PUPILS from Ysgol Gymraeg Morswyn in Ynys Môn are being introduced to the world of renewable energy and marine conservation thanks to the Minecraft Education world ‘Offshore Wind Power Challenge’ – a collaboration between The Crown Estate and Microsoft UK.
Available in Welsh and English, the Minecraft Education world helps pupils gain a deeper understanding of climate change and the natural environment, and encourages them to explore careers in engineering, sustainability, and conservation – all whilst planning and building their own offshore wind farm to power a coastal village!
And now, the Minecraft Education world ‘Offshore Wind Power Challenge’ has been given a boost with additional learning resources aimed at younger learners which align with the Welsh curriculum, and lesson plans for teachers to help them adopt the learning into their classrooms.
As part of their focus on developing skills to support the energy transition for students across Wales, The Crown Estate partnered with educational experts, Dosbarth, who created the new learning materials and are delivering taster lessons in schools across Wales, including to year 5 and 6 pupils at Ysgol Gymraeg Morswyn.
Ensuring that the Welsh language is relevant in the digital world is central to the Welsh Government’s goal to reach one million Welsh speakers by 2050, and the Offshore Wind Power Challenge helps to answer the calls for more digital and interactive resources in Welsh.
Renewable energy is a growing industry in Wales and a new generation of floating offshore windfarms is set to be established in the Celtic Sea through The Crown Estate’s current seabed leasing round. New floating offshore windfarms capable of generating up to 4.5GW of electricity – enough to power more than four million homes – could be developed, and independent research suggests that these projects could be worth up to £1.4bn to the UK economy and create 5,300 jobs.
Llinos Medi MP, Member of Parliament for Ynys Môn, said: “It’s fantastic to see Ysgol Morswyn pupils engaging with renewable energy in such a creative and interactive way.
“Offshore wind will play a crucial role in Wales’ future, and projects like this help inspire the next generation to learn about sustainability and the opportunities in the green economy.”
Rebecca Williams, Director of Devolved Nations at The Crown Estate, said: “This is an exciting collaboration that brings new Welsh language educational content to schools through the best-selling game of all time.
“This Minecraft Education world provides students and teachers with a fun way to explore the opportunities and challenges involved in delivering our energy transition whilst protecting and restoring our natural environment, through the languages that are most relevant to them.
“The Crown Estate is committed to creating partnerships and bringing people together to make a positive impact. We hope this initiative will inspire young people to develop their skills and passion and introduce them to some of the green career opportunities in renewable energy.”
Medwyn Roberts, Headteacher at Ysgol Gymraeg Morswyn, said: “The Offshore Wind Power Challenge has been a brilliant way to get our pupils excited about renewable energy.
“Using Minecraft Education, they worked together to design wind farms, which sparked their curiosity about the environment and sustainability.
“It’s fantastic that they can explore these important topics while developing skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity. The fact that they can do all of this in Welsh makes the experience even more special and meaningful for them.”
Karen Jones, Managing Director of Dosbarth, said: “By creating new learning materials for younger audiences, which align to the Welsh curriculum and easily accessible lesson plans for busy teachers we think that these resources in both Welsh and English, will reach an even bigger audience of pupils across Wales, helping to inspire the next generation of thinkers, problem-solvers, and environmental leaders.”
