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Illuminate Labs is an AI literacy and social innovation programme funded by the EU PEACE PLUS Programme and hosted by Young Social Innovators. Mentors are part of what makes that real for young people.

What mentors do

• Show up at sessions you've agreed to (Build Days, Thinking Clubs, demo events)
• Sit alongside young people — ask questions, share experience, encourage thinking
• Model curiosity about AI and technology, not authority over it
• Follow the lead of the session facilitator (Guide)

What mentors don't do

• Take over the work or finish things "for" young people
• Have one-to-one contact with under-18s — mentoring with under-18s only ever happens in group settings with Illuminate Labs or YSI staff present
• Give direct contact details (phone, personal email, social DMs) to young people
• Meet a young person alone or off-site
• Promise outcomes (jobs, internships, mentoring beyond the programme) without checking with the team

Illuminate Labs operates in two jurisdictions with different statutory frameworks. You don't need to be an expert — you do need to know who to tell.

Two jurisdictions

• Northern Ireland — Co-operating to Safeguard Children and Young People (DoH NI), Access NI checks
• Republic of Ireland — Children First Act 2015, Tusla Child & Family Agency, Garda Vetting

The four categories of abuse

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Neglect

Signs to watch for

• Unexplained injuries or fear of going home
• Sudden changes in behaviour, withdrawal, or fearfulness
• Inappropriate sexual knowledge for age
• Hunger, poor hygiene, or being inadequately clothed
• Disclosures — direct or indirect — from a young person

We work with AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, image generators, etc.) in every session. The UNICEF Policy Guidance on AI for Children and the EU AI Literacy Framework give us our principles.

UNICEF's principles for AI with children

• Best interests first — does this tool serve the young person, or the platform?
• Do no harm — assume systems can produce harmful, biased, or false outputs
• Privacy & data protection — never ask young people to put real personal data into AI tools
• Transparency & explainability — talk about how the tool works, not just what it produces
• Inclusion & non-discrimination — name when outputs are skewed by who built the system

Practical session rules

• Use shared programme accounts only — never your personal accounts for under-18s
• No prompts that include real names, addresses, schools, or photos of young people
• Talk openly about hallucinations, bias, and the limits of these tools
• If a young person shares something concerning to an AI tool, treat it the same as if they'd said it to you

If a young person discloses something to you, or you're worried about their wellbeing, here's the flow. Follow it in order.

1. Listen, don't probe. Let them speak in their own words. Don't ask leading questions or push for detail.
2. Don't promise confidentiality. Say: "Thank you for telling me. I might need to share this with someone who can help."
3. Reassure them. Tell them they've done the right thing by speaking up. Don't react with shock or judgement.
4. Write it down as soon as possible. Use their exact words. Date, time, place, who was there. Don't interpret.
5. Tell the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) — same day. For Illuminate Labs that's the YSI Designated Officer. Their details are in Module V.
6. If a young person is in immediate danger — call 999. Then notify the DSL. Don't wait.

Programme team

Emergency & support lines