Communities In Schools
Where you grow up still determines where you end up, and for those who start with less, the cycle is hard to break.
But research points to something powerful. The greatest predictor of economic mobility isn’t talent. It’s who you know. DifferenceMakers was built around that truth: a partnership between Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and The Gambrell Foundation, designed to put real relationships within every student’s reach.
The program connects student leaders with community leaders through intentional workshops, a social justice capstone project, and a transformational trip to Washington, D.C. Most of us are where we are not only because someone believed in us, but because someone opened a door. DifferenceMakers is built to open those doors, turning connection into lasting social capital.
SUCCESS ISN’T DEFINED BY WHERE YOU START, BUT BY HOW FAR YOU CAN GO.
The experience doesn’t end at graduation. Students receive a full year of support and life design planning in their senior year, plus continued resources through the DifferenceMakers Alumni Program. The goal is to empower youth voice, promote economic mobility, build bridges across difference, and grow an inter-generational network of connections, creating a legacy of difference makers in Charlotte and beyond.
