandria Meeks from Vance County schools shares her experience working with a real business in this EdNC article, including why she thinks more schools and students should have Teamship programs. Read the article here.
The Teamship program continues to impact more educators, schools, and students. As of the end of August 2023, District C has provided over 5,000 learning experiences — 5,145 to be exact! Here’s to more opportunities in the future for students solving real-world business problems!
District C partner SparkNC launched its Spark Labs to provide students with a space to pursue high-tech learning opportunities. District C’s Spark Teamship program is one of the many units
We are excited to see our growing impact as we jump from 6 Summer Career Accelerators in 2022 to running 19 in 2023. Read more here about the first program
For the first time, a District C Certified Coach guided students through an intercultural problem-solving experience. Read more here about how UNC Wilmington ran a collaborative Teamship program with students
We feel honored to surpass this big milestone! Let’s celebrate all of our incredible Teamship alumni who have invested time and energy to solve real problems for real businesses in
Mercedes, a student in Vance County Schools, and Briana, a Senior Engineer at Dell, share their experience working together in the Spark Teamship program. Watch the inspiring video here.
Karen Cho, Program Manager, shared how technology is rapidly changing the way we need to prepare the next generation of talent for modern work. Read more in the LinkedIn post
At the Virginia Leads Innovation Network (VaLIN) meeting in Richmond, District C Co-Founders connected with school divisions across the state about how we can better prepare the next generation of
After doing the Teamship program multiple times, a student named Sage from GRACE Christian School decided to post about her experience on LinkedIn (without prompting from her coach!) Read here.
We are thrilled to welcome our Partnerships Board members who will be helping us connect students with more incredible mentors through their business partner recruitment efforts! See the full list
At our Community Event, we heard from Wake County students, coaches, and the CTE Director about their experiences with District C. Watch the recording here.
Triangle Business Journal recently featured District C’s approach to preparing the next generation of diverse talent, and how businesses across the Triangle can get involved. Read the article here.
District C’s Dan Gonzalez joined host Mike Palmer and the Trending in Education podcast for a conversation about preparing young people for the future of work. Listen here.
“It’s exciting, it’s collaborative, it prepares you for the future.” Dalaicia, a rising senior in Johnston County, shares her Teamship experience. Watch the 3-minute video here.
We’re grateful for Cheyenne McNeill from EdNC, who dug into the Teamship model this summer by observing programs in Johnston and Wake Counties. Read her article here.
As a panelist at the NC Chamber conference, District C’s Anne Jones joined education and workforce leaders to discuss alignment between education and workforce needs. Read the EdNC article here
“…North Carolina-based District C… [is] fueling the talent pipeline for our state’s employers.” Read the full article here.
“The folks from the front office of the Down East Wood Ducks, Kinston’s minor league baseball team, got the pitch they were looking for from LCPS students…” Read the rest
SparkNC will provide a learning pathway to prepare NC students for high tech jobs. Through District C’s Teamship, these students will solve real problems for tech businesses. Read the full
District C led a workshop on work-based learning at the 2022 NAF Next conference in Dallas. We’re honored to be partnered with NAF to provide Teamship as an option for
As part of NC’s Summer Career Accelerator initiative, we partnered with Johnston County Public Schools to offer a Teamship program for 20 students. Over two weeks, teams of students solved
Students and educators from across NC convened in Wilmington to design new modes of learning to prepare next gen talent for high-tech jobs. District C facilitated the design sprint. This
If you love teachers as much as we do, this video is for you. These educators have spent over 50 hours training to be District C certified coaches. This is
As title sponsor of the 2021 City of Oaks Marathon, Pendo ran for District C, supporting our mission to prepare the next generation of diverse talent. Thanks to all the
NAF, a national leader in career preparation for high school students, and District C have partnered to train and certify three NAF teachers to adopt District C’s Teamship model for
NCSSM Teamship Fellows will bring Teamship, an innovative team-based internship experience, to schools across NC, and annual showcase events will feature rising talent from every corner of the state. Read
We are thrilled to partner with Ablr to launch AblrWorks Teamship, a new Teamship experience for students with and without disabilities. Our first program concludes with a pitch event on
Through a partnership between the City of Raleigh and District C, 27 Summer Youth Employment interns have teamed up to solve real problems for 8 different Raleigh businesses and organizations…
30 exceptional educators from 23 schools and organizations in 6 states and across 4 time zones… this is District C’s newest cohort of Coaching Fellows, launched today. All are training
“I like to call it a hidden gem at DA,” says student Emily Gao, referring to Durham Academy’s semester-long Teamship course. Watch the video.
93% of District C business partners report that they are more likely to hire a student for an internship or job if that student has had a Teamship experience. Good
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has launched a full-year Teamship course. High school students from different CHCCS schools team up to solve real problems for local businesses. Read more.
Buncombe County Schools wrote about District C’s impact on students in western NC. Read more.
That moment when the first-ever District C student walked through the door back in February of 2017 is one we’ll never forget, even as we celebrate reaching our 1,000th student
Writing for EdNC, District C alumna Ana Ratanaphruks makes the case for statewide adoption! Read Ana’s article.
“District C Cape Fear got started over the summer. It is the first regional partnership of District C, a Raleigh-based nonprofit, with Cape Fear Collective serving as the local partner.”
Thank you Wake County Economic Development for sharing this story about how District C connected Anya Warren with her new employer, Natrx. Read the article.
The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce has signed on as a District C regional partner. We are honored and excited to support regional efforts to develop a diverse and prepared
We were honored to facilitate the “Activation Labs” portion of this year’s DEI conference hosted by the Raleigh Chamber. The Labs featured 600 participants and dozens of important small group
Our partners in the Cape Fear region recently completed their first Teamship program. 13 high school students solved problems for Live Oak Bank and the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority.
District C will provide its work-integrated learning experience as a component of Boost, a new career development program offered by Kaplan. Other partners include Google and the Myers-Briggs Company.
“Program leaders from Innovate Carolina, the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship and The Entrepreneurship Center at Kenan-Flagler Business School (KFBS) pulled together – and then partnered with District C – to
The Institute for Advanced Learning & Research, a catalyst for economic development in southern Virginia, is District C’s newest regional partner. We are thrilled to team up with IALR to
“I initially wanted answers given to me but I learned I can think for myself and lead.” Machaela Murrell reflecting on her Teamship experience as a panelist at our session
The UNC Entrepreneurial Consulting Internship, supported by District C, is a unique internship experience for 40 rising college seniors and MBA students from the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship and Kenan-Flagler
District C and Cape Fear Collective announce a regional partnership to strengthen the early talent pipeline in the Cape Fear region of North Carolina. District C Cape Fear will become
Education Dive, a national education publication, recently featured District C’s work. Read the article.
Anne and Dan talk with Meaghan Lewis from the Cape Fear Collective about working together to prepare the next generation of talent in the Cape Fear region of North Carolina.
“A new elective course will be available for the 2020-2021 school year at Chapel Hill, Carrboro and East Chapel Hill High Schools, but teams of students are already part of
Grey Mangum and Mackie Hayman, District C-certified teachers from Sanderson & Heritage High Schools, launch a first-of-its-kind cross-school District C course. 8 teams of 32 students will solve problems for
Through this grant, and in partnership with the City of Raleigh, District C will work to empower every public high school in Raleigh to adopt Teamship. Thank you City of
District C’s newest Coaching Fellows are educators from all over NC, including Rowan County, Warren County, Edgecombe County, and the Cape Fear region. Through the District C Coaching Institute, these
Closing words from Doc Shufelt, General Manager of Republic Wireless, after hearing business solution proposals from two Teamship teams. This is the next generation of diverse talent making an early
“Their approach is straightforward: prepare students for doing real work by giving them more opportunities to do real work.” Read the article.
National education thought leader Tom Vander Ark wrote about the Future of Work on Forbes.com. District C student Yonas Kemal was a featured voice. Read the article.
District C and two of our students (Yonas Kemal and Manuhe Abebe) made the trip to UPenn for an inspiring conversation about the future of work and education reform. Thanks
Over the course of one intensive week in June, 16 students from 4 high schools (Enloe, Cary HS, Broughton, and Ravenscroft) worked in teams called “Peace Squads” to solve real
The Center on Reinventing Public Education released a report on education models for a rapidly changing economy. We are thrilled to be included as one of 32 exemplar models for
Dan joined Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State, for a conversation about preparing the next generation of talent. Listen to the podcast.
Ready Nation, a group of business executives who promote solutions to prepare students for modern work, recently profiled our program with the help of District C student Anthony Luzzi, pictured
NCSSM students recently partnered with John Samuel and team to tackle a real problem for LCI Tech. John wrote about his experience from the seat of a District C business
NCSSM teacher and District C Coaching Fellow Chad Keister recently implemented a District C experience with his economics students at NCSSM. Read the article.
One of our favorite quotes from the article: “District C sparked a love of problem-solving in me. Whatever career I choose, I’m definitely going to take that with me.” Read
Thanks to Cari Keller and her Intro to Entrepreneurship class at NC State for inviting us in to facilitate a workshop on building productive teams.
Christopher Gergen, founding partner at HQ Raleigh and CEO of Forward Cities — a leader in diverse, equitable, and inclusive economic development — shares his thoughts on the District C
Gabe Gonzalez, Program Manager at NC State’s Entrepreneurship Clinic, talks about the emerging talent pipeline we are building together. Watch the video.
Anne joins Shantel Khleif, Imagine More podcast host, for a conversation about preparing 3-point players for a 3-point economy.
“My confidence definitely… I think it grew by like one thousand percent with District C.” This is the story of Jordan Christmas, senior at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, and
50 rising stars from organizations and companies in Raleigh joined District C for a presentation and workshop on disruptive education models. Thanks to William Peace University for hosting us!
UNC student entrepreneurs, local professionals, and high school students joined Anne for two workshops at UNC’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, hosted by Innovate Carolina at the 1789 innovation space on Franklin
This past summer, we kicked off our first-ever District C Coaching Institute. We started by inviting our Coaching Fellows to actually do the Teamship experience as students. This led to
© 2025 District C
District C is a North Carolina nonprofit with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.
© 2024 District C
District C is a North Carolina nonprofit with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.
