Future Port Youth: Global Technology Conference for the Development of Students' Digital Competences

Future Port Youth is an international technology conference for students, educators, and technology enthusiasts that connects education, innovation, and practice. 

Through inspiring lectures, interactions with experts and student competitions, it supports the development of digital competencies, entrepreneurship and the ability to use technology to address global challenges. The event has a demonstrable impact on students' motivation, career orientation and ability to actively use digital technologies.

Context and objectives of the initiative

Since 2021, the Future Port Youth Conference has been implemented as a hybrid global learning initiative aimed at students across disciplines. It aims to: 

• Inspire young people to use digital technologies
• Develop their digital and entrepreneurial competences
• Demonstrate the practical use of technology to solve societal and global problems
• Bringing digital technologies closer to young people and attracting more talent
• To show that young people can also have a global impact

The action responds to the need to prepare the young generation for a rapidly changing technological environment and the future labour market.  

How is the conference organised?

The conference is held in hybrid form: 

• Physically (e.g. Prague, Nová Spirála – approx. 800 participants)
• Online (thousands of students and participants from schools in Europe, Africa and Asia)

The program is based on a combination of: 

• Presentation by global experts (AI, CoR, sustainability, space tech)
• Presentation of young innovators (peer learning)
• Discussions and interactions with students
• Follow-up teaching materials for schools

Thematically, it focuses on: 

• Artificial intelligence and its impacts
• Virtual and augmented reality
• Disinformation and digital literacy
• Space technologies and innovation
• Connecting technology with the humanities

An important element is the involvement of schools in teaching – students follow the content of teaching and continue to work with it in the classroom. 

Key element: Future Port Awards 

The initiative includes an international competition for student projects: 

• Involving teams from Europe, Asia, Africa and the USA
• The condition is a functional prototype and a link to the SDGs
• Evaluation according to the impact, innovativeness and use of technologies

Examples of projects

• Technologies for the disposal of space debris
• Diagnostic tools for illiterate populations
• Health innovations (e.g. disease detection)

This element significantly strengthens the practical application of digital skills. 

Impact and results

• About 800 participants physically + 1,500 online (2025)  
• Involvement of schools from dozens of countries (at least 30 countries in previous years)  
• 18 international student projects in the competition  
• High quality of projects with real impact (e.g. NASA-level innovation)  

Qualitative impacts

• AIncreasing the motivation of students to study technology
• Developing critical thinking and digital literacy
• Strengthening career orientation in ICT
• Inspiration for their own project activities

Why is this good practice? 

The initiative fulfils the key criteria of good practice: 

1. Impact on digital skills 

• Development of advanced digital competences (AI, CoR, data, innovation)
• Promoting critical thinking (e.g. disinformation)
• Linking theory and practice.  

2. Innovative approach 

• A combination of global experts and students
• A hybrid format allowing for a wide range
• Connection to real projects and challenges

3. Measurable results 

• Thousands of students involved
• Specific outputs (projects, competition, follow-up materials)

4. Portability 

• The model can be easily replicated in other countries
• Hybrid conference
• Cooperation with schools
• Student competition with emphasis on SDGs

Sustainability and development

• Annual implementation (from 2021)
• Increasing international participation
• Involvement of partners (Google, CzechInvest, MŠMT)

Long-term potential

• Expansion to other countries
• Deeper integration into school curricula
• Strengthening the role of student projects as learning-by-doing tools