The MYTHIC Code of Conduct for AI Use in Youth Work
IKReON is proud to release the first result of our MYTHIC project: “The MYTHIC Code of Conduct for the Use of AI in Youth Work.”
Co-created by 24 youth workers from eight countries during the MYTHIC training course in Ružomberok, this publication is not a report of what happened — it is a practical ethical framework for the responsible, intentional and humane use of artificial intelligence in youth work. It sets out five pillars and sixteen guidelines, each pairing a clear directive with the reasoning behind it, concrete steps for implementation, and a field-tested tip. Written by youth workers, for youth workers.
Participants: 24 youth workers
Countries: SK • IT • AT • FR • ES • PL • GE • UA
Location: Ružomberok, Slovakia
Key Output: Code of Conduct · CC BY 4.0
The Five Pillars
- Information Integrity & Media Literacy: verification standards and critical cross-referencing, recognising AI-manipulated content and clickbait, and mitigating algorithmic bias.
- Ethical Frameworks & Digital Rights: fair attribution to human creators, legal compliance with GDPR and copyright, explicit consent, and responsible information sharing.
- Digital Safety, Privacy & Well-being: data hardening, guarding creative autonomy against over-reliance, and preventing unhealthy emotional attachment to AI systems.
- Workflow Optimisation & Project Management: tactical project planning, administrative automation, hyper-local personalisation, and precision prompting with quality control.
- Continuous Self-Development & Capacity Building: trend tracking and upskilling, structured team reflection, and safe facilitation with sustainable learning resources.
How It Was Made
From 12 to 17 May 2026, 24 youth workers representing eight countries gathered in Ružomberok for the MYTHIC training course. Over six days they combined theory with practical field realities to map the ethical boundaries, operational risks and creative opportunities of AI in the youth sector.
The publication discloses its own method openly: the raw guidelines were written by the participants themselves, using AI models as brainstorming tools during the course, and large language models were used in editing to unify formatting and language. Human experience, values and oversight stayed at the core — a working demonstration of the very principles the Code sets out.
Download the Code of Conduct
We are releasing “The MYTHIC Code of Conduct for the Use of AI in Youth Work”, a 20-page peer-to-peer framework of five pillars and sixteen guidelines. Youth workers, educators, NGO leaders and policymakers are free to download it, adapt it, and build it into their own internal policies.
The Code of Conduct has been shared via the Erasmus+ Project Results and SALTO-YOUTH platforms.
Licence & How to Cite
This publication is an Open Educational Resource, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). You are free to share and adapt the material for any purpose, including commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit, link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.
Suggested citation: MYTHIC Participants, 2026. The MYTHIC Code of Conduct for the Use of AI in Youth Work. Edited by F. Lepieš on behalf of IKReON. Ružomberok: IKReON. Available via Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).
Partners
IKReON (SK) — coordinator • Associazione Culturale Pro.m.e.t.eu.s (IT) • AFIS (AT) • Youth Corner Tbilisi (GE) • Asociación Cultural Maditerránea (ES) • ENTRE (PL) • Association les amis de la JSK (FR) • Phoenix Social Youth Group (UA)
Co-funded by:
