Be Kind Online Program Launch

No longer I Am Stronger; SaskTel’s cyberbullying prevention program relaunches as SaskTel Be Kind Online

February 25, 2019 – SaskTel today announced 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.”

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 that 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.” the Honourable Gordon Wyant, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education said. “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.

 “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” said Doug Burnett, SaskTel President and CEO. “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.

About SaskTel

SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with over $1.2 billion in annual revenue and approximately 1.35 million customer connections including 611,000 wireless accesses, 338,000 wireline network accesses, 283,000 Internet accesses and 113,000 maxTVsubscribers. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries offer a wide range of ICT products and services including competitive voice, data and Internet services, wireless data services, maxTV services, data centre services, cloud-based services, security monitoring services, advertising services, and international software and consulting services. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 3,900 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.

About Be Kind Online

SaskTel Be Kind Online is an initiative that brings awareness and education on cyberbullying and cyber safety. It is also a reminder that each and everyone one of us has an obligation to monitor our online behaviour and share in the opportunity to spread positivity. Partnering with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, the program strives to achieve its goals by raising awareness of cyberbullying’s effects; providing online resources to educate and help youth, parents, and teachers dealing with bullying; and by inviting youth to apply for grants of up to $1,000 so that they can take their ideas to address cyberbullying and make them a reality that can inspire everyone to do the same. Visit the Be Kind Online website at bekindonline.com.

For more information, please contact:

Tim Jones, SaskTel Manager of External Communications
Phone: 306.777.4548   
E-mail: timothy.jones@sasktel.com