The Girl Scouts announced that they are adding a series of 18 Cyber-Security Badges to their educational programming for girls in grades K-12, and this Mama Bear Approves!
Oh, hell yes! More than those Disney on Ice, Princess Ball and Cooking badges, this badge earns two big thumbs up from me, a mom of a Daisy and budding Girl Scout. (That might have sounded snarky. There are also some really great badges in the areas of First Aid, Environmental Science, STEM, etc., that girls can earn.)
The largest leadership development organization for girls is debuting these badges in the Fall of 2018 and I can't wait for the educational component. Younger girl scouts will learn about data privacy, cyber bullying and protecting themselves online. Let's face it, we simply can't look over their shoulders every time they pick up a tablet. I mean, dinner has to get made, right?
It seems like every day we are hearing about some new and scary cyber threat online and what's worse; they are targeting our kids. The Internet has provided online predators easy access to our kids (boys and girls). The most recently reported was the dangerous chat-side of Roblox, a popular kids' game where children can interact with other children. They create an avatar and interact with others while they navigate an online world. To some it sounds like fun. To others, we know that there are grown men and women interacting with our kids and they can engage children in all sorts of conversations.
It is so vital for all kids, not just girls, to learn how to protect themselves online. I applaud the Girl Scouts for looking out for the safety and well being of our kids!
Furthermore, this curriculum will help narrow the gap between females and males in the tech field, by educating our girls on code, firewalls and host of cyber-security tools! I am just so excited about this.
As stated in this article on CNN Tech, "Cyber security workers are in high demand. According to a report from Frost & Sullivan and (ISC)2, there will be a shortage of 1.5 million cyber security workers globally by 2020."
In partnership with Palo Alto Networks, the Girl Scouts will be empowering millions of girls across America, paving the way for them to become the cyber-security problem solvers of the future.
Bravo, Girl Scouts. Bravo!
If you want to learn more about the partnership between the Girl Scouts and Palo Alto Networks and how they are empowering girls in the Cyber-Security field, click HERE for their Press Release.
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