Helping girls and young women surf the smart way

WAGGGS is working in partnership with its Member Organizations in France, Germany and the UKto explore ways in which young people can learn about internet safety. The internet is a place where young people can share their ideas and opinions, learn new things, gain access to valuable information and connect to their peers around the world. As the Movement grows, we envision that the internet will play an increasing part in bringing together Girl Guides and Girls Scouts from around the world. It is also a valuable tool for distance learning.  WAGGGS is working towards integrating online learning into its educational programme and training strategy.

Surf Smart helps inform young people about the importance of staying safe online and how they can protect themselves. The curriculum includes activities which encourage users to identify issues and find solutions most relevant to their own context, as well as activities that expose common issues girls and young women face with respect to internet safety.

Surf Smart will be piloted in France, Germany and the UK throughout 2012. WAGGGS held a consultation with the participating Member Organizations to discuss issues specific to each country and to ensure that Surf Smart was relevant to their members. The curriculum encourages young people to undertake activities from the curriculum and earn a Surf Smart badge. It includes activities for different age groups which can be carried out with or without access to a computer. This initiative has been enabled by a grant from Symantec to the Global Girls’ Fund. Symantec’s commitment to ensuring the internet is a safe place, along with their expertise in the field, contributed greatly to developing the educational curriculum.