🧠
01Critical Thinking & Information Literacy
- Evaluate sources and identify bias
- Fact-check AI-generated content
- Ask better, more precise questions
October 12–16, 2026 · Lausanne
Build something real, understand the future.
A 1-week project-based camp for teenagers (13–18) to learn how to sharpen their thinking with AI — not just use it.
- Ages
- 13–18
- Duration
- 1 week
- Cohort
- 12 max
SDG Challenge
Develop a solution for a Sustainable Future
01 · The shift
The world is changing fast.
"The entrepreneurial game changed from a chess board to squash."For the first time in history, the question is no longer what do you know? but can you think, decide, and act when information is given to you instantly?
The hidden risk
When we let AI think for us, we reduce the effort that builds intelligence.
Critical thinking declines
Increased AI use is linked to lower critical thinking ability.
Gerlich, 2025
Higher dependency in youth
Younger users show higher dependency and weaker thinking skills.
Swiss Business School, 2024
Lower neural engagement
Students using AI show lower memory and creativity vs. independent thinking.
MIT Media Lab, 2024
Instead, we need to learn how to use AI to challenge and sharpen our thinking.
02 · What they learn
FutureSkills.
This is not a coding camp. It's about learning to work with AI thoughtfully, responsibly, and effectively.
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02Creative Problem-Solving
- Combine ideas across subjects
- Spark Creativity
- Develop original solutions
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03AI Collaboration Skills
- Use AI to challenge and sharpen your thinking
- Understand its strengths and limitations
- Stay in control of the process
⚖️
04Responsible & Ethical Use
- Think through consequences
- Make thoughtful decisions when using AI
- Build judgment, not just output
By the end of the week
- → Build and present a real project
- → Gain confidence in their own thinking
- → Use AI as a support, not a shortcut
03 · The experience
SDG Challenge:
Develop a solution for a Sustainable Future.
Students work in small teams to tackle one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals — guided by human judgment, creativity, and responsibility.
This is not just about building solutions. It's about learning how to think, decide, and collaborate in a world where AI is everywhere.
Pick your goal · 17 SDGs
Each team chooses one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals as the focus of their week-long project.
By the end of the week
Each team will build a Web App or website — their solution to a real SDG challenge.
- Day 101
Understand & Question
AI Literacy + Intention
- Learn how AI actually works (beyond the hype)
- Question AI outputs: where is it biased, incomplete, misleading, or overly confident?
- Discuss safe AI use: privacy, misinformation, bias, and responsible prompting
- Use AI to explore global challenges — and form a team around a shared SDG
AI gives answers — but not necessarily truth.
- Day 202
Define & Decide
Human Judgment + Value Creation
- Discover how your brain decides (with a guest neuroscientist)
- Generate ideas with and without AI — and experience the difference
- Define: who are we helping? What value are we creating? Why is it different?
- Learn what an MVP really is
AI is good for options; humans decide.
- Day 303
Design & Direct the Build
Ethics by Design + AI Collaboration
- Design your web app with user flows and wireframes
- Build with Europe's AI ethics principles from the start
- Direct AI to build your web app, no coding experience needed
- Test everything AI builds. You stay the judge
You design it. AI builds it. You stay in charge.
- Day 404
Test, Ethics & Refine
Critical Thinking + Agency
- Test each other's apps and gather real user feedback
- Audit your own web app: helpful but biased? Efficient but unfair?
- Explore agency: who's in control — you or the system?
- Ship it: deploy your app to a live URL
Real needs over assumptions: human feedback for better ethical decisions.
- Day 505
Present, Defend & Reflect
Communication + Agency
- Present solutions to mentors, parents, and peers
- Defend decisions and ethical choices under real questions
- Reflect on what AI helped with — and what required human judgment
Leave with a live project and a stronger understanding of responsible AI use, value creation, and human-led building.
What makes this experience different
Human-first learning
AI supports thinking — it doesn't replace it.
Real complexity
No simple answers, just real-world trade-offs.
Collaboration
Students learn from and challenge each other.
Visible outcome
A project they can explain and stand behind.
Personal growth
Confidence in their own ideas and judgment.
04 · Who this is for
Curious minds, ages 13–18.
- · Curious and motivated students
- · No coding experience required
- · Open to learning through projects and collaboration
Who we are
We created FutureMakers to give students space to explore ideas, guidance to build confidence, and tools to navigate a changing world. We work in small groups and focus on mentorship — not lectures.
Program details
- Dates
- October 12–16, 2026
- Time
- 09:00 – 16:30
- Group size
- Max. 12 students
Apply now
Reserve a spot for October 12–16, 2026
Tell us a bit about yourself. Cohort limited to 12 students.
Hosted at l’École Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande (ENSR) in Lausanne.