Be Internet Awesome (BIA) is an educational program introduced in 2018 on digital citizenship competences, directed to schools of all educational levels (K-12 education, supporting educators and teachers of children of the age ranging from 3 to 18 y.o.).
Since 2021 School with Class Foundation not only runs the program in Poland, but also coordinates the efforts of several partners in 11 Central and Eastern Europe countries (Poland, Romania, Greece, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Moldova and Ukraine).
The program has a strong focus on supporting underserved communities and different vulnerable groups in using the internet more wisely and responsibly, maintaining their digital well being and becoming aware of the mechanisms of the web.
Be Internet Awesome aims at strengthening the competencies of teachers in the field of digital citizenship education, changing the way cyber security is taught, building a bridge between teachers and students and allowing them to engage in genuine discussions, based on mutual trust and respect on the most pressing challenges we all face while interacting with new technologies.
BIA has a strong practical component – every activity for students is designed to allow for an on-hands experience, knowledge base and practical implementation in the future. We encourage teachers to run socially engaged projects based on the topics and challenges discussed in the classroom. For younger kids the program is designed to prepare them for using new technologies in the future and focuses on good and open communication, basic safety online and building bonds with their peers and grownups.
The BIA program supports both individual teachers and entire schools, through onsite and online training programs, webinars, interactive online lessons for students, and high-quality lesson scenarios and guidebooks. Teachers, parents and educators are encouraged to use free lesson scenarios and online game Interland to teach and learn with their kids. The program is implemented in cooperation with Google.org as part of the Be Internet Awesome initiative.
The program is supported by Google.org. It is run by Udruga Suradnici u Učenju in Croatia, Jules a Jim in Czech Republic, International Children’s Safety Services (ICSS) in Hungary, FORTH in Greece, Vedliai in Lithuania, DROSS Internets – Latvian Internet Association in Latvia, School with Class Foundation in Poland, Adfaber in Romania and Moldova, Manageria in Slovakia as well as EdCamp in Ukraine.