As part of its first-year milestones, the Generative AI – Youth Sector Challenges and Impact project held its Design Thinking Training Course in Paris, France, hosted by AVEC France. The event brought together youth workers, educators, and digital innovators from six partner countries for a five-day creative lab aimed at designing practical tools that connect Artificial Intelligence and youth empowerment.
Building upon the learnings from the earlier training in Tunisia, this mobility focused on Design Thinking methodology — a collaborative process that combines empathy, creativity, and experimentation to develop innovative solutions for real-world challenges. The participants’ mission was clear: to co-design the structure and concept of a mobile application that will help young people recognize, understand, and respond to online hate speech using AI technology
The sessions were structured around the five phases of Design Thinking: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Each phase encouraged youth workers to step into the shoes of young people — exploring their digital habits, emotional struggles, and aspirations for a more inclusive online world.
During the “Empathize” phase, participants engaged in guided dialogues and interviews, identifying the emotional and social triggers behind online hate. In the “Ideate” stage, creativity took center stage as multicultural teams brainstormed ideas using mind maps, post-its, and visual sketches. By the fourth day, the room had transformed into a vibrant design studio, filled with mock-ups, app prototypes, and interactive wireframes created collaboratively by participants.
In between sessions, thematic discussions explored AI ethics, responsible innovation, and digital storytelling, linking design choices to human values. Participants debated questions like: How can AI tools empower rather than manipulate? How can design promote empathy and inclusion?
The Paris mobility ended with a Showcase Session, where each team presented its prototype to peers and facilitators. Among the proposed ideas were AI-based moderation tools, gamified learning applications, and storytelling platforms that turn data into narratives for tolerance and empathy.
More than just a training course, this mobility embodied the project’s spirit: co-creation across cultures. Participants left not only with new design skills but also with a profound understanding that empathy is at the heart of leadership — and innovation must always serve humanity.
As the Generative AI project continues into its second year, the prototypes and insights developed in Paris will serve as the foundation for the creation and testing of the project’s final digital toolkit and mobile app — concrete outcomes born from creativity, collaboration, and compassion.
The consortium is comprised of: Caleidoscopio Association – Italy (Coordinator), AVEC – France, EUROMED EVE – Belgium, EUROMED EVE – Tunisia, EUROMED EVE – Morocco, Jordan Youth Innovation Forum (JYIF) – Jordan
