Side by Side

– The Human Factor in the Age of AI –

Strategic Framework

Side of Intelligence 2.0

Training Course
 Evrenseki (Side), Türkiye
∼ 19–27 January 2026 ∼

 

About the project

Why this project?

Artificial Intelligence is already in the tools, platforms, and learning spaces we use every day. For youth workers, that means developing a clear, balanced understanding of what AI can offer, what it cannot replace, and how to use it responsibly.

The field moves fast. Examples that felt new a few months ago already look dated. That is why SIDE BY SIDE is a two-year framework, not a one-off event. Where the first activity built understanding, Side of Intelligence 2.0 put it to work: we tested the tools on our own cases, agreed how to apply the shared principles, and made four results our organisations can actually use.

SIDE of Intelligence 2.0 aimed to empower youth workers with awareness, critical understanding, and practical insights into Artificial Intelligence, exploring both its promises and challenges, while fostering an ethical, human-centered approach to innovation and digital transformation in youth work.

To reach this purpose, we set four objectives:

Understanding

To build a shared understanding among youth workers of what Artificial Intelligence is, how it works, and where it’s heading.

Ethics

To reflect critically on the ethical, social, and safety implications of AI in education and youth work.

Practice

To identify and experiment with practical, responsible ways to integrate AI tools into non-formal learning and youth engagement.

Network

To strengthen partnerships and create a European network of organisations committed to ethical digital innovation.

Activities and Methodes

Learning by doing

Over seven working days, the project followed a non-formal education structure: workshops, applied labs, peer learning, and hands-on experimentation. Participants started with workshops on AI and ethics, then worked in mixed groups to test AI tools and prototype responsible ways to use them in non-formal education.

From ideas to results

Building on the AI Ethics & Safety Charter, the groups shared ideas for a practical guide for responsible AI use and built working automations for real tasks, from newsletters to participant support. The week also left room for creative reflection: teams wrote short cautionary stories about where AI could lead if no one is watching. Networking sessions ran throughout, helping partners plan future projects together.

Learn from our experience

Project Results

Side of Intelligence 2.0 produced four practical, ready-to-use results, developed together by the partner organisations during the course. Each one builds on the next — the Charter sets the principles, the Guide applies them, the Recipes show them in action, and the Tales bring them to young people.

Check them out!

AI Ethics & Safety Charter

Eight commitments for working with AI in youth work: a human stays responsible for every output, dignity and consent are protected, and minors are safeguarded. This is the foundation the other three results build on.

Read it → · Download (PDF)

Practical Guide for Responsible AI Use in Youth Work

It covers the simple tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and how to automate the routine, administrative side of youth work, with clear limits on what AI should not do.

Read it → · Download (PDF)

AI Automation Recipes

Four automations the teams built, written up so anyone can rebuild them: an automated newsletter, social-media generation, an Erasmus+ support assistant, and accommodation planning.

Read it → · Download (PDF)

Cautionary AI Tales

Six short stories about AI, written by youth workers, with AI, plus an animated tale. They deal with consent, deepfakes, over-reliance, and what should never be automated. Made to spark discussion with young people.

Read it → · Download (PDF)

Gallery

Project Gallery

Words from the participants

Testimonials

I had a great experience participating in this project. I learned a lot about AI, especially how I can implement it in my youth work. We were testing different models and AI tools and I got first hand experience in using them. I was also presented with advanced AI tools for automation, that I want to continue learning. This project inspired me to look at what ai is capable of and keep in touch with emerging technologies.

I could write for ages: this experience has been truly unique and formative, it is my first Training Course experience and I am leaving happy, curious, interested, excited, hungry and thrilled to know. What I’m taking home with me is curiosity in particular, I’ll start developing a phone game thanks to the ideas I found here; I’ve already started asking colleagues what they want to automate because now that we have this knowledge, it can’t be wasted; last but not least, I’m definitely bringing home many wonderful new people, experiences I’ve never heard of, and a great desire to see other people’s work.

This project was revolutionary for me. Although I’m someone who’s interested in artificial intelligence and its development, and constantly follows the news on the subject, I wasn’t someone who used AI in my work. I only used it occasionally for fun with my children. During the project, I was surprised and impressed by what was done with AI and its tools. I realized that I could use AI in many aspects of my life. After returning from the project, I started using it both in my professional work and in my youth work activities. Thanks to this, I realized that many things that I used to do with great effort and hard work could actually be done very easily.

Taking part in this TC on AI was a very useful experience for me as a youth worker. The workshops and group activities helped me better understand how AI can be used in youth work, but also what risks it can bring. I appreciated the open discussions about ethics and safety, which made me reflect on my own practice. I am taking home practical ideas and a clearer, more confident approach to using AI responsibly with young people.

The workshop on AI use has opened my eyes and mind to what we can achieve using it. It has also made me more aware of the risks it brings with it, especially when young people use it. I am taking home a lot of new knowledge and ideas, and the hope of new partnerships with some of the youth worker colleagues I have met here.

Find out more about Erasmus+ Program here

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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