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Experience stories
A situation from children’s everyday lives creates connection and invites them to think along.
Start smart. Stay safe.● Prevention and education programme for children
Empowering children. Before digital life becomes difficult.
StartIT helps children aged 4 to 15 use the internet, smartphones and social media safely, consciously and healthily – in person and directly at your school.
Free initial consultation includedPersonal · no obligation · before your quote
4–15years
1 classper facilitator
On siteat your institution
Hi, I’m Smarti!Together we learn how to use digital media safely.
✋Say STOP
💬GET HELP
🔒Protect PRIVATE information
Why StartIT?
Knowledge alone does not keep children safe. Knowing how to act makes the difference.
The practical complement
School lays the foundation. StartIT makes knowledge usable: in age-appropriate everyday situations, children and young people practise pausing, setting boundaries, getting help and protecting what is private.
School & curriculumUnderstand. Assess. Reflect.
StartIT in practiceRecognise. Decide. Act.
The practical complement
Knowledge becomes action
Chats, games, advertising, in-app purchases or deepfakes: children do more than discuss risks. They practise clear next steps.That is why StartIT.What matters is not only what children know. It is what they can do when it counts.Book a free initial consultation
What StartIT really is
Not an IT course.
Training for real life.
StartIT does not teach children the technology behind the internet. It shows them how to think, decide and act in real digital situations.
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Make their own choices
Children talk, vote, move and explain the reasons behind their choice.
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Practise responses
Clear phrases and actions are practised so children can call on them in everyday life.
StartIT is deliberately …not a lecturenot a fear shownot about blamenot a technology subject
▶Operatecomes very early
This is where StartIT begins
?Understandoften comes later
Why StartIT starts so early
Children learn to swipe before they can read risks.
They select videos, open games and navigate apps – long before they understand advertising, manipulation, privacy or contacts they do not know.
What first stood out in everyday family life became a shared idea for Luigj and Alma Rrustemi: children should not only know how to operate digital media – they should learn early when to pause, ask questions and get help.
“The internet is a tool. Children should learn to use it safely.”
The most common misconception
“This only matters in the teenage years.”Prevention does not start with a child’s first smartphone. It starts with their first click.
Many children encounter videos, games, advertising and unknown contacts long before they are teenagers. That is why StartIT begins with a few clear safety rules – not frightening scenarios.
- 01Before habits become fixed
Responses practised early – saying stop, getting help and protecting private information – are easier to use later.
- 02Before peer pressure grows
Children develop their own stance before class chats, likes and digital belonging become more influential.
- 03Before anything has to happen
Prevention gives children words and confidence to act while learning can still happen calmly, together and without an acute incident.
Early means age-appropriateYoung children do not need technical detail. They need simple rules, safe phrases and the certainty that getting help is always the right thing to do.
The moment that changed everythingKnowing where to tap is not the same as understanding.
Our son intuitively found every button – but no screen could explain the invisible rules behind it.
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Observed at homeChildren discover the digital world with curiosity and without hesitation.
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Asked togetherWho gives them words and confidence before something happens?
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Founded StartITSo early clicking can become early media literacy.
Created by parents, for children.Luigj & Alma · parents of a son
How StartIT began
The idea began with a child’s finger that knew exactly where to tap.
Like many parents, Luigj and Alma saw how naturally their son explored screens: curious, quick and completely uninhibited. He found videos, games and symbols with ease – yet he could not know the invisible rules behind them.
Conversations that brought together family life, IT and social work led to one simple question: Why do we explain digital safety only after children are already caught up in group chats, social media or difficult situations?
A parental concern became a positive idea: do not hide the digital world from children; prepare them for it with care, clarity and at the right time.
StartIT is not a project against digital media. It is a programme for children growing up with it – developed by people who understand technology and also know how important trust, language and a safe adult at a child’s side are.
About us
Two perspectives. One shared responsibility.
StartIT combines business IT and entrepreneurial development with social work and child and youth welfare. Together we create training that empowers children and gives institutions confidence.
FounderLuigj Rrustemi
Business IT specialist · Business Development Manager
Leads the end-to-end development of StartIT – from vision, brand and programmes to technology, processes and delivery. Driven by genuine passion.
Co-FounderAlma Rrustemi
Social worker · Child and youth welfare
Combines her bachelor’s degree in social work with her professional work in child and youth welfare. At StartIT, she shapes child-centred programmes with a particular focus on development, safeguarding, families and institutions.Together for schools and familiesDifferent fields of expertise, one shared approach: empower children early, guide them calmly and help them act with confidence.
A programme that grows with children
From the stop hand to deepfakes.
Language, situations and methods adapt to each stage of development. The protective foundation remains the same.
4 – 7years
Kindergarten + Grade 1
Act safely – with pictures, stories and movement.
Children learn simple safety rules they can show and say straight away.✓ Stop hand✓ Get help✓ Protect private information✓ Strangers in games✓ Real or made up
For adults
Parents and teachers use the same language.
Recognise warning signs, have helpful conversations, respond calmly in acute situations and support children together.
View formats →A StartIT lesson
45 minutes children do not just hear – they experience.
45minutes
- 0–5👋Arrive
Build trust and connect with children’s everyday lives.
- 5–15📖Story
Explore a real decision-making situation together.
- 15–28🎲Play & choose
Try, vote, discuss and understand.
- 28–38✋Practise a response
Make the safe next step visible and easy to say.
- 38–45⭐Key phrase
Return to everyday life with a shared code.
For your institution
One class or a shared school culture.
You choose the right starting point. StartIT provides age-appropriate delivery and coordinates the process with you.
Kindergarten to lower secondaryChildren’s workshops
Interactive 45-minute modules for one class, matched to age and everyday life.
Several classesProject days
Several classes or an entire year group, structured, coordinated and delivered on site.
60–90 minutesParent evenings
Orientation, warning signs and helpful conversations – practical rather than moralising.
Separate formatTeacher input
Shared language, clear responses and tools for transferring learning into everyday school life.
StartIT 360
When prevention should not end after a single lesson.
Children’s modulesTeacher inputParent eveningMaterialsEvaluation
The StartIT safety framework
Safe learning begins in a safe space.
A teacher stays in the room
A responsible teacher or specialist accompanies every children’s workshop.
No children’s names
No identifying child data or personal disclosures are stored.
Getting help is always right
Children are encouraged regardless of what happened before.
Calm rather than dramatic
Risks are explained clearly, appropriately for age and without threatening images.
Working together
Easy to start. Carefully delivered.
- 1Clarify needs
Discuss school levels, number of classes and goals.
- 2Define the programme
Agree on suitable modules, dates and roles.
- 3Experience it on site
Interactive delivery with a teacher in the room.
- 4Secure the transfer
Agree on the debrief, materials and next steps.
Formats & entry points
Not just a package. The right starting point for your school.
One class, an entire year group or the whole school: we tailor the format to your institution’s ages, needs and everyday reality.
Format 01
Pilot class
Discover & experienceThe straightforward way to begin with one class.
- ✓1 class
- ✓45-minute children’s workshop
- ✓Age-appropriate workshop materials
- ✓Short debrief with the teacher
Format 02Popular with schools
Year-group day
Create impact togetherSeveral classes experience StartIT during one coordinated prevention day.
- ✓Several classes or one year group
- ✓Modules for each age group
- ✓Planning & coordination
- ✓Shared debrief
Format 03
StartIT 360
Embed a culture of safetyChildren, teachers and parents pull in the same direction.
- ✓Several children’s modules
- ✓Parent evening
- ✓Teacher input
- ✓Materials & evaluation
Free initial consultationAdvice first. Then a tailored quote.
In a free initial conversation, we clarify your situation, goals and school levels. Afterwards, if you wish, you receive a transparent quote for the right StartIT format – with no obligation and tailored to your school.
Request a quote→Frequently asked questions
Clarity before booking.
Why is the programme called StartIT?+
The name combines Start and IT: “Start” stands for an early, safe beginning, while “IT” represents the digital world and its technologies. StartIT is also an invitation: Start it – begin early. Not after something has happened, but before it becomes difficult.
What age is StartIT suitable for?+
From kindergarten onwards. Language, exercises and situations are consistently adapted to age and stage of development.
Is StartIT an IT or technology lesson?+
No. StartIT is a prevention and education programme. It teaches safe behaviour, reflection and concrete responses to everyday digital situations.
Can one facilitator teach several classes at the same time?+
No. For real interaction, one facilitator works with no more than one class at a time. For several classes, we plan a suitable schedule or team.
What is included in a pilot class?+
A 45-minute session for one class, age-appropriate workshop materials and a short debrief with the teacher present. Your proposal is tailored to the location and your needs.
What does the free initial consultation include?+
In a personal initial conversation, we clarify the target group, number of classes, starting point and suitable formats. The initial consultation is free and carries no obligation. Afterwards, if you wish, you receive a transparent quote.
How is feedback evaluated?+
Only anonymously and in aggregate at class or workshop level. StartIT does not collect children’s names or identifying child data.
Free initial consultation & quote
Tell us what your school needs.
We advise you first, free of charge and with no obligation. Afterwards, if you wish, you receive a transparent quote tailored to your school.