Knowing the tools isn’t enough.
01 · THE CHALLENGE
Artificial intelligence is changing how people work, learn, and create economic value. Familiarity with AI tools alone will not prepare young people for an unpredictable labor market.
Chicago students need opportunities to understand human problems, evaluate evidence, exercise sound judgment, and adapt as technology changes.
12 weeks. 20 students. Real Chicago problems.
02 · THE PROPOSED PILOT
Virtual instruction
Build foundational understanding and practice with guidance.
In-person technical labs
Apply concepts to meaningful, supervised work.
Industry exposure
Proposed 2–3 field trips and engagement with practitioners.
Students would work on practical Chicago business, civic, nonprofit, or community challenges. Conversion communication serves as the training environment—not the career destination.
Four capabilities, wired together.
03 · HOW STUDENTS WOULD LEARN
Contextual AI Navigation
Direct, evaluate, and verify AI-assisted work.
Human Behavior & Persuasion
Understand people and communicate ethically.
Ethical Judgment
Recognize bias, privacy risks, and the need for human oversight.
Real-World Problem Solving
Create and evaluate useful responses to community or business challenges.
Students practice understanding audiences, identifying problems, constructing useful context, directing AI responsibly, testing solutions, and defending their decisions.
From understanding to demonstrated capability.
04 · PROGRAM PHASES
Phase One: Foundation
Understand human problems, evidence, AI fundamentals, and responsible innovation.
Phase Two: Development
Collaborate on guided projects, build context, and test AI-assisted solutions.
Phase Three: Impact
Prepare portfolio capstones and present decisions to invited reviewers.
Evidence, not just proficiency.
05 · INTENDED OUTCOMES
- A portfolio-ready capstone addressing a Chicago challenge
- Documented, responsible AI-assisted work
- Decisions presented and defended before invited reviewers
Progress would be evaluated through capability assessments, completed work, and evidence of applied learning—not simply AI tool proficiency. Potential intersections include community-engagement initiatives such as participatory budgeting.
Chicago, we’re looking for you.
06 · HELP SHAPE THE NETWORK
Dragonfly is seeking conversations with potential sponsors, mentors, educators, technical partners, transit partners, civic leaders, and organizations with meaningful problems students could help investigate.
Partnerships, funding, enrollment, and program delivery are not yet confirmed. This page describes the proposed pilot, not an active enrollment opportunity. Pick up the program one-pager HERE.
Prepared by Annesa L Lacey · Dragonfly Developer · a.L.interpretations
