SaskTel's cyberbullying prevention program has a new look.
SaskTel has updated its long-running cyberbullying prevention and awareness program with a new campaign slogan and features specifically targeted at the new generation of online users.
The company announced today that I Am Stronger, one of Canada’s oldest dedicated cyberbullying prevention and awareness programs, is transforming to better meet the needs of a new generation by becoming Be Kind Online.
“It’s hard to believe how much the program has evolved since it first launched,” said the Honourable Don Morgan, Minister Responsible for SaskTel. “It began as a social forum for youth to share their stories and learn from each other’s experiences. But it’s grown into something so much bigger, that the time was right for us to give it a name that better reflected what the program has become.”
Sasktel says Be Kind Online looks to build on I Am Stronger’s achievements by continuing its partnership with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education as the official home of the province’s Report Bullying SK Student Online Reporting Tool. This allows students to report incidents of bullying directly to the school or school division.
“We want all of our students to feel comfortable in the classroom and having an online tool to report bullying will support that,” said Gordon Wyant, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education. “It is important to encourage our students to show their peers respect and promote kindness online.”
The cyberbullying awareness and prevention program will unveil its transformation to the public with the launch of the completely redesigned bekindonline.com and a mass-media cyberbullying awareness campaign that will carry on the work started under the program’s former name and with an increased emphasis on being kind online and off.
SaskTel President and CEO Doug Burnett says the new campaign is the same program but with new updates to target its audience.
“We’re excited about the launch of Be Kind Online because it takes the same great program that I Am Stronger was and updates it for a whole new audience. The young people growing up today interact with the world very differently than kids did as little as five years ago. This refresh makes sure that the program can continue reaching those who need it most.”
Be Kind Online operates under the philosophy that the best way to prevent bullying is to help create a kinder world and has spent years putting this into practice. In addition to the online resources available through the site, bekindonline.com is also home to the Be Kind Online grant that provides up to $1,000 to youth who would like help turning their bullying prevention or kindness promoting ideas into reality.
