Key Takeaways

The Stephan Livera podcast episode featuring John from the Mi Primer Bitcoin team provides a comprehensive insight into the global expansion of bitcoin education. John's return to the show marks a significant milestone, with the program successfully reaching over 25,000 students and growing an international presence. The core of the episode revolves around the new 2024 version of the bitcoin diploma, which is set to release around March and April. This upgraded curriculum not only assimilates feedback for enhanced content but also boasts a redesigned infrastructure to aid its spread worldwide. Currently, 25 groups are working on translating the diploma into various languages, emphasizing the program's global reach.

A significant element of the initiative is the international network of bitcoin education nodes that adhere to six consensus rules emphasizing independent, impartial, community-led, bitcoin-only, quality education that teaches empowerment. The network, with 27 nodes across 21 countries, operates with a self-governing model, demonstrating a commitment to high educational standards.

The bitcoin diploma is designed for in-person teaching, with a recommended ten-week duration, translating to 15 hours of instruction. It targets individuals with minimal bitcoin knowledge, starting with fundamental financial literacy before introducing bitcoin in the second half of the course. The curriculum is adaptable, allowing local educators to customize content relevant to their context. In El Salvador, where the program began, there's an ongoing effort to integrate bitcoin education into the public school system, and the number of students educated is continually rising.

The episode also touches on the independent bitcoin education conferences that foster in-person collaboration and knowledge sharing among bitcoin educators worldwide.

John discusses the delicate process of collaborating with governments and universities while maintaining the program's independence and impartiality. He highlights the strategy of creating open-source educational content, enabling widespread adoption and adaptation without compromising educational values.

Best Quotes

1. "We consider bitcoin El Salvador the genesis block. We created these consensus rules, and in order to join the network, you have to agree to these consensus rules."
2. "We try to make it easier for communities to remove a paragraph, a page, whatever, and replace it with something that is more relevant to their local context."
3. "One of my favorite things about the workbook is the very first day, the very first page, the teacher asks the students why bitcoin... By the last day, those last pages, sometimes they staple extra pages on. Like three pages isn't enough to explain why bitcoin."

Conclusion

This podcast episode offers a glimpse into the remarkable journey of Mi Primer Bitcoin, an initiative that has burgeoned from a local project in El Salvador to an international educational movement. The dedication to creating an open-source, adaptable, and high-quality curriculum is evident in every aspect of the program. The episode reveals the importance of maintaining educational integrity while fostering local and global partnerships, showcasing the power of bitcoin as not just a financial tool but also as a catalyst for intellectual empowerment.

The success of Mi Primer Bitcoin demonstrates the potential for bitcoin education to reach a broad audience, providing a foundation for financial literacy and critical thinking that transcends cultural and economic boundaries. As the program continues to evolve and adapt to the changing landscape of bitcoin, it stands as an inspiring model for future educational endeavors in the Bitcoin space and beyond.