What if AI could help us include, not exclude?
Last week, CollectiveUP was invited to join a vibrant community of youth workers, tech practitioners, educators, and researchers in Leuven, Belgium, for a thought-provoking gathering: Peer-learning activities on AI and inclusion in youth work, organized by several Erasmus+ National Agencies, JINT vzw, Jugend für Europa and SALTO.
The central question was clear and urgent: How can AI become a tool for inclusion—especially for the youth who are often left behind?
We came with questions. We left with more—but also with shared insights, new allies, and a renewed commitment to building digital spaces that reflect equity, care, and diversity.
AI is here—but who’s it for?
AI is no longer some far-off technology of the future. It's already shaping how young people access opportunities, find information, express themselves—and how they’re seen or sorted by systems.
But as one youth worker reminded us:
“We can’t afford for AI to be another tool of exclusion. We need to work on digital inclusion and especially involve disadvantaged youths.”
At CollectiveUP, we work with and for neurodivergent youth and young people from marginalized communities. That quote hit home. Without critical reflection and intentional design, AI risks reinforcing the very injustices we’re trying to dismantle.
Learning from each other, learning with youth
The peer-learning program was built around interactive labs, co-creation sessions, and collective reflection. Some takeaways that stuck with us:
- Inclusion means agency—not just access. Young people must be active shapers of the technologies that affect their lives.
- Bias in AI isn’t just technical—it’s systemic. It reflects the data and the structures we feed into it. Fixing it requires education, ethics, and equity.
- Youth workers are key. Not as coders necessarily, but as facilitators of critical thinking, creativity, and civic engagement in the digital age.
We appreciated the spirit of openness in the group—everyone brought their unique perspectives, questions, and experiences. This was not just a tech conversation—it was a human one.
What’s next for CollectiveUP?
The gathering in Leuven affirmed our approach and gave us new energy to deepen it.
We’ll continue building tools and workshops that:
- Help young people understand and question how AI works
- Create participatory spaces for imagining just and inclusive digital futures
- Support youth workers in navigating tech with confidence, ethics, and creativity
We're also joining efforts with peers from this event to create a community of practice focused on inclusive, ethical AI in youth work. Want in? Let’s talk.
Final thought
AI is not neutral. But it can be intentional.
Let’s make sure that the futures we’re building with AI reflect the voices, needs, and dreams of all young people—not just the privileged few.
Because inclusion is not a feature. It’s the foundation.
