July 09, 2018 (Garden City, NY) – From July 16 to 20, the Girl Scouts of Nassau County (GSNC) will host a Cyber Security Summer Camp for sixth to eighth grade Girl Scouts. The camp’s programming is powered by TechGirlz, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering girls to be future technology leaders.

Running daily, the hands-on curriculum is designed to help Cadette Girl Scouts develop foundational skills for a career in cyber security.

Throughout the weeklong-Camp, participants will learn foundational principles in online systems and their vulnerabilities with sessions exploring:

• What’s Inside a Computer?
• How Computers Talk: Intro to Network Communications
• Introduction to Linux
• Introduction to Encryption
• Cyber Stalking: How to Keep Your Private Information Safe
• Hacking

As part of its commitment to STEM education, the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) announced the introduction of national Cyber Security badges for girls in grades K–12, beginning in the fall of 2018.

The industry is already experiencing an enormous deficit; according to CyberSeek, a website that tracks the cybersecurity job market, there are currently 285,681 unfilled jobs. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs for cyber security analysts will grow 28 percent by 2026. Unfortunately, as few as 10% of cyber security careers are currently held by women (MSNBC and The Hetchinger Report, 2018).

“While many tech careers are dominated by men, fields like cybersecurity are especially skewed,” said Tracey Welson-Rossman, the founder of TechGirlz. “Often, we find there’s a simple explanation – women aren’t pursuing these careers because they simply don’t know they’re an option. Working with organizations like GSNC, TechGirlz has been able to dramatically increase the number of young women we’ve exposed to new career paths in technology – more than 10,000 girls to date, with the goal of 20,000 by 2020.”

To get your daughter ready for a career in cyber security, register for the Cyber Security Summer Camp on the Girl Scouts of Nassau County website. (Note: space is limited and registered Girl Scouts will be given placement first.)

About TechGirlz

TechGirlz (www.TechGirlz.org) inspires young women to shatter the statistics. The organization’s aim is to help adolescent girls understand that a future in technology does not necessarily equate to “a boring computer job,” but instead transcends the cubicle into nearly every field imaginable. By encouraging women to participate in science and technology today, as well as providing a solid foundation of peers, mentors and positive role models, TechGirlz hopes to spark innovation, exhilaration and motivation in young women to become tomorrow’s tech leaders.

About The Girl Scouts of Nassau County

The Girl Scouts of Nassau County are 23, 000 strong – 17,000 girls and 5,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ from Nassau County to change the world. Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout Troop, and every year since we’ve honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs in Nassau County, across Long Island and throughout the United States and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success.