Medellín opens its doors to the world!
Welcome to Medellín Challenge

Why Medellín Challenge?
Medellín: a city that opens its doors to the world. We invite you to get to know our city and to work collaboratively to solve real challenges in our community. We believe in the power of young people’s ideas and in their leadership to make them a reality. Come, let’s learn together and be part of the change!
Purpose
Generate collaborative and intergenerational learning to analyze real challenges in communities of a developing city, and empowering youth to cocreate and prototype sustainable solutions for a better future in a global ecosystem.


This is how we will live the MDE Challenge 2024
November 24th,
2023
Pre-launching
October 1st to
November 22th, 2023
Registration
January 20th,
2024
Challenges launching
February 2nd, 6th
and 9th, 2024
Online training for students
and teachers
February 12th to
April 12th, 2024
Online learning
experience
April 15th to
April 18th, 2024
On site
experience
Pre-launching
Participants receive information from MDE Challenge staff confirming registration and the next step: launching on-line event date and link to join it.
Registration
Students and teachers register.
On-line Experiences
Participants:
-Receive information about the methodology.
-Meet MDE Challenge staff.
-Get familiar with the challenges.
-Receive information about: rubric criteria, start and closing dates of each phase.
.
On-line Training
Students and teachers learn from thematic experts in methodological and technological skills to develop their project.
Online Stage
Participants:
-Interact with SJV school mentors and the student commission through the AVA and on-line meetings.
-Receive directions to upload the tasks in each phase of AVA.
.
Iterate the solutions in Medellín
Students and teachers iterate their solutions in Maker Spaces in Medellín Colombia.
The challenges
Our students selected the following challenges






Skills for a changing world: young people learning and inspiring
Sumary:
Currently, the lack of connection between the school curriculum and the needs of the real world, as well as the absence of educational approaches that encourage active participation, lead to a loss of interest in learning. That’s why we propose the following challenge:
Driving question:
What kind of learning would you find most valuable for your personal and professional life?
If you want to learn more about quality education in Medellín, Click on the following icons:
Education without borders: young people promoting the closure of educational gaps
Sumary:
Currently, migrants face multiple barriers in accessing education and social services, including not knowing the Colombian education system, lacking legal requirements and inadequate documentation. (UNICEF COLOMBIA, 2022, p. 1)
Therefore, we propose the following challenge:
Driving question:
How can we promote equitable access to healthy food and education for immigrant children and adolescents?
Guardians of Water: conservation challenges in the watersheds of Comuna 14 Poblado
Sumary:
Young people seeking to transform their territory with sustainable solutions focused on water conservation.
Driving question:
How can we generate sustainable strategies to take care of water sources in commune 14 as we use them properly?
Ecomobility Medellín
Sumary:
The school transportation dilemma is a big challenge in the heart of El Poblado district. The demand for efficient and sustainable school transit solutions is palpable, as the current system brings issues of congestion, delayed routes, and environmental concerns. Addressing this transportation puzzle is not just about getting to school on time; it’s about forging a path towards a greener, more streamlined future for education in El Poblado.
Driving question:
How can we enable sustainable school transportation to reduce the environmental impact and increase the well-being of users in Commune 14, Poblado?
Methodology
We chose the best of each active methodology and integrated it into the following 3 learning stages
Inspiration for learning
- Try to understand and empathize with real problems and investigate about their causes.
- Build a driving question
- Reflect about the problems of people and communities.
Connection to learning
- Learning by thinking:
Think creatively about different ideas that would solve the problem and select the one that is most sustainable and benefits the community economically, environmentally, and socially.
- Learning by doing:
students learn by doing through prototype design.
Share and validate learning
Let the world know about your inspiring solution and impact the selected community in Medellín
How are we going to develop this experience?
How is each team going to work?
Staff: This team must guarantee that the project purpose and goals are achieved and that the different student commissions work collaboratively and efficiently.

Academic Commission
Students and teachers must guarantee that the methodological and academic components are developed.
Logistics Commission
Students and teachers must guarantee that all the project participants (mentors, tutors, and others) have everything they need to solve the challenge.
Communication Commission
Leaders and students must promote the communication strategy of the event.
Alliances Commission
Promote the event among national and international organizations, and consolidate alliances and sponsorships that help the event to take place.
How much is it?
For more information
Would you like to participate?
The time has come to recall the memories that have left an indelible mark on our hearts! ✨
It was #MDEChallenge2023 💙
We have embraced new cultures, received unwavering support from thematic experts and social leaders, and shared laughter and knowledge that transcended borders 🌎🙌
Medellín Challenge 2023 Social Impact
Together, we are building a better future for all! 🚀✅
We were sharing the special moments that have transformed us, inspired us, and filled us with joy 😍😍