The Schools Challenge

Urban and eco-responsible challenges for schoolchildren

Presentation

The mission of The Schools Challenge mentoring program is to develop the interest of Seine-Saint-Denis secondary school students in sustainable development and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and to encourage them to take ownership of urban and local issues through project management.

Created by JPMorganChase, With the support and expertise of the Learning Planet Institute since 2019, the program is rooted in the world of business and engineering, and focuses on urban and eco-responsible challenges.

For six months, with the help of their Learning Planet Institute and JPMorganChase mentors, the schoolchildren imagine and prototype their projects for a sustainable city. In ten workshops, students and mentors give shape to their ideas, redoubling their commitment and creativity.

For the 2025 edition, the students took up a new challenge: to imagine an inclusive installation in the playgrounds of Seine-Saint-Denis middle schools. The students reflected on the diversity of playground practices and imagined an installation offering innovative and inclusive uses. The aim was to create an installation that would enable everyone to fully enjoy their rights on a daily basis, and to benefit from a space for play, relaxation and creativity within their school.

Program operated in France by the Learning Planet Institute teaching team and initiated by

In figures

Key figures

224 participating students (including 45 in 23-24)
20 national education professionals (including 5 in 23-24)
5 collèges involved in Seine-Saint-Denis (including 2 in 23-24)
152 JPMorganChase mentors involved (including 37 in 23-24)
30 prototypes created

They testify

The aim of The Schools Challenge is to help these young people reflect, at an age when they are beginning to become fully aware of the world and of themselves. It's not a top-down transmission, but rather a springboard we're trying to build for them (...) By questioning the objectives of
sustainable development on a planetary scale, the young people are at the same time positioning themselves as active participants in a local life that needs to be thought out and rethought (...) My greatest satisfaction has been to see the students surprise themselves!

Colin Labouret

mentor

Thanks to this experience, I've realized that I'm capable of doing things I thought impossible before. I've learned to express myself better, to listen to others more attentively and to be patient. The program also showed me that, with motivation and determination, you can really see things through to the end.

Kahina

Student, The Schools Challenge

The Schools Challenge has changed my vision of education. It's not necessarily repetitive and focused on learning lessons (...), but much broader and more fun. I've also changed my vision of group work. I always thought I could do everything on my own, but now I know that group work is important, I'd even say necessary, and without my group, our project wouldn't be as great as it is.

Kryss

Student, The Schools Challenge

The Schools Challenge is present in six countries (UK, Germany, France, Brazil, India, Hong Kong).

In France, the Learning Planet Institute's Youth pedagogy team provides pedagogical support for this project, and has been working with JPMorganChase for several years.

The MakerLab at the Learning Planet Institute is made available for the fi nal realization of projects.