Urban Arts and Booze Allen Host Students—with Mobs and Axes
On October 27, middle and high school students from five D.C. schools came together for the third annual Duel in the District, a Minecraft Education Game Jam hosted by Urban Arts with Booz Allen Hamilton and BLN24.
The event introduces students to careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), showing how the creativity and problem-solving skills they use in gaming can connect to meaningful opportunities in advanced technology.
Working in teams, students designed virtual solutions to challenges in their communities, including affordable housing, green infrastructure, and better-connected neighborhoods. They explored how tools such as modeling and simulation help people test ideas, consider tradeoffs, and envision solutions before they’re built. “If you turn the learning into a game, you’ll get the buy-in more, you’ll get them intrigued, and to be honest, they’ll be the ones creating a new set of Minecraft 2.0. You never know.” —Tara Walker, Science Teacher and District Science Lead.
Now in its third year, Duel in the District reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to technology education and creating hands-on opportunities for young people to explore advanced technology and future careers.
“The space we’re in is always amazing. It’s the Helix Innovation Center for Booz Allen and we have a lot of programs here that I’ve attended or we host but today feels very different…when I walked in and the balloons were being hung and the color and the energy…it’s a level that automatically conveys creativity is going to happen here.”—Christine Skennion Hoisington, Director of Community Impact & Philanthropy; and Executive Director of the Booz Allen Foundation.
“What I see in the room today is a room full of creators, paired with incredible mentors and people who care to grow the next generation.” —Brian Nguyen, BLN24 (CEO)
“Every year, I’m reminded that creativity and joy go hand in hand. Watching students build solutions for D.C. together in Minecraft is proof that when young people get to play, they start to see a future they can build themselves.”—Shannon Moran, Director of National Programs, Urban Arts
Duel in the District is supported by Booz Allen’s TechXplore initiative, which aims to equip more than one million young people with skills in AI, cybersecurity, and advanced technology.
Thank you to our partners, educators, and everyone who made year three possible.
Special thanks to Jeff R. and Jinnyn Jacob, MPP, for making this possible each year. Thank you to the team at Urban Arts: Shannon Moran, Savannah Chapman, Vanessa Cole, Richard Morin, Kathleen Elie. Thank you especially to the teachers and schools for bringing your amazing students, inspiring them, and going the extra mile: Participating schools: Friendship Chamberlain Middle School, Eliot-Hine Middle School, McKinley Technology High School, Ron Brown College Preparatory High School, H.D. Woodson High School.
Interested in partnering with us? Reach out at development@urbanarts.org.
#MinecraftEducation #GameBasedLearning #STEMforAll #projectbasedlearning
Urban Arts Celebrates Inaugural Founders Lab, Where NYC Students Used AI to Build Their Own Startups
NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2026 – Urban Arts today announced the successful completion of the inaugural Founders Lab, a ten-day accelerator that gave 20 students from low-income New York City communities the opportunity to use artificial intelligence to turn problems they know firsthand into startup ventures they could build, test and pitch.
The pilot brought together four teams of five students for an intensive startup experience spanning ideation, product development and customer validation. Along the way, they used AI as a constructive tool to research markets, evaluate competitors and synthesize feedback, while learning to think like founders by testing assumptions, taking risks and refining their ideas. The program reflects a broader shift in entrepreneurship: AI is rapidly reducing the barriers to turning an idea into a working product, but access to the mentorship, networks and business knowledge needed to become a founder remains uneven.
“Urban Arts has spent decades helping young people see a future for themselves in technology. Founders Lab takes that a step further by showing them they can own a piece of what comes next,” said Philip Courtney, CEO of Urban Arts. “The goal isn’t just to build a talent pipeline into the AI economy. It’s to build an entrepreneurial pipeline. That means giving students the tools to test a concept, learn from failure, and keep pushing until they hae something they’re ready to put in front of the world.”
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