A New Way to Learn: Civic Skills Through Minecraft
Super Citizen is an interactive civic education project that, for the third year in a row, invites students in grades 8–12 to deepen their understanding of democracy, responsibility, community engagement, and media literacy through the educational version of Minecraft. The project is implemented by Three Cubes in collaboration with British Council Lithuania and the Civic Resilience Initiative.
New Feature: Individual Minecraft Adventures
Until now, Super Citizen lessons were designed for group work (multiplayer mode). However, this academic year, all lesson topics are also available in single-player mode. This update allows students to engage with the content and develop their knowledge at their own pace through interactive adventures. It also simplifies teachers’ work — the lessons can be used in the classroom with the whole group or assigned as homework.
Educational Innovation: Relevant Topics In A Familiar Format
In Super Citizen lessons, students not only create in the Minecraft world, but also experience what it means to be responsible citizens — they engage in discussions, negotiate, create rules, and implement them.
"The project shows that modern technology and creative learning can go hand in hand, and students’ interest and engagement in civic topics can significantly increase when those topics are presented in a format that is familiar and appealing to them," says Tadas Bielskis, co-founder of Three Cubes.
Thanks to the efforts of the project organizers Three Cubes and sponsors British Council Lithuania and Civic Resilience Initiative, the lesson package will remain free and accessible for the next four academic years.
Lesson Content Available In Three Languages
Video games can be more than just entertainment — they can be powerful educational tools. Using games as a learning format helps students explore civic topics while developing critical thinking, a sense of responsibility, and collaboration skills.
"It's exciting to see increasingly interactive and engaging lesson formats, especially for such essential topics as civic education and resilience to disinformation. Game-based learning gives young people an active space to engage and learn how to be active citizens. This project has been running for three years, and based on feedback from students and teachers, we know they enjoy Super Citizen lessons, actively participate in discussions, and engage with important social issues. This modern learning method fosters essential skills for a fast-changing world — critical thinking, media literacy, and community responsibility," says Ona Marija Vyšniauskė, Head of the British Council in Lithuania.
To support students in recognizing disinformation and developing digital literacy, Super Citizen materials are available in Lithuanian, Russian, and English. This multilingual approach allows schools with different teaching languages to participate more easily, helping young people better understand their environment and integrate into society.
The full lesson package is available for free at www.superpilietis.lt, and includes both group and individual lesson formats, lesson plans for teachers, instructions, and new video-based training sessions. Over 230 teachers from across Lithuania have already downloaded the materials.
Future City on the Moon: Creativity Meets Civic Values
This year, the project also featured a month-long creative competition — Future City on the Moon — with participating schools from Šiauliai, Trakai, Naujoji Akmenė, Juodšiliai, and Kupiškis districts. Student teams received custom Minecraft lunar maps and were tasked with designing future cities — from architecture to city rules, governance models, and principles of community life.
On the Moon's surface, students built functional structures like rockets, AI-powered exploration vehicles, power stations, space transports, and lunar rovers. They also created systems and structures promoting cultural, scientific, and democratic wellbeing — including government buildings, courts, hospitals, grocery stores, dog parks, and spaces for arts and entertainment. Teams outlined rules for idea exchanges between Earth and Moon residents, designed a democratic planetary governance system, and laid out principles of community autonomy and self-government.
Each team submitted a presentation with visuals explaining how their city works, the civic values applied, and the rules of decision-making. This was a great opportunity to not only exercise creativity but also apply civic knowledge in practice.
"The project, offering young people innovative solutions and modern technologies, undoubtedly contributes to strengthening civil society and resilience to disinformation. An inclusive and informed community is one that can recognize both digital and external threats. We’re proud to support youth education and their ability to act responsibly in today’s information space," says Tomas Kazulėnas, co-founder of the Civic Resilience Initiative.
The competition concluded with a live-streamed event, during which a panel — including representatives from British Council Lithuania, Civic Resilience Initiative, and Three Cubes — reviewed entries within the Minecraft environment and announced the winners. The winning teams and their teachers received gift vouchers to bookstores and electronics retailers, while other participants were awarded consolation prizes.