Case Study

Internet Street Smarts

Building a community-powered digital safety program from the ground up — and where it's going next.

Cyber Collective · 2021–Present · Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer

Internet Street Smarts community workshops — virtual and in-person

5M+

People reached through awareness campaigns

14+

Countries, zero paid acquisition

$600K+

Philanthropic funding secured

100K

Youth targeted for direct programs in 2025

The Work

Where We Started / Where We're Going

Internet Street Smarts course materials

Where We Started

The digital safety landscape was built for corporate and government audiences — not for elders, youth, or communities navigating the internet with good reason to distrust institutions. We built Internet Street Smarts to meet people where they actually were: in their neighborhoods, their languages, their cultural context.

Key Milestones

  • Launched as a community co-created curriculum (not top-down content)
  • First community-driven online safety certification
  • Microgrants program funded advocates globally to bring the program to their communities
  • $600K+ secured from Omidyar, Hewlett, and the Archewell Foundation
  • 3 consecutive Cybersecurity Awareness Month campaigns
  • 15K+ community members, organic only
  • Collaborated with Mozilla, Cisco, AdoreMe

Where We're Going

Internet Street Smarts is evolving into an AI-powered community intelligence platform — built on seven years of field research, Taz's doctoral framework on trauma-informed digital safety, and the collective knowledge of the people it serves.

What's in Development

  • AI-powered resource hub (built with developer Meg) — curated, trusted, community-filtered digital safety resources designed with the Digital Resilience Framework
  • Pop-up programming in NYC — Bringing Internet Street Smarts into physical space for elders and youth
  • Internet Street Smarts Curriculum — a trauma-informed, story-driven digital safety program co-created with 50+ global volunteers for teens, caregivers, and educators

"Internet Street Smarts came together in the same spirit that communities always have—through solidarity and a shared sense of responsibility. We listened deeply and worked together to build a solution that speaks to the real experiences people face online every day."

Read the launch post →

Contributions

What I Did

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