On November 23, 2023, 45 secondary school students from Seine-Saint-Denis gathered at the Learning Planet Institute to launch a program that will accompany them throughout their ninth year: The Schools Challenge.
Created by JPMorgan Chase, with the support and expertise of the Learning Planet Institute, The Schools Challenge is an educational mentoring program, deployed in six cities around the world, designed to develop the career prospects of young people. The program helps participants acquire skills in areas such as teamwork, problem-solving and oral presentation. It also enables students to make more informed decisions about the possible directions and career prospects open to them.
THE SCHOOLS CHALLENGE 2024: CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SPORTS FACILITY
For 6 months, with the help of their Learning Planet Institute and JPMorgan Chase mentors, the schoolchildren devise a project for a sustainable city. In 9 workshops, students and mentors give shape to their ideas, redoubling their motivation and creativity.
On the occasion of Olympic Games 2024, high school students face a new challenge: imagining an inclusive sports facility that will fit in perfectly with their neighborhood, in the vicinity of their college. Their prototype will have to meet technical and ergonomic criteria, as well as criteria of inclusivity and accessibility, by examining the place of disability, gender and morphologies (according to age and physical and motor capacities) in public space.
A PROMISING LAUNCH
After a word of welcome from François Taddei, President of the Learning Planet Institute and’Olivier Simon, Managing Director from JPMorgan Chase, the ninth graders met their sponsor Romain Riboud. A former Paralympic athlete (double world champion in disabled skiing, double silver medallist at the Paralympic Games and flag-bearer for the French team at the Vancouver Paralympic Games), this multi-medal-winning athlete sent a word of support and encouragement to his godchildren:
«You're going to learn to work together, you're going to learn from each other, you're going to have a great little journey that's going to make you grow. It's a real school of life to have this kind of challenge. It's a mirror image of top-level sport: it's a life and learning gas pedal. I invite you to take full advantage of this experience and to hang in there, even if there are difficulties, to help each other out. That's how we progress. Be strong», Romain Riboud
Third-year students from Miriam Makeba & Iqbal Masih middle schools (Seine-Saint-Denis) were then introduced to their mentors. The Learning Planet Institute mentors will be working with them throughout the year to raise their awareness of Sustainable Development Objectives (ODD) and engineering sciences. In addition, the 18 mentors from JPMorgan Chase will introduce them to project management: from drawing up a business plan to prototyping a solution and selling it.
To close the launch, the alumni of the 2022/2023 program addressed a few words to their successors:
«I have a message for the new third-year students who are going to take part in The Schools Challenge: it's not a program that develops a competitive spirit, but rather a spirit of fraternity», Chaïma, alumni of the 2022-2023 edition.
«I was lucky enough to take part in the Schools Challenge and it was a great experience. You can talk about it at your brevet oral. I was able to improve my skills, especially when it comes to speaking. It's a project where you're in the classroom but you're not sitting in a chair listening to a lecture. You get the chance to practice and talk to people you don't see every day, and that's really great for ninth graders», Maram, alumni of the 2022-2023 edition.
NEXT STEPS FOR STUDENTS
- Girls in STEM Day« A day to introduce ninth-grade girls to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers through workshops and meetings with professionals.
- Prototype day at MakerLab : a day during which the schoolchildren will use the MakerLab (an evolution of the Learning Planet Institute's fablab) to build full-scale prototypes of their ideas, using woodworking and digital tools (3D printers, laser cutters, etc.).
- Créathon : a one-day hackathon (innovation competition) for JPMorgan Chase students and mentors to work together on a solution to the following challenge: «How can we help our customers?« How can the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games be integrated into the daily lives of the inhabitants of Seine-Saint-Denis?.
- JPMorgan Chase final: all the students from the two colleges meet to present their projects to the other students, as well as to a jury of professionals.
- International meeting : The third-year students who won the Grand Prix will be presenting their project in London to students from all over Europe (and in English)!
THE SCHOOLS CHALLENGE IN FIGURES
- 7 years of existence in France, 5 supported by the Learning Planet Institute
- 6 participating countries (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Brazil, Singapore, Hong Kong)
- + more than 175 students supported in the last 5 years
- 5 colleges from Seine-Saint-Denis took part in the program
- + Over 30 prototypes created
- Sustainable Development Objectives 3, 11 and 12
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS
Discover the mentor's testimonial Learning Planet Institute on the program.
Discover our Youth activities and programs !
