Intergenerational AI Literacy: Centering Identity, Community, and Creative Futures

• In Event: Empowerment-Focused Computing in Constructionist Learning Environments

Abstract

Objectives: This project explores the design, implementation, and impact of a community-centered AI curriculum that empowers Black and brown girls and their families to critically engage with emerging technologies through their interests, local contexts, and intergenerational dialogue. The curriculum was developed as part of a summer program to support youth from historically marginalized communities in developing AI literacy while cultivating their identities, passions, and voices. Our approach includes hands-on activities and scenario-based learning experiences that center identity, creativity, and local advocacy, allowing youth and their families the opportunity to construct and shape their own AI literacies.

Framework: Grounded in constructionism (Kritt and Budwig, 2022) and Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 2000), this work emphasizes hands-on, community-rooted learning that positions youth as knowledge producers. Drawing on digital and computational empowerment (Tissenbaum et al., 2021; Dindler et al., 2022) and participatory, justice-oriented pedagogy, the project positions youth as knowledge producers and designers. It aligns with Papert’s (1980) idea that learners construct meaning by making personally relevant artifacts, and with Iivari’s (2025) call for youth to contribute their social creativity toward shaping future technologies.

Methods: Implemented during a two-week summer program, the curriculum was co-developed with local educators and iterated upon based on youth feedback. Youth engaged in AI learning experiences that integrated creative tools (e.g., 3D pens, coding platforms) and community-centered inquiry. Through hands-on and expressive making (e.g., 3D prototypes, Zines), youth explored AI’s relevance in daily life, developed research skills, and used AI as a tool for critical reflection and local advocacy. This process positioned AI as a tool to be critically examined for its potential harms and benefits and as a means for engaging in local advocacy. Parents and caring adults also participated in weekly workshops focused on AI concepts and their roles in supporting youth learning. Through these scenario-based activities and facilitated conversations, parents were encouraged to reflect on their own experiences, ask critical questions, and actively co-learn with and from each other. Data sources for this study include youth-created artifacts, transcripts from parent workshops, field notes, and focus group reflections.

Results: Findings show that youth were more engaged and reflective when AI learning connected to their interests and local issues. They selected topics such as AI for gun safety, environmental monitoring, and addressing healthcare disparities. Parents gained a more comprehensive view of AI and expressed more confidence as co-learners and supporters of their youth’s AI learning. These examples illustrate how interest-driven, contextually grounded learning fosters confidence and agency by helping youth see AI as both a subject of critique and a resource for community empowerment.

Significance: This work offers a community-centered AI education model that centers creativity, cultural relevance, and learner agency. It challenges dominant narratives of AI learning as abstract or inaccessible by grounding it in youth voice, making, and community impact. Drawing on empowerment and constructivist frameworks, our approach suggests that AI learning can meaningfully include opportunities to imagine, critique, and create, while integrating intergenerational dialogue.

Authors

• Hawra Rabaan, University of Maryland, College Park

• Sheena Erete, University of Maryland