Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre
About the organisation
The Safer Internet Centre (SIC) in Bulgaria was established and is coordinated by the non-governmental Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund). Its mission is to protect, support and educate children in order to empower them to use the digital technology for learning, communicating, socialising and entertainment in a safer and positive way.
Awareness centre
Description:Besides development and dissemination of awareness material, the awareness centre develops, pilots and disseminates educational methodologies for use in schools. It provides trainings for teachers, conducts open lessons for children of all ages, and seminars for parents, carers and professionals. To enlarge the outreach of the SIC activities, it organises at least three annual campaigns: Safer Internet Day (SID), Teacher-leader in the Digital Era and Back to School campaigns. It implements a Cyberscouts Programme training children 11-13 years of age to act as advisers of their peers and promoters of online safety rules.
Helpline
Description:The helpline operation of the Bulgarian SIC started in 2008 and is operated by the partner Association Parents. Helpline consultants are psychologists who answer a short telephone number and provide advice and consultations to children, young people, parents, teachers and other professionals via a real-time chat module on the SIC website and by email. The consultants also actively participate in developing awareness materials, educational materials and in trainings.
Hotline
Description:Youth participation
Description:The youth panel of the Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre is a voluntary structure which has existed as a successful form of youth participation since 2010. Its members are young people aged 14-18 who meet face-to-face regularly (at least once per month) to develop their digital and media skills and play an important role in the initiatives and the events, organised by Bulgarian SIC and its partners.
Key successes

Key partners/supporters
Among the key supporters of the SIC are the Ministry of Interior, the State Agency for Child Protection, the Bulgarian Association for Information Technologies, and the telecom operators Telenor and Vivacom. They participate and co-fund a number of joint activities and initiatives.
Further information on Advisory Board members can be found on the SafenetBG website.
