Fables & Futures (Ages 8-13)
About
AI is everywhere, but it doesn’t represent everyone. Fables & Futures is a creative learning kit that uses graphic fables, project-based activities, and a game-building environment (similar to Scratch) to help young people develop a real point of view about AI and the emerging technologies shaping their lives. This 90-minute workshop invites children ages 8–13 to step into Massa Mist, a lush valley where technology is embedded in the natural landscape. Participants will read one of two original graphic fables set in Massa Mist, exploring surveillance, algorithmic profiling, data ownership, privacy, and consent . A debrief and reflection will follow, digging into who benefited, who was harmed, who gets to make decisions that affect a whole community, and what agreements communities need in place around technology. From there, participants will look at real-world parallels , then continue e xploring the issues through project-based activities like future forecasting and comic strip creation, culminating in building a Massa Mist–inspired game in GameBender , a play-based creative coding environment that uses visual “code stickers” and requires no prior coding experience. This workshop will take place in the writing lab at 826 Valencia St. This a one-day workshop: Sunday, November 8th, 10:30am – 12pm. To express interest in this workshop fill out this form . After registering, staff will reach out to offer a spot depending on eligibility and availability in the program. Our workshops are open to anyone, but we do give priority to SFUSD students with socio-economic need and hold spaces for students enrolled in our other programs.
