Youth – CommuniCity

Keita Mobility Factory SL – On-demand cycling support service for safe cycling routes to school for students and champions

Keita Mobility Factory SL – On-demand cycling support service for safe cycling routes to school for students and champions

Challenge: How to promote sustainable transport habits among minors and their families?

Target Group: Youth; Families

The on-demand cycling support service aimed to provide safe, supervised cycling and walking routes to school for students, using the Lane Patrol community app to coordinate bikebus and pedibus services across three schools. These services offer families a safer, active alternative to traditional school bus convoys, promoting healthier and more sustainable commuting options.

Co-creation efforts involved close collaboration with schools, families, local police, the city council, and the local NGO Fundació Marianao. This partnership explored the potential for a “bicycle library” to provide bikes to children who do not own one, increasing accessibility to bikebus services. Routes were co-designed based on data collected regarding usage and safety, highlighting that pedibus services may appeal more due to many students living within walking distance, underlining the importance of flexible and adaptable service models. The pilot successfully engaged key stakeholders, building trust and credibility through local council involvement. Data gathered through the Lane Patrol app contributed to creating safer itineraries and informed a smart plan to improve cycling infrastructure safety in Sant Boi del Llobregat. Approximately 130 families answered the surveys. These insights will guide further development and scaling of the service.

Fondazione WellFARE Impact – Ente del Terzo Settore – Sport4AllCuneo

Sport4AllCuneo4 - Page - Fondazione WellFARE Impact Ente del Terzo Settore

Fondazione WellFARE Impact – Ente del Terzo Settore – Sport4AllCuneo

Challenge: Cuneo: How to facilitate sports practice among youth with limited financial resources?

Target Group: Youth

Sport4AllCuneo is a digital platform designed to make sports accessible, affordable, and socially engaging for youth aged 13-18 in Cuneo, Italy. The project’s primary objective is to address the financial and logistical barriers that prevent youth, particularly those from low-income families, from participating in sports.

The solution was developed through a deep co-creation process centered on a Youth Advisory Committee, which worked alongside schools and local sports associations to shape the platform. The target group was represented by 15 individuals aged from 13 to 18. This ensured the final product was tailored to the users’ actual needs.

The pilot resulted in a fully functional mobile application featuring an intuitive booking system for local sports facilities. Key results include the successful launch of the platform, good user adoption within the target group, and the emergence of a vibrant community that uses the app to organize events and connect with peers.

Next steps involve scaling the platform to rural and semi-urban areas around Cuneo and establishing a non-profit organization to ensure the long-term sustainability and management of the service, solidifying its role as a key part of the local youth support infrastructure.

Autistic students: autism community at the Utrecht University of Applied Arts

Image of "Sue", a Digital tool for autistic students

Autistic students: autism community at the Utrecht University of Applied Arts

Challenge: Utrecht / HKU: How can a personalised calendar empower autistic students?

Target Group: Youth, Neurodivergent

Stby and Future Ready Design partnered to research and develop a digital tool for autistic students called “Sue,” in close collaboration with the autism community at the Utrecht University of Applied Arts (HKU). Stby led the research, while Future Ready Design handled the prototype creation and refinement. The project was funded by CommuniCity, an EU-funded project aimed at developing innovative technology solutions for marginalized communities.

The project involved desk research, co-creation sessions with students, and a testing period of the prototype with 5 students. The goal was to create a tool that empowers neurodiverse individuals to monitor their personal limits, manage energy levels, and optimize their schedules. The prototype, named “Sue,” aims to serve as a non-judgmental mirror, allowing users to discover patterns themselves.

Key elements of Sue’s potential impact are self-determination, social integration, and autonomy. Stby made a list of recommendations for improving the prototype and expressed interest in further development.

AR-GO lab Oy – ILI: piloting an AI-virtual companion for youth’s mental health support

AR-GO lab Oy – ILI: piloting an AI-virtual companion for youth’s mental health support

Challenge: Sant Boi de Llobregat: How can minors with mental health issues be supported?

Target Group: Youth

The ILI pilot in Sant Boi de Llobregat tested an AI-powered companion designed to support adolescent mental health. The objective was to evaluate its use in a school environment after localisation into Spanish and adaptation to three co-created topics: family relations, self-esteem, professional orientation, and career path.

Co-creation involved collaboration with a group of scholars and interviews with teachers and mental health professionals to define relevant themes, ensure ethical safeguards, and prepare for onboarding. The AI model was trained accordingly, and thirty students from a secondary school class were invited to test the solution by chat sessions with an AI-companion.

The pilot demonstrated strong initial engagement, but low participation rates in conversations with AI. Feedback from students and teachers emphasised the importance of adult guidance, cultural context, and a longer implementation period for meaningful integration. Competing digital tools and academic pressure at the end of the year created challenges for sustained use.

While the solution is technically ready, continued use requires improved onboarding, clearer safety protocols, and dedicated support from teachers or youth counselors. The platform is now available for free use by adolescents, and follow-up conversations have begun with four relevant stakeholders, including the IMPROVA research project. Future steps include further training of the AI model and co-development with institutions in the education and health sectors.

BUILT CoLAB: Green Lessons: Educational and Awareness Program for the Circular Economy

BUILT CoLAB: Green Lessons: Educational and Awareness Program for the Circular Economy

Challenge: Matosinhos: How to promote environmental education in marginalized communities?

Target Group: Families, Youth

Green Lessons is a digital education pilot based in Matosinhos that combines immersive 360-degree video, an interactive game platform, and an AI-powered assistant to teach school-aged children about the circular economy and sustainability. The pilot focused on five key themes: water, energy, waste, mobility, and circular economy principles. The objective was to engage students in an accessible, interactive learning experience that complements classroom education. Co-creation played a central role since teachers, students, and the Municipality of Matosinhos collaborated in developing scripts, participating in the video production process, and providing feedback on the gameplay and platform features. Demonstration sessions were held in both primary and secondary schools to test the game and collect insights directly from users. 46 individuals from the school community of a vulnerable area participated in the activities. As a result, the pilot delivered a functioning educational platform, an AI chatbot tailored to student needs, and a complete series of gamified sustainability lessons. Feedback from participants helped refine the final product to be both age-appropriate and engaging. Next steps may include scaling the platform to other schools or municipalities and expanding the educational content with new themes.

Citizen Dialog Kit – Local lens on hangout spots through interactive displays

Citizen Dialog Kit – Local lens on hangout spots through interactive displays

Challenge: Bruges: How to engage young migrants in city planning?

Target Group: Youth, Migrants

Citizen Dialog Kit makes wireless survey devices with push buttons that make it easy to collect feedback in public spaces. They run on batteries for months and can be placed anywhere. For this project in Bruges, we installed two devices in a local sports park to learn more about who visits the park, how it is used today, and what people feel is missing. Citizen Dialog Kit worked closely with the city youth department on this project.

The goal was to hear from youth and youth with a migration background. In 4.5weeks, the devices collected 502 complete responses. Over half of the respondents were under 18, and almost 25 percent said they speak a language other than Dutch at home.

The results give the city clear input from a group that is often hard to reach. The city can now use this data to guide future investments and co-design efforts, ensuring the park evolves in line with the needs and preferences of its diverse, young user base.

Howest – Vital Cities – YET (Youth environment & Engagement tool) app augmented by generative AI

image of digital platform that enables youth to visualize and share ideas for public space redesign.

Howest – Vital Cities – YET (Youth environment & Engagement tool) app augmented by generative AI

Challenge: Bruges: How to engage young migrants in city planning?

Target Group: Youth, Migrants

The YET pilot in Bruges addresses the challenge of engaging young migrants in city planning by enhancing an existing digital platform that enables youth to visualize and share ideas for public space redesign. The project’s main objective is to empower youth, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, to participate in urban planning by allowing them to create digital collages of their ideal public spaces. The pilot integrates generative AI, enabling users to transform public space images using natural language prompts, thus broadening creative possibilities beyond pre-set in-app elements.

Co-creation activities have included design thinking workshops, iterative user testing, and ongoing community engagement to ensure the platform reflects the needs and aspirations of its target group. Around 60 people were involved in the co-creation activities, 25% of whom were representative of the marginalised group in question. Workshops in schools and youth organisations facilitate hands-on experience and feedback collection, fostering a sense of ownership among participants.

Results to date indicate a potential increase in engagement and the generation of diverse, actionable insights for city planners. The pilot’s next steps include further AI integration, expanded user testing, and the development of partnerships for broader dissemination and sustainability. The project aims to finalise all pilot activities by June 2025, with continuous improvement driven by user feedback and collaboration with local stakeholders.

XS2Content (XS2AUDIO BV) – UrbanEcho Avatars

Challenge: Bruges: How to engage young migrants in city planning?

Target Group: Youth, Migrants

The Urban Echo Avatars pilot developed a system for creating avatar-based video messages designed to engage youth in Bruges. The avatars use language and expressions familiar to the local youth community, aiming to improve communication between public services and young residents.

The solution generates short, customised video clips that present information, support, and reflective content in a relatable and accessible manner. By using digital avatars that mirror the speech and style of the target audience, the pilot seeks to connect more effectively with youth’s everyday experiences.

Aiedus – Digital Circular Economy Services in Porto

AI Circular Economy - screenshot image - Aixedu.com

Aiedus – Digital Circular Economy Services in Porto

Challenge: Porto: How can technology streamline the circular economy for marginalized communities?

Target Group: Vulnerable communities and General population

This pilot evaluated an AI-driven digital circular economy platform that enables residents to photograph unwanted furniture or electronics for immediate object recognition and automated listing within a local exchange network. Tested under real-world conditions, the system achieved key objectives in detection accuracy, system stability, and community engagement.

Co-creation workshops, conducted in a hybrid format, involved stakeholders from Domus Social and Porto Ambiente who actively contributed to the platform’s development, tested its functionality, and provided feedback. This input guided refinements to the user interface and overall performance.

Biweekly meetings facilitated ongoing iteration throughout the pilot. Continuous feedback loops with stakeholders supported usability enhancements and informed plans for integrating the platform into Domus Social’s broader web environment. Although technical coordination across teams presented some delays, the solution is considered ready for wider deployment.

Future testing with additional local associations is under consideration, laying the groundwork for a potential city-wide circular reuse platform.

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.