RANDOLPH — The Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey today announced the launch of 30 new national Girl Scout badges exclusively for girls ages 5–18 at County College of Morris (CCM), a nationally designated center of excellence for cybersecurity education.
The badges, which are immediately available, not only enhance the one-of-a-kind Girl Scout experience, but also address some of society’s most pressing needs such as cybersecurity, environmental advocacy, mechanical engineering, robotics, computer science and space exploration.
The announcement was made in partnership with CCM in recognition of the college’s designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. CCM is the only community college in New Jersey to hold that designation.
Nine of the 30 new Girl Scout badges focus on cybersecurity, and local Girl Scouts from Northern New Jersey worked on those badges at the launch event. As part of the rollout, CCM and the Girl Scouts plan to work together to offer program activities at the college’s Center for Cyber Security that will help girls earn their cybersecurity badges.
“At Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, we are working to give girls the skills they need to succeed in the real world and give them the opportunity to practice their leadership skills so they change the world,” said Betty Garger, Chief Executive Officer for Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. “We feel it is important to help fuel the pipeline for women leaders in the future. In order to do that, girls and young women need to participate in program activities that show them that they can become leaders in the STEM field and see their potential in changing the world.”
“CCM welcomes the opportunity to join with the Girl Scouts to educate girls and young women about the field of cybersecurity,” said Dr. Anthony J. Iacono, President of CCM. “Career opportunities in this well-paying and rewarding field are growing, as the need for protecting information only becomes more critical. Teaching girls about this field at an early age is one of the most effective ways to increase the number of women in cybersecurity, while also showing them how to protect themselves and others online.”
Girls in grades K–5 can now earn badges in:
- Cybersecurity, introducing girls to age-appropriate online safety and privacy principles, information on how the internet works, and how to spot and investigate cybercrime.
- Space Science, enabling girls to channel their inner NASA scientist as they learn about objects in space and how astronomers conduct investigations.
- Environmental Stewardship, through which girls learn how to respect the outdoors and take action to protect the natural world.
- Mechanical Engineering for Girl Scout Juniors, through which girls in grades 4 and 5 design paddle boats, cranes, and balloon-powered cars, learning about buoyancy, potential and kinetic energy, machines, and jet propulsion.
The new programming for girls in grades 6–12 includes:
- Environmental Stewardship badges, GSUSA’s first-ever badge series focused on environmental advocacy. Girls in grades 6–12 prepare for outdoor experiences and take action on environmental issues.
- Badges that teach girls how to program, design and showcase robots, completing the suite of Robotics badges GSUSA first introduced for grades K–5 last year.
- The College Knowledge badge for Girl Scouts in grades 11 and 12, the first badge completely dedicated to college exploration. By showing girls how to research the admissions process, financial aid and other factors, the badge fills a specific need that girls asked for—and that many do not have support for outside of Girl Scouts.
- Two Girl Scout Leadership Journeys: Think Like a Programmer Journey provides a strong foundation in computational thinking and the framework for Girl Scouts’ first ever national Cyber Challenge, coming in 2019. The Think Like an Engineer Journey exposes girls to design thinking to help them understand how engineers solve problems.
Prepare your girl to unleash her inner strength. To join or volunteer click here.
To learn more about cybersecurity and other IT programs at CCM click here.
Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development program for girls. In Girl Scouts, girls discover themselves, connect with others, and take action to create positive change in their own communities. For more information about Girl Scouts, call the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey at (973) 248-8200.
Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey serves girls ages 5-18 in 160 municipalities in Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Northern Warren counties. There are currently over 25,000 girl members.
County College of Morris (CCM) is a nationally ranked community college offering more than 45 associate degree programs and a wide range of certificate programs. A dedicated faculty of leading experts in their fields provides CCM students with a learning environment that has produced one of the highest graduation and transfer rates among the state’s community colleges. Also included among its distinctions, CCM is the only community college in New Jersey to be named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. PayScale also has placed CCM as the number one community college in New Jersey based on the earnings of its graduates. Additionally, BestColleges.com has rated CCM as one of the state’s best community colleges, while Washington Monthly magazine has recognized CCM as a community college well suited for adult learners.
