Our Projects

Rails of Time

An inter-university project reflecting a new form of innovative educational engineering based on design thinking.

About the Project

Rails of Time is an inter-university project reflecting a new form of innovative educational engineering based on design thinking.

The project title plays on words: "Rails of Time" refers both to a real itinerary and to a metaphorical link between generations, cultures, and traditions across time. By traveling through different French cities, participants discover cultural traces of the past and present while exploring the living stories of those whose creativity shapes territories.

The project takes the form of a new-generation travelogue in which students design itineraries, produce short films, conduct interviews, and write research narratives while immersing themselves in local culture, innovation, and creative practices.

Goals

Project Objectives

Learning in the field

Turn students’ coursework into real fieldwork with France’s territories, companies and local actors.

Creative & media skills

Build interviewing, filmmaking and intercultural skills by documenting real local “heroes.”

Territories in transition

Show how communities and businesses of every size drive cultural, economic and ecological change.

Passing it on

Have Generation U students mentor younger pupils and share their work with the public.

Phases

Project Outline

The project unfolds in several complementary phases designed as a progressive path of transmission, creation, and intergenerational dialogue.

Phase 1

Rails of Time – Generation U

Rails of Time – Generation U is the first stage of the project. It is designed for students from partner higher education institutions and is integrated into their academic curriculum.

Local companies and personalities become the "heroes" of the films created by students and the subjects of academic analysis.

Students Involved

KEDGE Business SchoolCNAM Nouvelle-AquitaineIAE Bordeaux

Phase 2

Rails of Time – Junior

Rails of Time – Junior is based on an intergenerational transmission approach. Higher education students become tutors and mediators, guiding middle and high school students throughout the project.