Child Friendly Cardiff in partnership with Cardiff University School of Computer Science and Technocamps Ambassadors, are providing children and young people with unique and innovative opportunities to help shape the future of Cardiff by using the virtual gaming platform Minecraft Education.  

‘Craft Our Future City’ is a Child Friendly Cardiff initiative which aims to engage young people in a range of strategic developments and curriculum innovation by using Minecraft Education, ensuring that they can express their views in dynamic and fun ways. 

Developed by Cardiff’s Education Service and Cardiff University School of Computer Science, the digital approach sets a series of real-world challenges and provides a way for children & young people to share their ideas of how they would like Cardiff to look in the future. 

Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry said: “Cardiff’s aspirations to becoming an internationally recognised Child Friendly City, placing the rights and voices of children and young people at the heart of the city’s policies, strategies and services is progressing. 

“Unicef UK has recently recommended that the Council submits for Child Friendly City recognition late 2021, acknowledging the work we have already undertaken to involve children and young people in decision making and working hard to make rights a reality for all. 

“We are committed to building on this and this latest scheme endeavours to engage with children and young people allowing them to express their ideas to improve an area in the city centre through a platform they are familiar with. 

Dr Catherine Teehan from Cardiff University said: “The School of Computer Science have been working as part of the TechnoCamps programme at for the last seven years.  We have a dedicated outreach team at the school who are committed to providing support and resources for digital education across Southeast Wales. 

“We are really excited to be part this innovative initiative in our home city and using game-based learning to engage with a wide range of children and young people.” 

Minecraft Education is a multi-platform video game which enhances creativity, problem-solving, self-direction, collaboration, and other life skills which uses building blocks, resources discovered on the site and the users own creativity. 

TechnoCamps is a Welsh Government funded initiative which has allowed Cardiff School of Computer Science to establish an outreach team which includes over 120 student STEM Ambassadors. 

Our TechnoCamps team deliver free workshops to schools from Southeast Wales and support the continuing professional development of teachers across the region. The scheme also provides family and community events where digital workshops are delivered to facilitate small scale digital creative projects. 

REGISTER NOW

The new Velindre Cancer Centre Minecraft world is now live! 

The Minecraft competition for the new Velindre Cancer Centre is now live and the bespoke world is ready and available for the children and young people to enjoy, explore and build their version of the new hospital. Over the next four weeks we are hoping to receive results from classrooms, homes, and bedrooms right across Southeast Wales! 

 You can access the registration and the bespoke world here. 

Once we have your registration, we can send you the interactive educational workbook. Extra support can be found by emailing TechnoCamps at cardifftechnocamps@gmail.com. 

Just so you know, students can also register for the competition independently, so that they can fit it in with their assessment timetable as we appreciate that there will be revision pressures etc., and we hope that the competition can offer a positive option to support student mental health and wellbeing.  

Shortlisted worlds will be announced by early July. This will include the opportunity for students to become Youth Design Ambassadors for the new cancer centre project over the next year. 

All students who enter worlds will receive a certificate and goody bag. 

Please get in touch if you have any questions or need further in-class support to facilitate sessions with students. 

We look forward to seeing your worlds. 

Competition Rules  

• Entry to the competition can only be done through the competition registration form 
• Parents, carers or teachers should submit entries on behalf of participants 

• The competition is open to any young person aged 8 to 18  
• Parents, carers or teachers can support them with the competition entry 
• Participants can enter the competition as individuals or as a team 
• Each individual or team can submit one competition entry only  
• Technical support for the competition is available by contacting cardifftechnocamps@gmail.com  

• Entries to the competition close at 5pm on the 11 June 2021 
• Only entries that have been developed sympathetically to the criteria outlined within the Minecraft world will be considered  
• All genuine entries will receive a thank you certificate and goody bag for taking part in the competition 
• Ideas from selected entries will be presented to the Velindre University NHS Trust project team for consideration in the future design of the new cancer centre 
• All entries will be considered anonymously
• Your entry may be used for publicity purposes and we will contact participants to gather their views on the competition 
• Any personal information submitted through the competition will only be used for the purposes of the competition will be deleted once the competition is complete 
• Shortlisted participants will be approached with the offer to become Youth Design Ambassadors for part of or the entire design process 

The primary and secondary schools getting involved will receive an interactive and educational workbook for students that sits alongside the Minecraft world. The workbook will include information about biodiversity, community, and eco-buildings. 

This amazing bespoke Minecraft world encompassing the site for the new Velindre Cancer Centre has been built by Cardiff University’s School of Computer Science and Informatics TechnoCamp hub and its STEM ambassadors.