Ask Better, Teach Better: Question‑driven AI & advocacy in youth work

Artificial Intelligence and digital tools are becoming part of the everyday reality of young people. They use search engines, recommendation systems and generative AI to ask questions, look for answers and create content. Youth workers and educators are expected to guide them in this new landscape, often without feeling properly equipped themselves. At the same time, the heart of quality youth work is still the same: listening carefully, asking meaningful questions, and turning lived experiences into collective learning and action.

This online workshop brings these two dimensions together. Instead of focusing on “AI tricks”, it focuses on the art of the question. Participants will work with visual, non‑formal tools such as empathy maps, fishbone diagrams and impact/feasibility matrices to explore the real needs and root causes behind their everyday challenges. From there, they will create strong “How might we…?” questions that are specific, open, positive and human‑centred – and then test how both human peers and AI tools can help them move from good questions to concrete next steps (resources, proposals, campaigns, policy suggestions, etc.).

The main aim of the workshop is to support youth workers and trainers to design questions that:

• start from real stories and needs in their youth work practice,
• use AI in a critical and purposeful way, and
• lead towards meaningful learning and tangible action in and with their communities.

During the workshop, participants will:

• map their own motivations, expectations and possible “storms” around AI and questioning through a short journey‑style exercise (island, wind, storms, harbour, legacy);
• use tools such as an empathy map and a fishbone diagram to explore the root causes of one concrete challenge from their context;
• transform this analysis into one or more “How might we…?” questions that meet key criteria for good questions (connected to a real need, specific enough, open enough, positive, human‑centred);
• practice formulating questions both for human processes (group dialogue, participation, advocacy) and for AI tools (prompts for ideation, re‑framing, drafting texts);
• explore different possible outputs of a good question (proposal, action, document, policy idea, resource, presentation, online campaign or lobbying effort) and choose one realistic next step for their own work.

By the end of the activity, participants are expected to have developed:

• Communication & questioning skills

Ability to formulate clearer, more engaging questions that invite participation, reflection and dialogue instead of simple yes/no answers.

• Digital & AI literacy

A basic, realistic understanding of what AI can and cannot do in youth work; experience in using simple, structured prompts to support thinking, creativity and drafting, not to replace human judgement.

• Critical thinking & systems thinking

Practical experience with empathy maps and fishbone diagrams to go beyond symptoms and explore underlying causes, perspectives and needs before jumping to solutions.

• Facilitation skills & advocacy awareness

Ideas and tools for integrating “question games” and visual canvases into workshops with young people; better understanding of how one strong question can evolve into an action, a campaign, a resource or a policy proposal within their professional ecosystem.

Duration: 3 hours live session

Working language: English 

Methodological flow (example):

Arrival to the island – check‑in
Participants use an online “journey map” (island, wind, storms, harbour, legacy) to share what they bring, what gives them energy, what could be difficult and what they hope to leave behind or take away.

From needs to problems
In small breakout groups, participants choose one real issue from their practice and analyse it using an empathy map and/or a fishbone diagram to identify people involved, needs, emotions and root causes.

Crafting the question – How might we…?
The group explores criteria for powerful questions (real need, specific, open, positive, human‑centred) and uses a simple “How might we + action verb + target group + so that + desired result?” structure to re‑formulate their issues into learning and action questions.

Humans & AI as partners
Participants test their questions in two directions: first in peer consultation rounds with other participants, then with an AI tool. They compare what kinds of responses, ideas and blind spots emerge from each.

From question to action type
Using a simple set of “output cards” (Proposal, Action, Policy, Resource, Presentation, Online, Lobbying, etc.), each participant decides what kind of next step fits their question and context and sketches a small first action.

Harbour & legacy – closing circle
The workshop ends with a reflection round: What do I take with me? What support do I need from the trainer community? What will be my very next small step with my group or organisation?