Started in mid-May last year, the MCYOU project is reshaping the way young people and policymakers engage with each other to tackle urban challenges and design sustainable solutions. For the first time in the community, teachers and students are using the popular game Minecraft to reimagine their local environment while engaging in meaningful collaboration with local policy and decision-makers.
The future Minecraft architects in Sandanski Formed in MC-YOU teams, students aged 12-16 from Sandanski’s secondary schools are taking on active roles in reimagining their community. Recruited through a transparent process facilitated by their teachers, 12 teams comprising 70 participants from five schools have been formed. Each team is supported by youth multipliers (teachers) and mentored by local policymakers and stakeholders. Their mission: to rethink and redesign their local urban spaces. As the approach was novel to Sandanski’s educational community, youth multipliers attended a training session organised by the Municipality of Sandanski – one of the project partners in the MC-YOU project. This training introduced participants to the project’s goals and methodology, including concepts like resilient cities, sustainability, and gamification. Most importantly, teachers gained hands-on experience with Minecraft Education Edition, learning to use the platform as a tool for urban development and youth engagement. As teams needed to select local community objects for their projects, they were tasked to visit the sites for inspiration, manage the roles within each team and brainstorm some ideas and innovative solutions within the Minecraft environment. Teachers played a crucial role in setting up the digital classrooms and ensuring the students had the necessary resources to begin their work. Youngsters and policymakers working together One of the innovative features of the MCYOU project is its mentorship model, which pairs each team with a local decision-maker or community representative. This approach is testing new policy mechanisms that put young people at the centre of decision-making. Policymakers themselves participated in a specialised training session designed to strengthen their capacity to integrate youth perspectives into urban planning. Held in Sandanski, this session introduced them to resilient and sustainable city concepts and showcased how Minecraft Education Edition can act as a gamification tool to engage with young citizens. Additionally, they explored the MCYOU toolkit, including digital platforms like MC Web and MC Metre, which facilitate public participation and idea-sharing. What’s Next? Being fully completed, the MC-YOU teams in Sandanski are enthusiastic about working together to reshape the local urban environment. Future activities include Agoras, where teams will present their progress and receive feedback, as well as a series of sustainability training sessions and further Minecraft workshops to deepen their understanding of environmentally responsible practices to help shape the sustainable future of Sandanski. SANDANSKI |
