On 23–24 August, the Generation Next Summer School in Dresden included a dedicated two-day module on artificial intelligence, ethics and digital skills, developed within the framework of YMCA Europe’s partnership with HP.
The Summer School, held from 21 to 24 August, brought together young people from Armenia and Georgia. Its first part focused on reviewing the Generation Next project and participants’ experience. The second shifted towards artificial intelligence, democracy, digital equity and responsible technology.
The module combined practical learning with discussion about how AI is changing work, education, public life and democratic participation. Participants explored not only how emerging technologies work, but also the decisions, values and responsibilities behind them.
Generation Next Summer School
The Generation Next Summer School is an activity of the Generation Next project, implemented within the framework of YMCA Europe’s Roots Ecosystem. The project connects young people, practitioners and partners around themes linked to participation, leadership, peace, democracy and social change, with the Summer School providing an intensive space for learning, reflection and exchange.
Connecting technology with its impact on society
Participants worked with experts from technology, policy, digital equity and youth work.
Horst Karlsberg, Business Development Manager for AI and Data Science at HP, contributed expertise on artificial intelligence and its practical development and use. Rebekka Weiss, Regulatory Affairs Lead at Microsoft Germany, brought a policy and regulatory perspective, while Dr. Markus Schwertel from BeChangeMaker connected the discussion with digital equity, advocacy and the wider social impact of technology.
The programme linked digital skills with active citizenship and democratic participation, helping participants consider who benefits from new technologies, how they are governed and what responsible use should look like.
This reflects the broader approach to digital skilling within the HP–YMCA partnership: combining access to technology and technical knowledge with the critical skills needed to understand its impact on society.
Taking the conversation into the community
The module culminated on the evening of 24 August with a public dialogue at the Frauenkirche in Dresden.
Community members, students and guests joined a discussion on trust, dignity, responsibility and what it means to build a fair and humane digital future.
The panel brought together Dr. Markus Schwertel, Rebekka Weiss, Hansjörg Kopp, Secretary General of CVJM Deutschland, and Dragoș Tarța, Advocacy Lead at YMCA Europe.
Hansjörg Kopp opened the evening with a keynote on truth, humanity and responsibility, setting the context for a discussion connecting technological development with the values and choices that shape its impact on people and communities.
The event was designed as an open conversation, allowing participants to engage directly with the speakers, ask questions and contribute their own perspectives on the growing role of artificial intelligence in society. Holding the dialogue in the Frauenkirche also helped move the conversation beyond the technology sector and into a wider civic space.
Digital skills require more than knowing how to use technology
Young people are already encountering AI in education, employment, communication, content creation and access to information. Knowing how to use these tools matters, but so does understanding their limitations, consequences and wider social impact.
By connecting digital skills with AI, democracy and ethics, the Dresden module gave participants the opportunity to explore these questions with practitioners working directly in technology, regulation, advocacy and youth work.
The public dialogue then extended that learning into the wider community, showing how digital skilling can combine practical knowledge with critical thinking, participation and responsibility.
