Rounding out tonight's show, that family built a legacy across generations.

Now, young people are building skills that could shape their futures.

For a lot of kids, middle school is when they start figuring out what they're good at, and sometimes, all it takes is getting a chance to try something they've never done before.

Carolina Impact's Chris Clark shows us how in Huntersville, a summer program gave students that chance while also opening their eyes to careers they may not have considered.

- [Chris] For a lot of kids, summer camp means a pool, a ball field, and maybe a little sunscreen.

Here in Huntersville, it means safety glasses, power tools, and a quick lesson in just how heavy wet concrete can be.

24 middle schoolers spent a week at Camp Build, learning construction one project at a time.

And for some, just getting through the door was the first project.

- I didn't really wanna go to it because only thing I like building is like Legos, so I didn't think I would enjoy this camp.

But then like when I got here and we started doing the activities, it was really fun.

- [Chris] Concrete was the first thing to win Nixon over.

Serenity came in facing a different hurdle.

Before camp, she barely used more than a drill.

- I'm a little nervous about everything because I'm in a new environment and I'm meeting new people.

- [Chris] Around here, nerves are almost part of the curriculum.

- The biggest thing we see right off the get-go is just the social anxiety, the apprehension of doing something they've never done before.

- [Chris] And the quickest way past that fear is simple: Pick up the tool.

Monday, they mix, pour and finish concrete.

Then plumbing turns pipes and fittings into something no textbook could compete with: Marshmallow launchers.

- Very cool.

Getting to play like basically marshmallow and dodgeball.

- [Chris] After that, the serious stuff starts flying.

Drills, saws, wiring, carpentry, a new skill every day, and another chance to find out what fits.

- We're looking to reshape the culture around trade skills.

You have to start young.

- [Chris] Apparently, plenty of kids are ready to start.

Organizers say 160 applied for just 24 spots.

And somewhere between the first cut and the next project, something changes.

The nervous kids who walked in start disappearing.

- We make them put their cell phones in little bags and zip them up and they put them in a bin in front of the classroom.

Usually by the end of the day, Wednesday, they forget to take their cell phones home.

- [Chris] Middle schoolers forgetting their phones might be the best review a summer camp can get.

For Serenity, this was the moment the week really clicked.

- When we were using wires, we started twisting the wires together.

- [Chris] By the end of the week, she wasn't just more comfortable, she found her lane.

- I like drills, I like saws.

I know that's two different things from electricians, but that's what I prefer.

- [Chris] No one is asking Nixon to map out his future in middle school, but after this week, the map has at least one more road on it.

- I would say it's like a new opportunity for later in life, so you have like different options.

- [Chris] And even if construction never becomes the job, knowing how to build, fix, and figure things out is something they can carry long after camp ends.

- When we think about how AI is impacting the workforce, I don't think this is the kind of thing that's gonna go away.

And so whether or not he goes to college, having this skillset is something that he's, I think, going to be very benefited from.

- [Chris] For Troy, the payoff isn't measured in perfect cuts or straight lines.

It's the moment a kid realizes, "I made that."

- Usually by Wednesday or Thursday, they are grinning from ear to ear.

It's the pride of when their parents pick them up and they say, "Hey, Mr.

Troy, can we take him back and show him what we built today?"

"Absolutely."

Just seeing them exude that pride that they have makes me extremely proud and makes me think, "You know what?

This may actually, we may actually be making a difference."

- Serenity.

(students applaud) - [Chris] By Friday, every camper made it to graduation.

One by one, all 24 are called to the front, but the biggest surprise is still waiting.

Every camper graduates with a toolbox, containing more than a thousand dollars worth of equipment.

Not toys, the real thing.

- A 12 volt impact and a 12 volt drill driver with everything on the apprentice tool list.

- [Chris] And Troy makes one thing very clear.

- These are not your dad's, they're not your mom's, they're not your brother's or sister's, these are yours.

And if you take care of your tools, your tools will take care of you.

- [Chris] Nixon came in thinking Legos might be about as far as he wanted to take this.

A week later, he's leaving with projects he built himself, a few more possibilities for whatever comes next, and a toolbox of his own.

- I'm thankful so I don't have to use my dad's tools.

- [Chris] Dad apparently heard that less as a promise and more as an opportunity.

- I haven't peeked into it yet, but things might disappear.

- [Chris] They came here to learn what they could build with a toolbox.

A week later, they leave knowing a little more about what they can build with their own two hands.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Chris Clark.