International Youth Conference: "AI - Opportunity or Challenge?"

29.01 - 30.01.2026	Jõhvi Upper Secondary School

Jõhvi Upper Secondary School invites EPAS network ambassadors to the international conference “AI – Opportunity or Challenge?” taking place on January 29th, 2026, as part of co-operation between Estonian and Czech schools and the EPAS programme. 

The conference will focus on sharing experiences on artificial intelligence, presenting practical examples, and discussing ethical use of artificial intelligence. During the event, we will discuss the similarities and differences in the usage habits of students and teachers from different countries, and compare the attitude of younger and older generations towards artificial intelligence based on their personal experience. The program includes various presentations, a panel discussion, and workshops for students and teachers. EPAS ambassadors from the Czech Republic will also participate in the conference. The event is hosted and organised by the students of Jõhvi Upper Secondary School.

Presenters: Gymnázium Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, Viru College of Tallinn University of Technology, Maardu Gymnasium, Jõhvi Elementary School, Hugo Treffner Gymnasium
Workshops: Narva Gymnasium, Tamsalu School, Põlva Gymnasium, Jõhvi Upper Secondary School, Kood/Jõhvi
Workshop for teachers: NGO Mondo

To participate in the conference, please register through this form by January 22nd at the latest.

Participants are responsible for their own transportation and accommodation costs.

The official language of the conference is English. 

For more information: kristelle.kaarmaa@johvig.ee, tanel.kiislar@johvig.ee

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Conference Schedule

29th of January, 2026 

9.30-10.00	Welcome coffee and registration
10.00-10.10	Opening words – Tatjana Ait – Principal of Jõhvi Upper Secondary School
10.10-10.15	Greetings from Jaanika Juuse – Youth Work Manager of Jõhvi Municipality
10.15-11.30	Student presentations: Jõhvi Elementary School – Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V or Ctrl+ think? Maardu Gymnasium – AI in Our School: Opportunities and Practical Examples from Maardu Secondary School Viru College of Tallinn University of Technology – Digitization of Enterprise Documentation Using Artificial Intelligence Gymnázium Bystřice nad Pernštejnem – Navigating AI in Schools Hugo Treffner Gymnasium – Slow and Steady Wins the Race
11.30-12.15	Lunch in Jõhvi Elementary School
12.15-13.15	Panel discussion: “Positives and negatives of AI based on the experience of different lifestyles.”
13.15-13.30	Coffee break
13.30-15.00	Workshops 13.30-14.10 Workshop nr. 1 for students (on-site registration)  14.20-15.00 Workshop nr. 2 for students (on-site registration)  13.30-15.00 EPAS workshop for educators (activity of the EPAS programme)
15.00-15.15	Conference close

30th of January, 2026

Fieldtrip within the Ida-Virumaa county (with separate registration).

Workshop descriptions:

Narva Gymnasium – AI Influencers: New Creative Tools, but Blur Reality

Tamsalu School – Using AI to Create Audio Clips – the workshop explores the possibilities of using AI to create audio clips and tests these possibilities in practice.

Põlva Gymnasium – For or Against? – this is a workshop where participants debate on different topics using a game worked out especially for this conference.

Jõhvi Upper Secondary School – The Inquiry Workshop: Folding Edition – a competition where participants who are divided into groups have to ask AI for instructions on how to fold figures. Teams are given different AI search engines to compare their capabilities.

Kood/Jõhvi – AI themed workshop.

EPAS workshop for educators: AI and bias – learning from humans.

As AI systems learn from human-generated data, they also inherit human biases. In this interactive workshop participants explore how stereotypes and unconscious assumptions can shape AI outcomes and why this matters for education and democracy. The session combines an AI-themed activity with selected The Economist Topical Talk lessons on current world affairs and critical thinking.