An Eye-Opening Experience

The Tar Heel Bus Tour travels to towns and cities throughout North Carolina as faculty members and senior administrators examine the most pressing issues facing our state. Carolina Across 100 partners will be featured in the annual bus tour.

“Our State, Our Work” 2023 Bus Stops

Carolina leadership hit the road in October for the annual Tar Heel Bus Tour. Two buses covered both the east and west portions of North Carolina making 19 stops, each exhibiting the University’s commitment to serving all North Carolinians. Two of the stops were hosted by “Our State, Our Work” teams, showcasing their local efforts to connect young adults with living wage employment opportunities.  

Tar Heel Bus Tour Stops 

  • Team 5 (Collaboration Over Competition) hosted University leaders at their headquarters in Cabarrus County on October 18. Team 5 is led by the Men of Destiny program, partnering with the governments and other community leaders of Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties to provide Opportunity Youth with mentoring from local business and government leaders through hands-on internships. Through the “Levels of Leadership” Initiative, young adults receive opportunities to gain Level One certifications in construction while benefiting from training from the Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council. In addition to technical skills, young adults also receive social-emotional support from their community mentor. 
  • Team 11 (Wayne County Pathfinders) hosted a bus tour stop at the Wayne County Library, which is a lead partner in providing employment support, career fairs, volunteer opportunities, and community service opportunities for justice-involved youth. Other partners on the team include the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, Wayne County Public Schools, Communities Supporting Schools of Wayne County, and Wayne Community College. 

Congratulations to the Tar Heel Bus Tour (THBT) Minigrant Recipients!

The purpose of this grants program is to support the goals of the Tar Heel Bus Tour and encourage participants in the 2019 and 2022 Tar Heel Bus Tours to build on and maintain their connections across North Carolina by developing projects that address issues and needs in partnership with communities throughout the state.  

We were glad to partner with UNC Rural to offer $100,000 total in grant funding to these community-engaged projects that will have an amazing impact across the state. 

Carolina Across 100 will fund projects in 14 new North Carolina counties, bringing our total to 47 of 100 counties engaged through Carolina Across 100! We’re excited to be reaching more and more of the state through our pan-University partnerships and hope you’ll join us in the count to 100!