STARTING AN AI CONVERSATION  

AI is the biggest shift in learning and life since the internet.

Kids are already using AI to learn, cope, explore, create, and manage overwhelm, long before adults fully understand how deeply it shapes their daily lives. When adults panic or punish, kids hide. When adults show curiosity and build skill, trust grows. And trust is the most powerful tool we have for keeping kids safe.

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Starting an AI Conversation brings students, parents, and staff into the same honest dialogue, grounded in kids’ lived experiences, so everyone feels informed, respected, and equipped to navigate an AI-powered world.

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This program replaces fear with understanding, and control with connection.

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Why a Full Community Approach Matters

AI isn’t “just a tech issue.”
It affects:

• learning and schoolwork

• integrity and shortcuts

• creativity and identity

• coping and overwhelm

• friendships and communication

• emotional wellbeing

• future opportunities and reputation

 

Kids don’t experience AI in isolation, and the solutions can’t sit in isolation either.

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If you teach only kids, adults still react from fear.
If you teach only parents, kids stay silent.
If you teach only staff, the home–school gap stays wide.

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A whole-community approach creates aligned language, shared expectations, and a safer, more open environment for everyone. When kids feel heard, adults respond calmly. And staff understand the realities, students are far more likely to bring challenges forward before things escalate.

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Program Structure

This program includes three interconnected components, each designed to meet the needs of the people who interact with kids every day.

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Part 1 — Student Sessions

Honest conversations that start with the kids, not at them.

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Student sessions are interactive, fast-moving, and grounded in real experiences. Jo guides the discussion, but the insights come from the students themselves.

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Kids:

• reflect on how they actually use AI

• explore the helpful, neutral, and risky uses

• name pressures they feel to keep up

• build solutions and strategies together

• understand how AI supports learning without replacing effort

• practice critical skills (fact-checking, evaluating outputs, using their own voice)

• articulate what they need from adults

 

Grade-Specific Focus

Grades 7–9: Navigating Real AI Challenges
Middle-school students use AI for explanations, homework support, idea generation, stress avoidance, and coping. They need reassurance, clarity, and practical skills, not fear-based lectures.

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Grades 10–12: Reflection, Responsibility & Real-World Impact
High school students explore integrity, shortcuts, identity, mental health, misinformation, reputational harm, bias, and long-term consequences. They learn that AI can amplify, not replace, their voice and credibility.

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Part 2 — Parent & Adult Session

The clarity adults need. The support kids deserve.

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Parents often operate from fear, because they don’t know what’s truly happening online.

This session closes that gap, gently and clearly.

Parents learn:​​

• the helpful, confusing, and pressured moments kids experience

• better questions that open meaningful conversation

• how to support without fear-based reactions

• guidance that protects integrity and wellbeing

• clear frameworks for responsible use at home

• how to raise capable, confident decision-makers in an AI-powered world

 

This is not a fear-based lecture. It’s a supportive, empowering, deeply practical conversation that leaves parents feeling capable, not overwhelmed, and kids feeling safer, not watched.

 

Part 3 — Staff Sessions (Optional)

Tools and confidence for the adults who see kids every day.

AI is already inside classrooms, in assignments, assessments, peer relationships, conflict, coping, and creativity.

Staff sessions give educators:

• a realistic look at how students use AI

• early indicators of stress, over-reliance, or risky use

• clarity around academic integrity

• restorative responses that keep kids talking

• support strategies that don’t increase workload

• confidence to guide digital citizenship in the AI era

 

Program Outcomes

Kids gain:

• confidence

• clarity

• critical thinking skills

• healthier coping strategies

• understanding of real impacts

• trust in adults

Parents gain:

• insight

• practical tools

• calmer approaches

• better questions

• confidence guiding AI at home

Staff gain:

• clarity

• consistent language

• restorative responses

• better understanding of student challenges

Schools gain:

• shared expectations

• stronger relationships

• aligned approaches

• proactive, not reactive, problem-solving

 

Included Resources

Every school receives:

• parent info sheets

• promo posters + social media graphics

• a parent workbook

• newsletter content for ongoing education

These materials keep the conversation alive long after the sessions are done.

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Pricing

• Student Sessions — starting at $400 per group

• Parent Sessions — starting at $1200

• Staff Sessions — available as an add-on or standalone

• Travel fees apply outside Edmonton, Alberta

 

About Jo Phillips

Jo is a youth resilience coach, speaker, restorative justice practitioner, and digital media expert. She has supported over 170,000 youth across Alberta, helping kids and adults build trust, clarity, and confidence in a rapidly changing digital world.

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Her approach blends psychology, restorative practices, digital literacy, and lived experience as a parent — always centring trust, honesty, and connection.

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Booking Information

Booking is easy — email or call to reserve your date. The fastest way to bring this program to your school is to request a package and share it with your principal or parent council.

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Limited dates available; early booking encouraged

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Based in Edmonton with travel available across Western Canada.