AI for Civic Engagement
AI for Civic Engagement is a youth-led project bringing together young people aged 16–25 from Cologne, Tübingen and Hildesheim to explore how artificial intelligence shapes the information we see, the decisions we make and the ways we participate in democracy.
Over several months, participants take part in local workshops and peer-led activities where they explore AI in everyday life, learn to recognise bias and misinformation, discuss opportunities and risks of digital technologies, and connect these questions to democracy and civic participation.
A six-month preparation phase gives participants time to get to know each other, shape the topics they want to work on and prepare for the joint mobility. Particular attention is given to accessible outreach and reinforced preparation so that BIPoC youth and young people facing barriers to participation can join on equal terms.
During the mobility and cross-city exchange, young people from the three cities meet, exchange their experiences and develop ideas together through non-formal learning, group work, creative activities and peer-to-peer discussions. They also enter into dialogue with decision-makers and local stakeholders, bringing their own questions, experiences and perspectives on AI, digitalisation and democracy into the conversation.
Young people then turn what they have learned into concrete results: an AI Civic Engagement Toolkit, a youth-led digital awareness campaign, and recommendations for decision-makers. These resources are shared with other young people and youth organisations so that the ideas developed during the project can continue to be used after the project ends.
At every stage, young people are not simply participants: they help decide what is discussed, co-create the activities and produce the project’s results themselves. In this way, AI for Civic Engagement creates space for young people to understand digital change and actively shape how it affects democratic life.
Our Final Youth Forum will hold on the 31.10.2026 in Köln.
