The MYTHIC Code of Conduct for the Use of AI in Youth Work

Aims of the tool

- Give youth workers, trainers and youth organisations a shared ethical reference for using generative AI and other digital tools in their everyday work.
- Strengthen information integrity and media literacy, so that AI-generated content is checked, labelled and used critically.
- Protect young people's digital rights, privacy, safety and well-being when AI tools are part of youth work activities.
- Support transparent and efficient workflows and project management with AI, keeping human judgement at the centre.
- Encourage continuous self-development and capacity building in youth work organisations.
- Offer a ready-to-adapt framework that teams can discuss with colleagues and young people and turn into their own internal policy.

Description of the tool

The MYTHIC Code of Conduct is a short, practical framework for the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in youth work. It was co-created by youth workers from eight countries during the Erasmus+ KA153-YOU training course "MYTHIC – Mobilising Youth Training on Holistic Innovation & Critical Thinking" (Ružomberok, Slovakia, May 2026), and then edited into a publishable version.

The Code is organised in five thematic clusters with 16 guidelines in total:

1. Information Integrity & Media Literacy – verifying AI outputs, labelling AI-generated content, spotting misinformation and bias.
2. Ethical Frameworks & Digital Rights – transparency with young people, consent, fairness, inclusion and respect for intellectual property.
3. Digital Safety, Privacy & Well-being – data protection, safeguarding, healthy and balanced use of digital tools.
4. Workflow Optimisation & Project Management – using AI to save time on planning, documentation and communication, while keeping human oversight and accountability.
5. Continuous Self-Development & Capacity Building – learning, peer exchange and keeping organisational practice up to date as AI evolves.

Each guideline is written in plain language and can be used directly in daily practice.

HOW TO USE IT
- As a reference document for staff, trainers and volunteers.
- As the basis for a team workshop: read one cluster at a time, discuss what each guideline means in your context, and agree on concrete practices.
- As a starting point for an organisational AI policy or a code of conduct for a specific project or activity with young people.
- As a discussion tool with young people about responsible and critical use of AI.

The document is an open educational resource published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) licence: you may share and adapt it, with attribution.

Web page: https://ikreon.com/the-mythic-code-of-conduct-for-ai-use-in-youth-work/

Suggested citation: MYTHIC Participants (2026). The MYTHIC Code of Conduct for the Use of AI in Youth Work. Edited by F. Lepieš on behalf of IKReON.