Preparing students to build with AI—not just use it.
AI Build Lab: Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Camp
A six-week, in-person after-school innovation and entrepreneurship experience where middle and high school students use AI to solve a real-world problem and develop an app or website solution.
The future requires more than AI access.
Students already use AI every day. What they need now is the guidance to use it responsibly, think critically, solve real problems, create meaningful solutions, and communicate their ideas with confidence.
The AI Build Lab turns AI from a tool students consume into a tool they build with.
What is the AI Build Lab?
A six-week experience that helps students move from technology consumers to creators, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers. Students identify a challenge that matters to them and use AI and no-code technology to develop an app or website solution.
Students choose a challenge in their school, family, or community. No fake case studies.
Age-appropriate AI and no-code tools guide students from idea to functional prototype.
Every project also becomes a business or impact concept — pitched to real audiences.
From an idea → to impact.
The seven-step pathway every student walks — turning a real challenge into a functional prototype they can demonstrate, defend, and continue developing.
What students walk away with.
Not a certificate. Not just theory. Every student leaves with a functional prototype and the vocabulary to sell it — from problem statement to pitch.
A working digital product students can demonstrate and continue developing after the program.
Students learn to identify challenges that genuinely matter — in their school, family, or community.
Simple, structured customer discovery so students design solutions people actually need.
The basics of positioning: a clear name, a simple identity, and a message that resonates.
Whether it becomes a business, nonprofit, or school initiative — students learn how the model works.
A straightforward launch plan and either a startup budget or a funding concept.
Students practice explaining their idea with confidence to real audiences and mentors.
A digital artifact students can share on college applications, interviews, and student portfolios.
Note on outcomes: the AI Build Lab is intentionally scoped to a functional prototype, not a fully launched commercial product. That keeps six weeks achievable — while still giving each student something they can demonstrate, defend, and continue developing after the program.
Students choose challenges that matter to them.
We don’t hand students a pre-built case study. They’re guided to identify problems in their own schools, families, or communities — and their solutions reflect the world they actually live in.
Sample problem categories — students are always encouraged to bring their own.
Students take the stage.
The program culminates in a live showcase where students present their solution to families, educators, community leaders, and mentors — a meaningful celebration of learning, creativity, and achievement.
- The real-world problem they identified
- The people it affects
- The app or website they built with AI
- Their business or social-impact concept
- How they would market or fund it
- The measurable impact they hope to create
Families, educators, business leaders, and community partners can be invited as audience members, mentors, or judges.
Flexible ways to bring the Lab to students.
The AI Build Lab can be offered as an approved after-school program where parents register and pay for their students individually. Schools and community partners may also choose to sponsor a complete cohort, subsidize registration, or fund student scholarships.
School approves
Host + create the cohort
Parents register
Consent, info, and payment (if applicable)
Program begins
Six weeks, in-person, after-school
Enroll your student
Once the AI Build Lab is approved at a participating school, parents can register and pay for their students through that school’s secure registration portal. Each cohort is limited to 25 students.
Registration completed by a parent or legal guardian.
Host the program
Bring the AI Build Lab to your school as a six-week, in-person after-school program. Schools may host a parent-paid cohort or choose to fund or subsidize participation.
- Approval to offer the program
- Program space & school contact
- Help communicating with families
- Parent-paid, funded, or subsidized
Hosting does not require the school to fund the program.
Expand student access
Expand student access by sponsoring individual seats, scholarships, or a complete school cohort.
- Sponsor a complete school cohort
- Fund a designated number of seats
- Underwrite scholarships
- Subsidize registration for every family
Sponsor a seat, a scholarship, or a full cohort.
School approval creates the school-specific cohort. Parent registration secures each student's seat. School or sponsor funding may replace or reduce a parent payment — but never replaces the parent's registration and consent process.
Donja Williams
Founder and CEO, Freedom In Me, LLC
Bridging the gap between the workforce employers need and the students preparing to enter it.
Donja Williams is a corporate consultant, entrepreneur, trainer, and workforce-development leader with experience spanning business operations, leadership, emerging technology, entrepreneurship, and youth development.
Her youth-focused work includes developing and supporting programming through the SMILE Girls program, Youth Business Showers, Unity Classical Charter School's PTC, the Black Youth Leadership Development Program, and initiatives focused on entrepreneurship and generational wealth.
This combination of corporate, entrepreneurial, and youth-development experience gives Donja a unique perspective on both sides of the workforce equation: what employers need from emerging talent and what students need before entering the workforce.
She created the AI Build Lab: Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Camp to help bridge that gap. Through hands-on, real-world learning, students develop responsible AI skills, entrepreneurial thinking, digital-product experience, problem-solving abilities, collaboration skills, and the confidence to communicate and pitch their ideas.
Workforce readiness cannot begin after someone accepts their first job.
As employers respond to artificial intelligence, automation, and rapidly changing business needs, students must be prepared to think critically, use technology responsibly, solve problems, collaborate, communicate ideas, and create value.
Through its organizational consulting and workforce-development services, Freedom In Me helps employers improve systems, strengthen leadership, adapt to emerging technology, and prepare their teams for what is next. Through the AI Build Lab, Freedom In Me brings that workforce perspective to students — helping them develop the skills, confidence, and builder mindset to enter the future workforce as creators, innovators, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers.
Where Donja’s work has focused.
The AI Build Lab curriculum, learning experience, and program standards are developed under Donja's leadership. Cohorts may be facilitated by Donja or by trained and approved AI Build Lab instructors. Every facilitator follows the established curriculum, student-safety expectations, and program-delivery standards.
Program by Freedom In Me, LLC.
Freedom In Me is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based training and consulting company helping organizations, professionals, entrepreneurs, and emerging talent prepare for the changing demands of business and work.
The company works on both sides of the workforce equation: helping employers prepare for the future of work while helping students prepare to become its future workforce.
“Freedom In Me helps employers prepare for the future of work — while helping students prepare to become its future workforce.”
Questions from parents, principals & partners.
Don’t see your question? Reach out through the inquiry form below — Donja answers every message personally.
Ask a questionLet’s build the AI Build Lab for your students.
The program is custom-scoped per school — we’ll match your calendar, cohort size, budget, and student outcomes. Donja follows up personally with next steps and a proposal.