Meet Neighborhood CC
Curtis Carmichael makes the complexity of the future of education simple
Curtis Carmichael aka CC the Futurist is one of the most sought-after professional speakers on the future of education, Responsible AI, and STEM & STEAM education. He is the bestselling author and inventor of the world’s first augmented reality memoir Butterflies in the Trenches. After sacrificing a pro football career opportunity, Curtis cycled across Canada raising $100,000 in 60 days for an underfunded after-school program in the impoverished public housing communities and to date has secured over one million dollars for community programs in the neighbourhood he was born and raised in. As a recognition of his work as a K-12 educator, he was named on the 2023 Forbes Top 30 Under 30 list for his achievements in the Education sector. Curtis has built a strong international reputation as a dedicated advocate for ensuring all communities have the financial, entrepreneurial, AI, and STEM skills to thrive and prepare for the future workforce.
By day, he serves as the Co-founder and CEO of shuriii, an Edtech AI company specializing in developing user-friendly instructional tools for K12 teachers to personalize and automate their planning process from start to finish. These tools bring students who are multiple grade levels behind back to their appropriate level and helping those at grade level progress further. By night, he's the visionary behind Source Code Academy Canada, the nation's pioneering futurist academy dedicated to empowering underestimated and under-resourced children and youth for the future workforce.
CC’s greatest source of fulfillment is giving back to the community and empowering others to embrace the future of education through his master class of storytelling. Weaving together humour, global case studies, personal anecdotes, cognitive exercises, and evidence-based strategies, he provides an uplifting and actionable experience audiences will never forget. Curtis is currently pursuing a PhD in Education at Hampton University and previously obtained his Bachelor of Education in K-8 Teaching and Master of Education in K-12 Education from Ontario Tech University with a focus on STEAM education, Responsible AI, social justice, and social entrepreneurship. He also holds a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education from Queen’s University where he played football on an academic and athletic scholarship.
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CURTIS CARMICHAEL’S MISSION IS TO HELP SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS EMBRACE THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION
CC is a Responsible AI, STEM, and Future of Education speaker that equips schools and organizations with the knowledge and tools to prepare for the future of education.
Curtis Carmichael’s Charitable and Community Service
“In Curtis Carmichael’s eyes ‘the best way to find ourselves is to lose ourselves in the service of others.”
Teaching thousands of students and educators
Curtis founded Source Code Academy Canada which is a futurist academy that prepares children, youth, and teachers for the future of work. For K-12 students in marginalized, and underestimated communities in Scarborough, the academy provides 1) K-8 literacy and math support to get students back to grade level and ahead, 2) STEAM education and future-focused career programs, and 3) a start-up entrepreneurship program modelled after modern-day startup incubators and accelerators. For teachers, their upcoming Innovation and Entrepreneurship centre provides personalized professional development training, a learning hub, and up-skilling to equip teachers to prepare students for the future of work.
Cycling Across Canada for kids in need
Sacrificing a promising opportunity for a professional football career, Curtis decided to embark on a cross-Canada bike ride to raise funds for a local afterschool program in his community, which had lost its funding. An award-winning filmmaker Sherien Barsoum secured funding to document Curtis's coast-to-coast cycling journey and spotlight the stories within his Scarborough community, residing in public housing after winning the Hot Docs Film Festival pitch event. Titled "Ride For Promise," the documentary film won the Best Short Documentary Film at Northwest Fest, making its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival Lightbox during the Canadian Sport Film Festival.
Building an AI company to help teachers automate their entire planning process and support students in need
With a global shortage of 44 million teachers and 50% of K-12 students lagging multiple grades behind, Curtis Carmichael and co-founder CTO Amin Gheibi developed an automation tool to personalize the entire planning process for teachers from start to finish. This responsible AI tool enables educators to differentiate learning, bringing students who are multiple grade levels behind back to their appropriate level and helping those at grade level progress further.
Writing the Bestselling Book Butterflies in the Trenches in 10+ languages
Curtis' bestselling book, translated into 10+ languages, equips schools and organizations globally to find hope and prepare all for the future of education. Through personal anecdotes and global case studies, it offers strategies to navigate uncertainty, turn challenges into opportunities, and foster personal growth regardless of one’s circumstances, background, resources or position in society. This book covers Curtis’ journey from poverty and street crime to sacrificing and pro football career opportunity to cycle across Canada for kids in need, and ultimately becoming the Co-Founder and CEO of an EdTech AI company, and Canada's first futurist academy for the next generation of students and teachers.
Inventing the world’s first augmented reality memoir
As a self-taught mobile app developer Curtis built an augmented reality mobile app for his book that brings the stories and photos in the memoir to life. When readers hover their phones over the photos they will unlock and experience interactive visual and audio content that immerses them deeper into the stories. BITT Smart Book App is available for download for both IOS and Android. To experience the hidden content in the book readers will need the e-book or physical copy of Butterflies in the Trenches in any language edition for the app to work.
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