Urbanités Numériques En Jeux (UNEJ)
The Urbanités Numériques En Jeux (UNEJ) project is an experiment conducted from September 2020 to December 2024 as part of the Contributory Learning Territory program. It is the result of a partnership between the Institute for Research and Innovation (IRI) and the Academic Delegation for Educational Digital Technology (DANE) of the Créteil Academy for its management, as well as the Seine-Saint-Denis departmental council for its management and implementation.
For four years, the project focused on organizing workshops during school hours, led by volunteer teachers. These workshops relied on a system including the video game Luanti (free equivalent of Minecraft, formerly Minetest) to support students from 8 middle schools and 2 high schools in the design and modeling of urban development proposals related to their territory. All of this work was part of the dynamics of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This initiative mobilized multi-stakeholder collaboration and a co-construction approach inspired by the principles of “contributory research” developed at the IRI. The professional partners supported the teachers in developing the knowledge and skills necessary for organizing the workshops.