Design Future London and Minecraft to inspire young designers of the future
Mayor of London and MOBIE team up with with best-selling video game Minecraft to inspire young designers of the future
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and MOBIE have teamed up with best-selling video game Minecraft for the launch of this year's 2023 Design Future London Schools Challenge.
The 2023 Design Future London Schools Challenge will take place in the new London Minecraft World, a partnership between City Hall, Microsoft’s Minecraft Education and C40 Cities. Young Londoners will use their creative design skills to create sustainable changes to a Minecraft version of Croydon town centre.
Free licenses for Minecraft Education are available to all schools, colleges and universities in London. Faith groups and youth clubs are also invited to get involved.
The Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe CBE, launched the challenge at the University of East London, where more than 300 students took part in a three day design sprint based on the challenge.
“I cannot wait to see the inspirational, future thinking buildings and places that young Londoners come up with this year. I have no doubt we will discover some extraordinary design talent”
The challenge builds on a pilot which took place last year and involves a series of partners including Croydon Council, Mayor’s Fund for London and MOBIE founded by architect and TV presenter, George Clarke.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“Creating a greener, fairer and more prosperous London for generations to come is a key priority of mine. Achieving my missions of tackling air pollution and reaching net zero carbon by 2030 are a huge part of this, so I’m thrilled to be getting help from the voices of tomorrow. It was an honour to be rendered in blocks and join the Minecraft family to launch the Design Future London Schools Challenge to young Londoners. The London Minecraft World is a fun and engaging way for young Londoners to think critically about the built environment, collaborate with friends and peers, and be creative in showcasing their vision for the capital’s future.
“I can’t wait to see the brilliant ideas that come out of this challenge and wish all young Londoners taking part the very best of luck with their entries.”
George Clarke, Architect, TV presenter and founder of MOBIE, said:
“The homes and neighbourhoods of the future will be lived in and created by today’s young people. That is why I am delighted to be part of the latest Design Future London young persons’ challenge with the Mayor and Minecraft Education. Last year we saw some amazing designs created by very talented young people, including many that used Minecraft to produce incredibly imaginative home designs.
“I cannot wait to see the inspirational, future thinking buildings and places that young Londoners come up with this year. I have no doubt we will discover some extraordinary design talent and unleash creativity and imagination across the capital. I really hope the challenge will inspire young Londoners to pursue careers in the built environment, so they can be part of helping to shape the future of this great city.”
Mark Watts, CEO of C40 Cities, said:
“We can't create a green future without the ideas and leadership of young people. Schools Reinventing Cities offers a unique, engaging opportunity for kids and teenagers from around the world to learn about science-based city climate actions and to reinvent their own city, street by street. C40 Cities is thrilled to work with Minecraft Education and the Mayor of London to help students redesign Croydon, sharing their best and boldest ideas with their teachers, school mates and policy makers, and empowering them to imagine the next generation of good, green jobs to aspire to have access to. I can’t wait to see what they will come up with, celebrate their creative energy, get inspired and support them in building the future they want”.
Clare Barclay, CEO of Microsoft UK, said:
“I’m delighted to be partnering with the Mayor of London and C40 to bring free Minecraft Education licenses to schools across London. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to support the Mayor’s agenda for sustainability and education, and to encourage young people to reimagine the places they live. I can’t wait to see what the students create.”
Allison Matthews, Head of Minecraft Education, said:
“Students from around the world have amazed us with their creativity in designing sustainable solutions for their communities in Minecraft build challenges. We are thrilled that through this partnership with The Mayor of London and C40, we will connect these ideas directly to the leadership of London. The Design Future London challenge will empower students with an understanding of how climate change is impacting Croydon, inspire their thinking on future green careers, and show city leaders what kind of city they want to grow up in. We can't wait to see what they come up with!”