Girlguiding members are being offered the chance to collect badges with a distinctly 21st century twist – by completing activities in cyber skills.   

The new badges can be collected by those who complete activities from the new resource created by Girlguiding South West England and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ.  

The resource, called ‘On the net’, includes a range of activities for girls to complete within their units after which the badges can be collected. Staged with levels to cover all ages within Guiding, from Rainbows to Rangers, the activity pack is designed to increase awareness among young women of the need to stay safe online.  

In GCHQ’s centenary year, the resource incorporates aspects of the NCSC’s successful CyberFirst initiative, which has seen in excess of 24,000 young women engage in cyber security challenges. The new partnership is part of the ongoing efforts to engage a younger audience in cyber security and in particular increase awareness among women.  

Whether it be with mobile phones, tablets or computers, people are online at a younger age, using connected devices on a daily basis, and the pack will help participants understand how the internet works and how devices talk to one another.   

CyberFirst is a programme of opportunities and support helping young people explore their computers and technology; introducing them to the world of cyber security.  

The badges can be collected without the requirement of computers or an internet connection and can be completed wherever Girlguiding groups meet.