April 11th, 2025

Written by Polina, a WRDSB secondary student

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming everything these days—from the way we communicate to the careers we plan to pursue one day. But in a world racing toward a tech-driven future, a critical question remains: Are our future generations ready to lead in that world?

Youth Tech Labs is a youth-driven community for AI literacy. The group is founded by Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) students in Waterloo. It is building a movement that equips students and youth with the skills, mindset, and tools to not only understand AI, but also to be able to build with it, shape it, and lead its future. This initiative is more than just a tech program. It is a community-powered, student-led ecosystem designed to make AI education hands-on, accessible, and impactful. By connecting Waterloo youth with industry professionals and giving them opportunities to create meaningful solutions, Youth Tech Labs is building connections between education and innovation, explaining the importance of knowing how to rule the AI tools we all use in our daily lives.

Learn. Build. Lead. The Youth Tech Labs Approach

Youth Tech Labs’ mission is to educate, innovate, and empower.

EDUCATE – Engage with Local Experts

Rather than just teaching theory, Youth Tech Labs gives students the chance to learn directly from local AI professionals, innovators, and educators. These mentors offer real-world insights into how AI is being used across industries like healthcare, finance, transportation, and education. Therefore, students walk away not just with new knowledge but with a better understanding of the world they are about to step into.

INNOVATE – Interactive AI Learning Experiences

The main goal of this program is to get students to build their own AI tools while working in groups, experimenting with different platforms, and then finally turning their ideas into products. Every project addresses a local challenge or a common student struggle, ensuring the tool is understood as deeply personal, incredibly rewarding, and urgently needed. It is not just about learning how AI works – it’s about learning how to make it work for people around you.

EMPOWER – Shaping Guidelines for AI in Education

What makes Youth Tech Labs truly unique is its focus on student voice. Participants engage in open discussions about the future of AI in schools, workplaces, and society overall. Their insights don’t sit in a notebook – they contribute to active conversations about how education systems can integrate AI ethically and effectively for their students. In addition to being builders, Youth Tech Labs members also emerge from the program as innovative thinkers, project managers, and possible partners with various businesses that have backed and selected their project for further cooperation.

The program stays inclusive and accessible, reaching students of all backgrounds from across the Waterloo Region.

A Real-World Example: StudentGuidance.ai

This year’s Youth Tech Labs teams include students from Laurel Heights Secondary School, Waterloo Collegiate Institute, and Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate. They have created something that appeals to nearly every high school student. One of these includes StudentGuidance.ai, an AI-powered chatbot for students, designed to help youth navigate the stress of course selection, post-secondary pathways, scholarships, and career planning. This chatbot is trained on Waterloo Region-specific data.

This project has already reached hundreds of students through social media. And the feedback has been very powerful: 36% of students who responded to StudentGuidance.ai’s poll said that their biggest fear about the future is picking the wrong path. For these students, having a tool that listens, understands, and supports their decisions could make a huge difference.

Where AI Meets Youth Innovation

On April 12, dozens of incredible student-built AI projects were presented in action. This event featured live demos of AI tools developed by high school teams from across the region. Some focused on education. Others address healthcare, mental wellness, job hunting, and even global issues. But they all share one thing: they were created, designed, and developed by students who are ready to take on the future. It is more than a showcase. It is a bright example of what happens when young minds are given space, support, and trust. These students are not waiting for the future – they are already building it.

The Future Belongs to the Creators

Youth Tech Labs is more than just a tech program. It is a vision of what the world can look like when students are empowered to solve real-life problems with real tools. It is a community that thinks youth can and should be at the centre of innovation. So, if you believe in the power of education, in the young energy, and in the potential of technology to improve lives, join the Youth Tech Labs program next year. Come see what happens when AI meets young hearts, creativity, and courage. Come see the future in the hands of its future leaders.

#StudentVoice Series

This article is written by a WRDSB student and is part of the Student Agency and Voice program. Student journalists embody WRDSB’s commitment to creating space for students to tell their stories. They are ambassadors for their peers as they share their personal experiences and stories about their schools and communities in their unique voices.