'BEN' Initiative Giving Out Free Bitcoin for Back-to-School

The Blockchain Education Network (BEN) has recently announced its partnership with BTC.com for the upcoming Bitcoin Airdrop this September. The “Back-to-School Blockchain Initiative” has expanded its goals by working with a dozen universities across North America to grow educate students on blockchain technology.

Also read: Bitcoin Makes Finances Easier for Int’l Students in US Colleges

BEN Will Airdrop Bitcoins to College Students This Fall Semester

School is beginning soon, and the Blockchain Education Network wants to take advantage of this time by encouraging students to participate in its Airdrop. The initiative will be the first of three steps making up BEN’s semester-long plan, running September through November.

A Bitcoin Airdrop has become an annual tradition during the fall semester, says the organization.

The concept was first created in 2014 by the MIT Bitcoin Club, who raised $500 thousand to spread $100 worth of bitcoin to each participating student. In Canada, the McGill Cryptocurrency Club continued the tradition in 2015. So far, thousands of people in college have received their first bitcoins from these projects.

Dean Masley, executive director of BEN, explains:

We think the best way to begin to understand the complex concepts behind blockchain and bitcoin is to simply use it first-hand. The experience of downloading a wallet and sending a request for money is entirely different from traditional finance and is best done with help from a friend. That’s why we’re enabling our student blockchain clubs to onboard new members into their club with their first wallets and bits to start diving down this rabbit hole of an industry.

Student crypto-clubs from cities all across the nation, including Iowa City, Chicago and Berkeley, as well as a Canadian roster from Kingston and Waterloo, are taking part in the Airdrop. Additionally, college clubs who have participated in the past, such as MIT, Georgia Tech, the University of Florida, and the University of Toronto are taking part in the festivities again. The full roster of the BEN members joining the Airdrop can be viewed here.

Spreading Bitcoin Knowledge So It May Snowball Across Campuses

Dev, the founder of the blockchain club at IIT, and the Regional Head of Events for the BEN’s efforts in the Chicagoland area, said one of the biggest obstacles in spreading adoption is introducing Bitcoin to newcomers.

The organization hopes the Airdrop will give participants something to interact with and possibly “snowball into a larger effect on campus.” Students could show their friends how to pay for a burger or pizza with bitcoin, says Dev, and they hope to “show everyone how accessible it is!”

Max Fang, President of the Bitcoin Association of Berkeley, stated in the Airdrop announcement:

As many of people in the crypto space are familiar with, there is a vast difference between simply understanding a technology and being put in a position to make something of it.— A Bitcoin airdrop has been in our plans for a long time, and this new initiative finally gives us a chance to augment our semesterly Intro to Bitcoin talk with an impactful hands-on experience with the technology. We are very excited to be a part of a movement larger than our community in and around the UC Berkeley campus.

It is also worth noting that Purse is throwing a “Back-To-School Promotion” for students and teachers that lasts until September 12 — offering bitcoin deals for those needing back-to-school supplies on the cheap.

As school commences this year, Bitcoin.com believes educating and sharing the innovative cryptocurrency is a great opportunity for people to learn. This school year will be a fun one, with the promotion of Bitcoin in full effect, and we hope the Blockchain Education Network enjoys their academic term.

What do you think about the Blockchain Education Network’s 2016 Fall Airdrop? Let us know in the comments below.

Images via the BEN websites, Shutterstock.

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