Minecrafting resilient cities – and youth-led policy – across Europe
All good things must come to an end. And so, MC-YOU comes to a close, proving that youth-led, game-based participation can meaningfully shape how cities think about resilience and sustainability. Over the last 24 months, the project has successfully showcased Minecraft, a familiar game, as a powerful civic tool, enabling young people to co-design real urban spaces and engage directly with policymakers.
The project significantly exceeded its original targets. A total of 182 young people (aged 12–18) took part in MC-YOU activities (more than 2.5 times the planned number), supported by 40 teachers from 17 schools and 22 municipal policymakers from the piloting cities of Faro, Riga, and Sandanski. Engagement extended well beyond classrooms, with 312 citizens contributing feedback through the MC Meter and public Agoras, ensuring that youth proposals reflected real community needs.
One of MC-YOU’s standout achievements was the expansion of the MC Inventory, where young participants identified and modelled public spaces that mattered most to them. Instead of the initially planned 12 sites, the project covered 21 real urban locations, nearly doubling expectations and strengthening cities’ preparedness for resilience planning. These selected sites increased local relevance, broadened citizen participation, and reinforced the democratic values of the process.
MC-YOU also delivered strong capacity-building results. Through workshops, Agoras, and four major publications, the project strengthened skills in sustainability, resilience, digital design, and participatory policymaking. 86% of teachers and 100% of policymakers reported increased awareness of the need to further support youth participation, while students developed stronger civic awareness and confidence in contributing to urban decision-making.
As MC-YOU concludes, its impact continues. Pilot cities have committed to follow-up actions, partners are transferring the methodology to new contexts, and the MC-YOU Community of Practice remains active across European networks. The project leaves behind not just tools and guidelines, but a proven, transferable model showing how young people can help build more resilient, inclusive cities—one block at a time.