Sparks Toolkit
With the rise of AI, the next generation’s world of relationships is getting a lot more complicated. This toolkit is here to help young people (and the adults who support them) navigate this future with discernment and agency.
Activities
Below you’ll find the current SPARK Activities. We are regularly updating these based on feedback and adding more, so be sure to bookmark this page.
Track your sense of connection across a typical day by diagramming the highs and lows—and reflect on how technology shapes those moments.
Watch short demos of new AI tools and move from gut-level hot takes to more thoughtful “cold takes” about their potential impact on human connection.
Unpack the rise of AI companions and explore what human needs they’re meeting and what the trade-offs are when tapping tech instead of other people.
Play a card game where you judge real and future AI scenarios, building a sharper lens for when AI supports or undermines relationships.
Step into the shoes of an AI company or a mental health watchdog and make tough calls about what features to include—and what ripple effects they might create.
Experiment with a custom GPT to see how AI mirrors your views—and reflect on when that affirming behavior can take an unproductive turn.
A few tips to get the most out of these experiences:
-
Young people often tell us: “Adults are trying to guide us, but are still learning about the tech and bring a lot of fear and judgment.”
Whether solo or with peers, take a moment to explore the activities so you can bring some firsthand experience, vulnerability, and playfulness to the conversation.
-
Each SPARK works well as a 45-minute activity, but they’re flexible enough to integrate across settings—advisory, afterschool programs, or AI-focused courses.
Pair them with other great content (like AIEDU’s 10-week course), or plug them into your existing curriculum.
-
The modules aren’t meant to be followed like rigid steps on a staircase. They’re more like building blocks — movable, remixable, capable of standing alone or stacking into a larger story.
One way to think about sequencing is to start with the heart, and then spiral outward:
Begin with relationships → “Mapping a Day in Connection”
Layer in the lens of technology → “Demo Day”
Widen to impact and implications → “Turning to Tech,” “The AI Effect,” “Boss Mode,” and “Yes Man”
The journey moves from the deeply human, to the technological, to the societal — reminding us that connection is always the center of gravity, even as new forces enter the orbit.
-
These aren’t lectures—they’re provocations.
Each activity offers just enough structure and context to let young people drive the conversation. Research tells us that telling youth what to do doesn’t work anyway.
Your role? Facilitate.
The gold is generally in the debrief of these activities where you can really get into the meaning-making and application.
-
The goal is to normalize talking about these topics in a real-world, accessible way, so it becomes an ongoing conversation.
Tie the content to things happening in the community, news, or other curriculum you are teaching.
Create a safe space for young people to share, experiment, and express different views without fear of judgment.
There are real risks that AI poses, but there are benefits too. And the reality is that most young people are already using AI, so it is best to be in conversation about it.
-
Too many conversations about AI ricochet between utopian hopes and dystopian fears. What we’ve learned from the impact of social media is that it will be both good and bad, largely depending on the person and how they use it.
As you engage in these activities, don’t settle for sweeping conclusions but mine for specifics—how might that show up? For whom? In what circumstances?
-
One conversation isn’t enough. AI is evolving rapidly—and so is our relationship with it.
Think of these SPARKS as a starting point.
Come back to them.
Revisit the intentions youth set in previous activities and how they played out.
Link SPARKS to real-world news or challenges.
Make it part of your ongoing classroom or community dialogue.