Carolina Across 100

Carolina Across 100 (CX100) is a five-year Carolina initiative led by the School of Government’s ncIMPACT Initiative, launched by the Chancellor’s Office in 2020 to partner with North Carolina communities in their recovery from the impacts of Covid-19. “North Carolina is home to many who have borne a disproportionate burden related to COVID-19 and still live with the long-term consequences of the pandemic. Employers and employees alike are still adapting to the needs of the post-COVID workplace. Gaps in access to housing and health care have become more apparent. Disruptions and stresses associated with the pandemic have worsened mental health. 

Carolina Across 100 exemplifies the University’s mission to “enhance the quality of life for all people in the State” by creating meaningful partnerships with communities across North Carolina to respond effectively to the opportunities and challenges facing communities. 

Four Basic Tenets Guide this Work

Carolina Across 100 is a true pan-University effort

Leadership

Carolina Across 100 is guided by the experience and expertise of the Carolina Engagement Council. The Council includes leaders from across campus who each bring a different perspective and area of knowledge to help inform and direct the initiative. Leadership extends beyond the campus through the involvement and guidance of multi-sectoral steering committees working to identify needed resources and partnerships and to facilitate connections that support the Carolina Across 100 team and community program participants.  

Student Engagement

Carolina students have been involved with Carolina Across 100 from the start. A student launch team was formed in June 2021 to conduct community research, plan student engagement and begin building campus outreach. Students were instrumental in partnering to conduct Carolina Across 100’s initial statewide survey with stakeholders across the state, listening to communities and collecting data to guide our work.  

An experiential learning course began during the fall 2022 semester, with nearly 30 students signing up to work with the “Our State, Our Work” program and the selected community collaborative teams. Continued interest prompted a spring 2023 course, allowing students to continue engaging with teams.  

Each year during UNC Engagement Week, a POV Challenge offers all Carolina students the opportunity to build a team, conduct research related to a Carolina Across 100 program, and offer their findings to support community teams participating in that program.  

Our Programs

1. Our State, Our Work

Connecting Young Adults to the Future

This 18-month program engaged 13 community teams representing 37 counties. Throughout the program, Carolina Across 100 hosted five webinars and five total forums. The Statewide Summit on Opportunity Youth gathered hundreds of people from across the state to learn from other collaborative teams, campus, state, and national experts, and young adults with lived experience. Teams set a goal of reconnecting 6,400 Opportunity Youth to educational and employment opportunities by the end of 2024. Find reports and handouts related to this program. This program recap video tells the story of “Our State, Our Work through the perspectives of local team leaders and young adults they serve. 

Learn how ncIMPACT and Carolina Across 100 leaned into partnerships with the North Carolina Community College System as well as education and workforce partners to create new opportunities to help upskill young adults in North Carolina. These opportunities were offered in response to feedback from employers as well as Our State, Our Work teams and local workforce partners.  

2. Our State, Our Wellbeing

Partnering to Prevent Suicide in North Carolina 

Through partnership with the UNC Suicide Prevention Institute and collaboration among 15 teams in 24 counties, this program worked to identify and implement strategies to improve mental health and reduce suicide across the state. This 12-month program included six webinars and four forums. The Statewide Summit on Suicide Prevention brought together hundreds of people from 64 of our state’s 100 counties to learn, make new connections, and build resources for suicide prevention. The Summit included a Resource Expo with more than 40 state and local organizations offering information about available trainings, harm reduction strategies and resources, community engagement outreach and strategies, community education tools, and more.  

More resources offered through this program can be found on this Program Materials page. Watch this Our State, Our Wellbeing program recap video to learn about the individual and community motivation that drives local action on suicide prevention, told through the experiences of a few of the local Our State, Our Wellbeing team leaders. 

3. Tar Heel Bus Tour Mini Grant Program

This ongoing program encourages Tar Heel Bus Tour participants to build on and maintain their connections across North Carolina by developing projects that address community-identified needs throughout the state. In 2023, Carolina Across 100 partnered with UNC Rural to offer $100,000 total in grant funding to community-engaged projects to make a meaningful impact across the state. In 2024, $20,000 in additional grant funding was offered to more community-engaged projects. These funded projects have reached 16 North Carolina counties. 

4. Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative

Contributing to the Growth of the Rural Health Care Workforce

This ongoing program is working to expand the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s rural health hubs, reaching 7 new counties in Eastern North Carolina. RuralRx is working with community partners to expand upon team-based and collaborative health care innovations to forge a path for better health for medically underserved communities. Learn how pharmacy students are playing a role in advancing health care accessibility through the RuralRx Summer Internship Program and plans to build upon this creative partnership.  

5. Our State, Our Homes

Partnering with Communities to Address Housing Needs in North Carolina 

With support from the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative and more partners across the campus, this 18-month program launched on September 10, 2024. Participating communities from 22 selected counties will emerge from the eighteen-month program with a deeper understanding of housing issues in their local contexts, tools to improve community conversations around housing needs, maps of local partners and assets, and increased knowledge and capacity to implement strategies for improving housing affordability. Program learnings will be shared publicly to help additional communities in North Carolina address their housing needs. Learn more about the Our State, Our Homes program.

Sharing What We Learn

Stay connected with Carolina Across 100 as we near our goal of partnering with each of North Carolina’s 100 counties during this five-year initiative.