Digital Future Days 2026
The evolution of the Future Nights: ten municipalities across Bavaria, project days at schools, discussion with local politics.
Since January 2026, we’ve been running future workshops at Bavarian schools as part of the Digital Future Days. The proven Future Nights concept has evolved: instead of running overnight, the workshops now take place during the day — supplemented by a classroom lesson, an extracurricular meeting, and a discussion event with local politicians.
Official page at the BLZWhat’s new compared to the Future Nights?
| Future Nights (2022–2024) | Future Days (2025/26) | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Overnight at school | Project day (8am–4pm) |
| Structure | Two parts (night + discussion) | Four parts (day + lesson + meeting + discussion) |
| School types | Realschulen and Mittelschulen | Realschulen, Mittelschulen, and Wirtschaftsschulen |
| Target group | From grade 8 | From grade 8 |
| Municipalities | 27 schools across Bavaria | 10 selected municipalities |
| Partners | BLZ + KidsLab + Q3 | BLZ + BJR + KidsLab + Q3 |
The four-part concept
1. Digital Future Day at the school
A whole school day (8 am–4 pm) is dedicated to the question: What should our municipality look like in the future?
After an input phase on the topics “How does local politics work?” and “How can ideas become reality?”, students start their creative phase in Minetest. In teams, they develop visions — from youth centres to bike paths to solar panels — and build them as 3D models. At the end of the day, all groups present their results.
| Time | Content |
|---|---|
| 8:00–8:10 am | Welcome, introductions, warm-up |
| 8:10–8:40 am | Short workshop: how does local politics work? |
| 8:40–9:10 am | Future workshop: my municipality today and tomorrow |
| 9:10–9:20 am | Introduction to Minetest |
| 9:20–9:55 am | First part of the creative phase |
| 9:55–10:10 am | Break |
| 10:10–11:55 am | Creative phase in Minetest with feedback rounds |
| 11:55 am–1:00 pm | Lunch break |
| 1:00–3:15 pm | Independent work in Minetest |
| 3:15–3:45 pm | Presentation of results |
| 3:45–4:00 pm | Evaluation and outlook |
2. Classroom lesson on local politics
In a lesson developed by the BLZ, students deepen their understanding of political levels and political participation. The Bavarian State Centre provides teachers with all materials and the lesson plan.
3. Extracurricular preparation meeting
Students from different schools and classes within a municipality come together. Together with the Bavarian Youth Council, they work on presentations and arguments to make their project ideas achievable. This event serves as direct preparation for the discussion event.
4. Discussion event with local politicians
Students present their visions of the future to representatives of the municipality, district, or region — for example at the town hall or district office. To maintain political neutrality, representatives of various parties and voter alliances are present. The goal: a future contract with concrete next steps.
Locations so far in 2026
- Forstern — press coverage in the Münchner Merkur: “The municipality lets students shape their future on the computer”
- Ebermannstadt — report by the Realschule | Youth Work Office
- Marktheidenfeld
- More locations to follow through April 2026
Why Future Days?
More and more young people view the future with concern. According to a representative survey by the Vodafone Foundation, 86% of 14- to 24-year-olds say they’re worried. Only 23% believe Germany will get climate change under control by 2050. The study “Jugend in Deutschland 2025” shows: many teenagers feel that politics doesn’t take them seriously.
The Future Days give teenagers a voice and bring their visions into local politics. What makes it special:
- Low barrier to entry — gaming as a bridge to civic education
- Visualised concepts instead of abstract wish lists
- Grounded in real local places — the students’ own municipality takes centre stage
- Real impact — future contracts with concrete goals and timeframes
For your school
Interested in a Digital Future Day? You’ll find all the information on preparation, the schedule, and the materials you’ll need in our guide:
Cooperation partners
- Bavarian State Centre for Civic Education — concept and client
- Bavarian Youth Council — expert and service unit for child and youth participation
- KidsLab gGmbH — delivery and Minetest server
- Q3 – Quartier für Medien.Bildung.Abenteuer — delivery and technical implementation
Contact at the BLZ: Maximilian Nominacher (maximilian.nominacher@blz.bayern.de) and Saskia Jouaux (saskia.jouaux@blz.bayern.de)