Children and Youth – CommuniCity

Fondazione WellFARE Impact – Ente del Terzo Settore – CuneoConnect

screenshot of Cuneo Connect digital plataform

Fondazione WellFARE Impact – Ente del Terzo Settore – CuneoConnect

Challenge: Cuneo: How can the well-being of youth in remote locations be enhanced?

Target Group: Isolated Communities, children and youth

CuneoConnect is a digital platform designed to bridge social isolation among youth aged 13 to 18 in Cuneo’s remote areas. The primary objective is to improve mental and social well-being by fostering social connections and community engagement.

The project was developed through extensive co-creation activities, including the formation of a youth advisory group that worked with developers in workshops to tailor the platform’s features and matching algorithms to local needs. The platform, developed in partnership with OpenYard, uses an advanced algorithm to connect youth based on shared interests and proximity, offering personalized event suggestions and community activities.

The pilot resulted in the successful development and deployment of a prototype in a closed beta within local schools and community centers. Feedback from 10 individuals from the target group helped validate the usability and relevance of the tool in real-world settings. The result is a functional, user-centric app that is accessible on mobile devices and accommodates low-connectivity areas.

Next steps include scaling the platform’s reach within Cuneo and potentially other rural regions, establishing a non-profit organization with OpenYard for long-term sustainability, and continuing to refine the platform based on user feedback. The ultimate goal is to create a replicable model for youth engagement in other underserved areas.

Junicoders – Empowering Communities through Digital Literacy and AI Awareness

Junicoders – Empowering Communities through Digital Literacy and AI Awareness

Challenge: Porto: How to enhance digital literacy?

Target Group: Individuals with no digital literacy; Social Housing Residents; children and youth

The Junicoders pilot tackled digital literacy for children aged 8 to 12 in vulnerable contexts in Porto. Through biweekly workshops using custom electronics kits, block-based coding, and robotics, students explored STEM in a hands-on way aligned with classroom topics. Teachers received tailored training, and co-creation sessions ensured curricular integration. Co-creation activities with Domus Social e Porto Digital involved approximately 60 individuals, of whom 45 were students. All content has been digitised and made available as open educational resources. The pilot resulted in increased digital confidence, creativity, and engagement. Students built simple projects like solar-powered fans or coded animations explaining science concepts. Teacher feedback directly influenced the final kit designs and content. The next phase includes introducing basic AI literacy, helping children understand intelligent systems playfully. The solution is ready for replication and will be further developed and expanded.

Aiedu Oy – AI-enhanced virtual reality (VR) therapy for children

Aiedu Oy – AI-enhanced virtual reality (VR) therapy for children

Challenge: Porto: How can AI support the therapeutic needs of children?

Target Group: Children and youth, People with Disabilities

The VR for Children Therapy pilot developed an interactive virtual reality game aimed at promoting healthy eating habits among children. Built using Unity and deployed on Meta Quest devices, the game simulates a dining room environment where children interact with food items using utensils, facilitating experiential learning.

Co-creation activities with APPC (Porto Association for Cerebral Paralysis) involved workshops with children, parents, and therapists to refine gameplay mechanics and enhance accessibility. 10 people were involved, with 2 being considered representative of the target group. Evaluation showed increased engagement and improved understanding of utensil use alongside healthy food literacy. Feedback highlighted the need for varied hand-tracking options and a broader selection of food items, which are currently being integrated.

Next steps focus on iterative design improvements and further testing to prepare the solution for wider deployment.

VR experience to promote activation and wellbeing of patients

Screenshot gameplay video of the VR Nature Experience

VR experience to promote activation and wellbeing of patients

Challenge: Helsinki: How to ensure active engagement and mobility of patients?

Target Group: Psychiatric Patients

The VR Nature Experience is designed to support psychiatric patients in managing stress and anxiety by offering a soothing virtual escape into peaceful, natural environments. The experience immerses users in high-quality 360° nature videos accompanied by calming ambient soundscapes, allowing them to select from a variety of tranquil settings. The aim is to help patients calm down before or after stressful situations.

Developed by Stereoscape, the experience is compatible with modern standalone VR headsets. The solution was developed in close collaboration with care staff and former patients of psychiatric hospitals. A central part of the co-creation process was client panel sessions with 14 participants, serving as key feedback touchpoints. These panels provided valuable insights into the VR content’s emotional impact, ease of use, and suitability of the hardware.

Girls Meet Up

Challenge: Amsterdam: Wildcard – How can an AI solution solve a challenge faced by a marginalised group?
Target Group: Children and youth

The Girls Meet Up/MeidenApp pilot aimed to increase sports participation among girls aged 12–14 in Amsterdam-Zuidoost by combining digital engagement with community-based support. The key objective was to understand what motivates girls to stay active and create a playful, accessible way for them to engage with sports, both in clubs and at home.

The pilot involved four co-creation sessions with 30 participants, including local coaches and youth workers (from ZuidOost United and community organizations), focusing on how girls interact with training, what motivates them, and how to simplify the coaches’ tasks. Insights from these sessions led to the development of a web-based platform where girls could join local sports events and complete home-based “exercises” — short challenges with deadlines, descriptions, and sometimes videos.

Three structured training sessions were created, each linked to a preparatory exercise. To join a training, girls were first asked to complete the exercise by watching a short video and reading the description. This approach helped build motivation and readiness. Coaches also gained visibility into how girls completed the challenges and how quickly they responded, making it easier to track engagement and adjust support as needed.

Next steps include adding a points-based reward system and expanding the pilot with local partners.

GTC (Gyumri Technology Center) – EduConnect

GTC (Gyumri Technology Center) – EduConnect

Challenge: How to reduce school absenteeism through an inclusive educational solution?

GTC (Gyumri Technology Center) – “EduConnect: Personalized Learning for Every Student”

EduConnect is a revolutionary educational initiative aimed at transforming school attendance and engagement in the City of Porto. Fuelled by cutting-edge AI and machine learning technologies, EduConnect offers a suite of personalised learning apps tailored to each student’s unique learning style, pace, and strengths.

By harnessing the power of interactive modules, gamification, and progress tracking, the proposal redefines the learning experience, making it both informative and enjoyable. Accessibility features ensure inclusivity for all students, including those with disabilities, fostering a truly diverse and inclusive learning environment.

The impact of EduConnect is profound, with students experiencing heightened motivation, improved academic performance, and the flexibility to learn at their own pace.

Kwizie – From Passive Watching to Data-Driven Engagement

Kwizie – From Passive Watching to Data-Driven Engagement

Challenge: How to support the recognition of competence with the help of a digital tool?

Kwizie – From Passive Watching to Data-Driven Engagement: AI Co-Pilot for Recognizing Competence from Video through Multiplayer Quiz Games

Helsinki and Tallinn piloted a new way to identify and develop work-life skills for unemployed residents. The technological solution was based on Kwizie Oy’s AI Co-Pilot for Recognizing Competence through Interactive Video Quiz Games which combine videos and questions into playful quizzes. The platform can be used for various purposes. In the case of Helsinki, it was applied to skill mapping, as the pilot aimed to support the City of Helsinki’s rehabilitation work activities in identifying and validating the competencies of long-term unemployed individuals. As part of the pilot, Kwizie produced video material that supported the provision of services to homeless people in Tallinn. The videos reduced the administrative burden and improved the acquisition of the content of the documents of the City of Tallinn’s welfare and health care services.

Through the pilots, Kwizie Oy was able to develop its product with customers through real-world applications. The Helsinki and Tallinn pilots demonstrated that gamification works well in developing work-life skills. Both cities and Kwizie Oy employees were satisfied with the pilot and the collaboration.

One2One.Run

One2One.Run

Challenge: How to encourage girls to take part in sports and exercise?

One2One.Run – One2One.Run or WIRL

The Girls Meet Up pilot app aims to empower girls in sports participation by providing a platform for creating and engaging in sports events, leveraging co-creation and community involvement. Using Girls Meet Up, girls can easily create events, complete with colorful designs generated by AI, and propose experiences based on different sports, facilitating discussions with coaches. Likewise, coaches can create their events and share them with girls, enhancing collaboration, participation, and trust within the community. This project contributes to the promotion of an active lifestyle amongst teen girls, diminishing the unproportioned difference between the number of boys that participate in sports (40%) compared to the girls (17%) in Amsterdam Nieuw-West.

The piloting process involved research, stakeholder engagement, and co-creation sessions with girls, sports clubs, coaches, and community leaders, facilitated by local ambassadors like coach Ellen and local community MinaMi. The pilot successfully developed a user-friendly app, fostering increased participation and enthusiasm amongst girls and strengthening community partnerships, with the next steps including scaling up the app and deepening community engagement.

WeSolve, driving change with inclusion

Challenge: How to offer opportunities for youngsters having had contact with the law?
WeSolve, driving change with inclusion

The platform built by WeSolve ApS represents a powerful opportunity for the city to showcase its activities and engage with young people, particularly those born in disadvantaged conditions. By using technology to create an active and accessible platform, the city can make youth engagement smoother and more effective. Target groups: Through the WeSolve platform, young people can participate in a wide range of activities that foster social cohesion, build trust, and create meaningful connections with others. These activities are aimed at developing skills, supporting communities, and building a brighter future for everyone involved with a particular attention to disadvantaged youth. Objectives: WeSolve can be used as a powerful tool by municipalities to enhance the level of disadvantaged youth engagement in order to create a safer, more connected, and more engaged community. By empowering young people through community-based initiatives and promoting social cohesion, WeSolve platform results as the means through which municipalities can reduce the likelihood of criminal activity and create a brighter future for young people born in disadvantaged conditions.