How Girl Guides of Canada is empowering girls to DeCode their digital world
Girl Guides of Canada launches new digital literacy program in advance of Safer Internet Day (February 6, 2018)
TORONTO, Feb. 2, 2018 /CNW/ - Phones. Tablets. Laptops. Girls today use them all to connect with each other and express their ideas and identities. In advance of Safer Internet Day (February 6), Girl Guides of Canada is launching DeCode, a new digital literacy program that supports girls in critically decoding and assessing their digital world, particularly how girls are represented and treated in digital media. DeCode covers a range of topics, including setting secure passwords, how to assess what's real and what's fake online, the pressure to convey a perfect digital identity, and discussions on sexting for older girls.
"Girl Guides of Canada has always played a role in empowering girls to navigate their world. Today, their world is the digital world," says Jill Zelmanovits, CEO of Girl Guides of Canada. "This generation of girls is growing up in a digital society and the role that digital technology plays in their everyday lives is undeniable. Yet, girls have told us that being online puts pressure on them to look and act in a certain way and that they worry about these pressures and their safety. Girls truly want to strengthen their digital know-how so that they're empowered to navigate the digital world they live in – and that's just what DeCode delivers."
A recent nationwide Girl Guides of Canada-Ipsos survey identifying key challenges confronting teenage girls in Canada revealed that:
- 25% of girls have felt pressured to write or post sexy or provocative things about themselves on social media
- 55% of girls agree that trying to meet social media expectations about how they should look or act has negatively impacted their self-esteem. This is strongest among heavy users of social media at 71%
- 93% of girls use more than one social media platform on a regular basis – while 12% regularly use as many as six
Created with the experts at MediaSmarts, DeCode is part of Girl Guides of Canada's ongoing commitment to enhance girls' opportunities to explore topics in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and the organization's overall mandate to offer safe spaces for girls to explore the issues that matter to them.
About Girl Guides of Canada
Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada (GGC) empowers every girl in Guiding to discover herself and be Everything she wants to be. In Guiding, girls from 5-17 meet with girls their own age in a safe, inclusive space to explore what matters to them. With programming options ranging from innovative STEM activities to outdoor adventures and discussions on mental health and healthy relationships, girls in Guiding can customize their experience to dive into the topics relevant to them. GGC is where girls take the lead, put their ideas into action and jump into awesome activities – all with the support of engaged Guiders who are committed to positively impacting their lives. Guiding is all about supporting girls as they take on challenges and grab hold of every opportunity that comes their way.
Link to DeCode program: www.girlguides.ca/decode
SOURCE Girl Guides of Canada
or to arrange an interview, please contact: Nina Yanko, Girl Guides of Canada, Tel: (416) 487-5281 x266, Email: [email protected]
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