A collection of 42 new Girl Scouts badges for girls in kindergarten through high school covers high tech as well as high adventure.
Many of the new badges launched by Girls Scouts of the U.S.A. cover getting off screens and getting outdoors _ encouraging activities such as cross-country skiing, overnight backpacking trips, indoor or outdoor rock climbing and snowboarding. Others, however, acknowledge the role of screens in girls' lives, and focus on cybersecurity, teaching about encryption, password strength and cybercrime.
"Girl Scouting not only is building leadership, but we are building the next workforce. We also want to make sure girls are not on screens; we're encouraging the girls to get outside and get their hands dirty," says Rande Bynum, chief executive of Girls Scouts of Nassau County. "This combination of badges provides girls the opportunity to have both those experiences, high tech and high adventure."