Dusan Matuska turns excess energy into education

In Paraguay, hydroelectric plants churn out more electricity than the country can use. Each night, surplus energy surges unused through the grid. But Dusan Matuska is putting that power to use – funding a growing mission to teach Bitcoin across continents.

Once a high school teacher, he now runs AmityAge, a Bitcoin education initiative. His goal? To reach 100 million people, spark curiosity, and build a global network of teachers who can explain Bitcoin in simple terms.

From skepticism to Bitcoin believer

Matuska didn’t start out as a believer. For two years, he dismissed Bitcoin entirely. But a conversation with a friend prompted him to take a second look. By 2017, he was all in.

“I fell in love with Bitcoin in 2017," he told The Crypto Radio at Bitcoin FilmFest in Warsaw, Poland. "The more I went down the rabbit hole, the more I said, ‘damn, this all makes sense.’”

He came from a background in teaching mathematics, physics, and English. But what truly drew him in was helping students discover the beauty in things they once found intimidating.

That same curiosity-driven approach now shapes how he teaches Bitcoin.

“We don't need to educate them fully… We want to inspire people to walk through the journey on their own.”

Turning wasted energy into opportunity

Paraguay generates 100% of its electricity from hydropower and exports more than 40% of it – yet significant amounts still go unused. Matuska saw an opportunity in that surplus.

“We go to places with excess electricity and pay power plants something nobody else would pay them,” he said.

To explain it simply, he compares it to a bakery.

“Imagine you're a baker, and every evening, you have 20 croissants left. You either throw them out or give them away. But what if someone offers to buy those extra croissants for five cents each? As an entrepreneur, you'd sell them.”

That’s the model: use leftover electricity to mine Bitcoin, then reinvest the proceeds into education.

The mining profits support AmityAge’s workshops, teaching materials, and an expanding training academy.

Dusan Matuska, through AmityAge, is building a grassroots network of educators across regions like Paraguay, Honduras, and Ethiopia. Photo: AmityAge

A decentralized network of educators

At the core of AmityAge is the Bitcoin Educator Academy, a three-day intensive course that equips teachers, marketers, and community leaders with tools to explain Bitcoin clearly and accessibly.

“We already did 10 cohorts of the Bitcoin diploma,” Matuska said. “Graduating about 200 students.”

The goal isn’t just scale – it’s decentralization, mirroring the structure of Bitcoin itself.

“Our trajectory is: if we enable 10,000 educators to understand Bitcoin, and those educators each teach 10,000 people, we'll reach 100 million.”

AmityAge also develops tailored resources for different audiences. For younger learners, they turn to storytelling, using playful animations and books like the Tuttle Twins to introduce financial concepts like inflation and scarcity.

To make these ideas even more accessible, they’ve created a fictional character – Amity Nakamoto, whom Matuska described as “Satoshi’s granddaughter.” She serves as the project’s mascot, representing the next generation and acting as a friendly guide.

“So Satoshi is gone, and right now it’s Amity’s work to continue the journey and spread the word,” he explained.

In regions where Bitcoin still raises eyebrows, the team adjusts its approach. They often start with the basics – financial literacy and monetary history – to build trust and context.

“Sometimes [schools] are afraid it'll be Bitcoin propaganda. So we tell them, 'We can just teach financial literacy and the history of money if you prefer.'”

The team now operates across Paraguay, Honduras, Ethiopia, and anywhere else interest begins to grow.

The Bitcoin Film Festival in Warsaw brought together educators, creators, and advocates exploring Bitcoin’s cultural and social impact

Linking sound money to peace and prosperity

For Matuska, Bitcoin isn’t just a way to save or spend – it’s a way to challenge the systems that shape our lives.

“Bitcoin can bring us to an age of cooperation, fellowship and harmony.”

That belief stems from what he sees as the root problem: unchecked monetary expansion. Take away the ability to print money, he argued, and the ability to fund war and coercion diminishes with it.

“If governments cannot print money, they cannot finance stupid wars.”

In countries battling inflation or lacking access to traditional banking, he’s seen Bitcoin function not as theory, but as lifeline.

“Bitcoin is helping in countries with hyperinflation, where people don't have bank accounts.”

But even after years of teaching and mining, Matuska doesn’t claim to have all the answers. Understanding Bitcoin, he says, is a process – not a destination.

“When do you feel fully educated about Bitcoin? Even after eight years, I don't feel fully educated.”

That’s the point. For him, the mission isn’t to deliver all the answers – it’s to start people asking the right questions.

“Our most important goal is to really understand why Bitcoin matters.”

As the conversation came to a close, he left one last thought – short, steady, and deeply personal.

“Bitcoin means freedom.”