If you want to change the world, technology can connect you to people, information, and

causes in an instant. It provides tools to help you inform, organize, and mobilize others.

Digital leadership is staying safe and being kind online. It’s also inspiring and

uplifting others using digital devices and tools like apps, email, and video. You can use

technology to reach people quickly all over the world, saving time and sharing your

message with an audience ready to act.

In this badge, explore how digital leaders encourage action. The digital world lends

itself to activism, and you can lead the charge!

Steps1. Discover your digital landscape

2. Examine digital advertising

3. Advocate for yourself and

others online

4. Create content for change

5. Expand your reach

PurposeWhen I’ve earned this badge, I will

know how to use technology for

positive change. I’ll also know how

to make the internet a better place

for myself and others.

Senior Digital Leadership

Senior

Avatars: Digital characters used online, especially in video games. They can wear different clothing,

accessories, and hairstyles.

Bias: A belief or opinion that affects how we perceive and treat others—it can be an aversion or a preference.

Catfish: Someone who pretends to be someone they’re not online.

Data: Another word for information.

Digital community: Who and what you interact with online, including people and organizations.

Digital content: Something created to be used or shared online, like a video, meme, or online presentation.

Digital footprint: The trail of what you do online. It’s generated automatically when you move around in the

digital world. It includes the people and causes you follow, the apps you use, and the networks you’re a part of.

Digital landscape: All the things you do with technology, including the devices, platforms, and tools you use

to connect with others and share messages online.

Digital leadership: When you use technology to protect yourself and inspire and guide other people.

Hashtag activism or slacktivism: Online activism that creates a lot of talk, or “likes,” but may not create

change or progress in the real world.

Intersectionality: Understanding how the systems of inequality in society create unique biases against

people with multiple stereotyped identities.

Misinformation: Information that’s incorrect or false but presented as true. It’s often created on purpose and

spread digitally.

Persona: An aspect of someone’s personality that they present to others.

Phishing: A kind of cyberattack where someone may try to get your private information by pretending to be

a person or business you trust. It can happen by email, chat, or text.

Stereotype: A characteristic or trait—whether positive or negative—that is associated with an identity group.

It is often an oversimplification or exaggeration about the group.

Troll: A person who intentionally starts fights online with mean comments.

Words to Know

2 | Senior

Step 1: Discover your digital landscapeYour digital landscape is what you do with technology, including

the devices (smartphones, tablets, or computers), platforms, and tools

you use, like websites, apps, social media, email, and messaging.

Your digital community is the network of people and groups you

belong to or follow online.

When you move around the real world, you might leave a trail of

footprints. Similarly, many things you do online can create a

digital footprint with data or information about you. Think of it

as a map of your digital landscape, with data about who you follow,

what you click, when you’re online, and how you interact online.

Your digital footprint means different things to different people.

Future schools or employers can check your online presence.

Businesses can buy and use your data to create and market

products. Individuals can use data to scam you into giving up even

more personal information, like your location or personal photos.

Choices—do one:

Crowdsource community data. Make a list of questions to explore

how one community you’re a part of uses technology. For example,

ask if they use social media, how they use it, and explore how

using it makes them feel. Consider how different sites or platforms,

times of day, or periods of time impact how you or others feel. Then survey a group of community members

and analyze your data. How can your community use technology more intentionally, critically, and effectively?

How can you keep everyone safe? How can you build community?

Be intentional with technology. What apps or platforms do you use the most? For how long do you use them? Look

for patterns, such as time of day, platform, and your mood. Then decide: What are three ways to be more intentional

with technology? Maybe you can cut back on screen time, find an app for productivity, or introduce friends to a new

collaboration tool. Design a pocket guide with your ideas. Keep it as a reminder in your wallet or cardholder.

Design avatars for your top platforms. Avatars are digital characters used online, especially in video games, that

wear different clothing, accessories, and hairstyles. A persona is an aspect of your personality that you present to

others. Explore the personas you show online by designing avatars for the three apps, websites, or platforms you use

the most. Make a list for each with the different data you share, like who you follow, what you post or click on, and

anything else that creates a digital trail. Use each list to create an avatar for your online persona in that digital world.

Then compare your avatars: how do you feel about each? Do any represent you more than others? How do you portray

yourself differently through each, if at all?

⇨ For more fun: Find out what data social media platforms collect about you. In the account settings of many

platforms, you can download reports about your personal data. Download and look through the data. What did you

find? What kinds of data does the platform collect about you?

Fill out “My Digital Data

Tracker” on page 4 to explore

your digital landscape.

How can you use technology

more intentionally? How can you

use it to build a better

world for yourself and others?

Digital Leadership | 3

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4 | Senior

When you look at how you use technology, you might be surprised by what you find! Technology can be such a

large part of our day-to-day life, we might not pause to think about the impact it’s having.

Here are some tips to help you stay safe and take care of yourself whenever you use technology:

● Balance your screen time. Check your app or device settings to understand the amount of time you’re

online. Set time limits and balance what you do in the digital and real world—get outdoors, find a hobby,

or volunteer. Use your screen with intention—put it away while eating and an hour before bedtime. Mute

notifications to focus or be in the moment.

● Protect your personal data and devices. Personally identifiable information, like your home address or

password, can be used to identify, contact, or locate you and should never be shared. Keep your devices

and apps updated and change your passwords regularly. Use secure Wi-Fi and turn off location services

and your webcam when you don’t need them.

● Understand how technology affects your mood. What you see online has an impact on you. While it’s

normal to compare yourself to images or content you see online, doing so may not be helpful. For example,

go through accounts you follow and consider unfollowing any that bring you down. This can open up space

for new connections that make you feel good.

● Consider what’s real. Photos can be edited and filtered in any number of ways. People can change their

body size and shape. Blemishes can be airbrushed. Crooked noses can be straightened. Muscles can be

enhanced. When you see an image that looks “perfect,” remember: there’s no such thing! Keep in mind

that what you see online is just one part of someone’s life.

● Reach out for help. If you’re having a hard time, online or offline, tell someone, like a relative, troop

leader, or teacher, who can support you and make sure you’re safe. If you come across something

concerning from a friend (like a sad meme or angry post), reach out, listen, be supportive. If needed, ask

an adult for help or call 911.

Be Proactive in the Digital World

Digital Leadership | 5

Step 2: Examine digital advertisingAdvertisements are all around us, from giant billboards to subtle logos.

Online they might be ads that look like normal social media posts or a

news story sponsored by a major corporation. Online ads come from

different sources. Sometimes they’re shared by the company or brand

who made the item. Sometimes a person posts about a product they

like (or have been paid to promote). A news article might even turn out

to be an ad.

Online ads may sometimes seem like they’re made just for you—

that’s because they are, kind of. Apps and websites are created with

coded algorithms or sets of instructions. Algorithms can make

recommendations off of behaviors and action tracked in your digital

footprint. Think about recommendations for similar videos or seeing

an ad for something you’ve already looked at buying.

That’s why it’s important to consider the creator’s motive and what

they want you to do. Then, you can protect and stand up for yourself

and others.

Choices—do one:

Identify ads everywhere. Track all the ads you see in a day. Where

are they? What kind of ads are they? Can you spot any red flags? Look

for ads in print (like magazines and newspapers), ads around you

(like on buses, billboards, labels, or cabs), commercials and product

placement (in movies and TV), and digital ads (like on social media,

websites, and any accounts). Then, analyze your data. How could the

ads impact how you view the world?

Identify digital ads. Look for ads on your social media, email, and

any other accounts. Write down what they are and when and where

you see them. Flag any targeted ads, biased news stories, sponsored

posts, or other examples intended to misrepresent or manipulate.

After, analyze your data. How many ads did you see on each platform?

What kinds of ads did you see the most? Do you think any of the ads

had access to your data?

Recreate an ad to be inclusive and bias-free. Find an example of

bias or stereotyping in an ad, like an unrealistic image or women’s

products that come only in pink. Analyze the ad. Then rewrite, refilm,

or recreate it with an inclusive and fair point of view. After, compare

the two ads. What kinds of design decisions did you and the original

creator each make?

Look Out for Bias

Every person has their own viewpoint, created by their lived experience. We see different ads, live in different places, do different things, and know different people. We have different identities spanning our gender, race, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, ability, age, and political views. Our experiences and intersecting identities create how we see the world and how the world sees us.

Sometimes the way we see and interact with the world, or how the world sees us, can be biased. Bias is a belief or opinion that affects how we perceive and treat others—it can be an aversion or a preference. Sometimes we know our opinion or belief is biased; that’s conscious bias. Sometimes the bias is unconscious, which can lead us to instantly connect stereotypes or attitudes with certain groups of people based on their identity. A stereotype is a characteristic or trait—whether positive or negative—that is associated with an identity group. It is often an oversimplification or exaggeration about the group.

Biases and stereotypes are the result of the systems of inequality in our society. They impact people both immediately and over time, online and offline. They contribute to a culture where people are judged and excluded for being themselves. Intersectionality is understanding how the systems of inequality in society create unique biases against people with multiple stereotyped identities.

By acknowledging and celebrating our unique life paths, online and offline, we can uplift and celebrate our differences. We can research our sources and read different points of view. We can better understand our individual needs and build a welcoming and inclusive community, in the real world and online.

6 | Senior

Step 3: Advocate for yourself and others onlineDigital communities are connected by goals, interests, or other similarities. They connect on a platform, such as

a website, messaging app, video game, or photo-sharing platform. The community members might be guided by

common values. They might follow a common set of rules to guide how they interact online.

Your feed is a collection of content from the digital communities you belong to. It includes posts from everyone

you connect with online, from your friends and family to businesses, experts, and influencers. All of these small

connections and pieces of data come together to create your feed.

While scrolling and posting can be fun, it can also be used for larger

goals. You can tailor what you see to focus on things you care about,

follow others who support causes that are important to you, find

information, and explore upcoming events and actions.

Choices—do one:

Create a card game. Make a set of “scenario cards” with online

interactions, like people sharing bias, cyberbullying, or promoting

unhealthy body image. For example, what if someone told you to

quit when you’re playing a video game? Or if someone emailed you

asking for your birth date and ID number? Make a set of “action

cards” with ways to respond, like mute, delete, block, respond,

report, and “player’s choice.” Then choose a “scenario” card and pick

an “action” card to match how you’d respond. After several rounds,

choose a random “scenario” and “action” card: what might be good

and bad about responding in that way? To play with other people,

give everyone an “action” deck, play the “scenario,” and discuss how

everyone chose to respond.

Analyze your digital landscape. Create a list of superlatives for

the highs and lows you do and don’t want to encounter online. For

example, you might want to find funny or interesting posts like

“most inspiring quote” or “most hilarious cat video” and not want

hurtful comments or unrealistic images, like “worst body-shaming

ad” or “worst stereotyping news story.” Then, look through your

accounts and find content for each superlative. Then decide: how can

you better reflect your values in your digital landscape?

Map a historical leader’s digital landscape. Choose a leader who

lived before the internet was invented (1983). How did they stand up

for their community? How would they stand up in the digital world?

Map what their digital landscape would look like today. Who would

be in their digital community? Who would they follow? Who would

be in their audience? How would they respond to their opponents,

trolling, or untrue “news” stories? Brainstorm how technology could

help with their goals and add it to your map. Then look at the map:

Would you want to be a part of the community? What can you learn

from them? How can you be a leader online and offline?

⇨ For more fun: Explore

influencers. Influencers are people

who have built a following on

social media. Many offer important

information in their field, like

fashion, activism, music, or food.

Others just have lots of people

follow them. Choose an influencer

to research. What makes them an

expert? Have they created impact

online and offline? Are they a digital

leader or social media celebrity?

Do they embody values of digital

leadership or notoriety and fame?

Digital Leadership | 7

Online, you may encounter ads and messages from

many different points of view, telling you what

to buy, how to look, or what to believe and value.

You may encounter cyberbullies, catfish (people

pretending to be someone they’re not), or trolls

(people who intentionally start fights online). You

might get phishing emails (trying to get your private

information) or messages scamming you for money.

You might find ads with unrealistic bodies and a lack

of representation for groups of people.

How you respond in the digital world can impact

your life and the lives of others. Protecting your

privacy, insisting on kind and honest interactions,

and monitoring how you engage in the digital world

are all important aspects of being a digital leader.

As you scroll, pause and consider when you see

something that you’re no longer interested in or that

brings you down. Review what and who you follow

every once in a while to open up space and keep

your feed full of things you like and care about. And

remember that any post is just one curated moment;

it’s not the whole picture!

Here are some other ideas to take care of yourself

and others on social media:

● If you want to control who sees what you share,

you can change your privacy settings.

● If someone is leaving unkind comments on your

posts, you can use comment filters.

● If you want to stop seeing updates from someone

you’re connected with, you can mute them.

● If someone’s behavior is impacting you negatively

and muting or unfollowing isn’t enough, you can

block them.

● If you see anything that doesn’t follow the

guidelines or rules for the platform, you can report

it. You can also report bullying.

● If you see someone sharing anything to suggest

they may be sad or angry, reach out to them

and listen to find ways to be kind and supportive.

● If you’re ever feeling sad or angry, reach out to

someone you trust, like a relative or troop leader.

Lead in Your Digital Landscape

8 | Senior

Step 4: Create content for changeAs a digital leader, you can connect with and amplify people

and organizations who are already working on an issue. You

can mobilize your network around causes you care about. You

can share information and make plans with others to act. You

can set an example and urge others to get involved. You can

promote inclusive and honest digital experiences while using

your own talents to help solve a problem.

Digital leaders can create real change by reaching people all

over the world with a message and encouraging them to act.

However, sometimes digital content creates a buzz online, but

does not take the next step to take action or make progress

in the real world. That’s sometimes called hashtag activism

or slacktivism. Digital content can spread awareness for

an issue, but it also needs action to address why an issue

happens in the first place.

For Step 4, choose a topic you care about, like a lack of access

to healthy foods, a need for more green space near your

school, or hate towards an individual or group because of

an identity they have, like race, gender expression, or body

size. Find out what the impacted community needs and how

to support them. Then create original digital content, like a

video, social media post, email campaign, or anything else

for your audience that has action behind it and promotes a

positive and inclusive digital community.

Choices—do one:

Make content for a community that may not be online. Research local groups that may not have easy access

to technology, like students at under-resourced schools, people without homes, or people in nursing homes. By

connecting with the community, you can learn about their obstacles, creative solutions, and how to support them. For

example, you might create print materials with information about places to get internet access, like public libraries or

areas with free Wi-Fi. You might organize inside and outside of the community to help folks get online and navigate

the digital world.

Make a crowdsourced archive of community stories. Choose a historical or current issue in your community.

Find community members who have been impacted and record their different voices and experiences. Explore what

they need to feel safe and solve the problem. Then you might bring the stories together in a video, podcast, or other

digital storytelling format.

Make any digital content to engage your audience. The digital content with the most impact inspires people to

act. Choose a topic and goal for how you want your audience to help. Find the best digital tools to create your content.

Maybe it’s a live webinar, an online petition, or original digital art. To create an impact in the real world, make sure

your content has action behind it.

Use “Create Digital Content That

Makes an Impact” on page 10

to plan and create your content.

Digital Leadership | 9

Create Digital Content That Makes an Impact

Follow these steps to create content that makes a difference:

Research the digital landscape. Choose a problem, topic, or

issue you’re passionate about and find out more. Research the

root causes and what others are doing to help. Then consider

what you can do. How can you uplift others? How can you

support these efforts?

Keep the affected community at the center. Make sure that

how you communicate about the problem and solutions feels

good for people in the affected community. What language do

they use to talk about the challenges? What message do they

want to send?

Understand your audience. Who do you want to reach? Are you

trying to directly connect with people impacted by the problem

or raise awareness and mobilize people outside the community?

Look into how the audience uses technology. What inspires and

engages them? What platforms do they use?

Explore your digital tools. How can images, text, video, or

any other digital content share your message? Find the right

platforms to create and share your content. What tools can you

use to make the content? How will you reach your audience?

Create accessible content. Use photos, text, facts, video, or

anything else to motivate and inspire others about your topic.

Include a specific call to action: what do you want people to do?

Make the content accessible, written in a language and shared in

places familiar to your audience.

Evaluate and amplify your content. What impact did your

content have? Collect audience engagement data, like the

number of likes, follows, clicks, comments, or other feedback.

Most importantly—how many people took action? Consider

how you can expand your effort. Do you create more content or

share more widely? How can you grow the impact your digital

community can have?

10 | Senior

Step 5: Expand your reach.Big change doesn’t happen overnight. Even when a new policy

changes the law, it comes after many meetings and tons of planning.

Behind progress are people working together to organize others and

act on their values every day.

Engaging content with a thoughtful message can teach people, ask

them to consider a different viewpoint, and give them information

to act. Even very successful online campaigns use non-digital ways

to spread their message, like signs, marches, T-shirts, flash mobs,

conferences, or buttons.

After you create digital content, evaluate how effective it was. How

can you expand your reach and spread your message even more widely?

Choices—do one:

Adapt your content for print. Remake your content from Step 4 to

post and share in the real world. Decide who to reach and where, like

the school, community center, library, city hall, or doctor’s office.

Think creatively about how to engage your audience, such as making

posters, yard signs, and flyers to spread awareness or designing

buttons and stickers to show support. Remember to include a call to

action: what do you want people to do?

Amplify your message with an in-person action. Events and

actions bring people together to speak, march, and celebrate.

Communities can host cleanups or paint murals. They can organize

mutual aid to make sure everyone has what they need. Decide on

something you can do in person to share your message from Step 4.

You could meet and collaborate on next steps with other people and

groups. You could hold a rally or event to get people motivated.

Branch out with other media. How did your audience respond to

your digital content from Step 4? What worked? What didn’t? What

feedback did you receive? How can your content be more inclusive

or impactful? You might consider other media for your message and

brainstorm places to share it. Then create the next iteration to share.

Document how well each medium works and decide which was most

effective for your message.

You can use technology to:

● Communicate. Digital tools connect people around the world. Different platforms offer features to share text, photo, and video. Messaging and video apps connect thousands of people at once.

● Raise awareness. Technology can be used to create and share content. Movements and people can share information and actions, stories of their struggles, and ambitions for a better future. They can question those in positions of leadership, hold them accountable, and ask them to use their power and influence for positive change.

● Organize, imagine, plan, and coordinate. Digital actions can include people from all over. A hashtag can create a common topic for people to share their own experiences. An app that focuses on collaboration can give people a place to build their ideas.

● Mobilize money and resources. Technology can connect movements from across the world to share strategies and skills. It can organize everyday people to donate to grassroots campaigns. It can mobilize aid after a natural disaster and everyday necessities within a community.

Your Digital

Toolbox

Digital Leadership | 11

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Printed in the United States

12 | Senior

Volunteer’s Guide to the Senior Digital Leadership Badge*

Step 1: Discover your digital landscape 30–40 minutes

Ask: What is in your digital landscape?

Share: Your digital landscape is everything you do with technology, like a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Your digital community is the network of people and groups you belong to or follow online. What you do online can create a digital footprint with data or information about you. Future schools and employers, businesses, and people you may or may not know all have different reasons for wanting to know about your digital landscape.

Do: Have Seniors fill out “My Digital Data Tracker” on page 4 and discuss any reactions they have to their data. Then brainstorm ways to encourage safe and positive digital experiences, using “Be Proactive in the Digital World” in the Senior Booklet for ideas.

Choices—do one:

● Crowdsource community data. Discuss communities Seniors belong to, online and offline, and how participating makes them feel. Have them choose one and use their tracker data to inspire questions to survey community members about their social media use. Explain that this data will showcase the community’s digital landscape. After they’ve gathered data, have Seniors brainstorm ways the community can use technology more intentionally, critically, and effectively. Ask questions like “How can you use technology to keep the community safe? How can you build community?” Have them create a list of suggestions to improve their digital experience. This activity may take additional time and be done in two parts, before and after surveying the community.

Materials: Paper; pencils; tablets or laptops (if creating a digital survey)

● Be intentional with technology. Have Seniors analyze the data on their tracker to identify the apps or platforms they use the most and any patterns, like between time of day, platform, and their mood. Explain that by looking at different aspects of their digital landscape and digital

footprint, they can find ways to be more intentional when using technology. Have them choose three ideas to share with the troop to encourage positive digital habits in one another. Then have Seniors create a pocket guide to remind them to add the habits into their digital routines.

Materials: Smartphones, tablets, or laptops; paper; index cards; markers; pencils

● Design avatars for your top platforms. Explain that an avatar is a digital character used online and that a persona is an aspect of your personality that you present to others. Ask if anyone has created an avatar before, and if so, what it looked like. Have Seniors identify the three websites or apps they use the most on their tracker and make a list for each with all the different data they share. Have them use each list to create an avatar, each representing an online persona for the platform. Ask Seniors to share and compare their avatars. Discuss how different the data is and how the personas do or do not portray Seniors differently on each platform, if at all.

Materials: Examples of avatars; paper; pencils; markers or colored pencils; smartphones, tablets, or laptops (optional)

⇨ For more fun: Help Seniors to request, download, and analyze reports about their personal data from their social media accounts.

Step 2: Examine digital advertising • 35–45 minutes

Ask: How many ads do you estimate you see in one day?

Share: Ads are all around us—from a billboard to a subtle logo in a movie. Online it might be an ad that looks like a normal social media post or a news story sponsored by a major corporation. Everything online is created by people with their own viewpoints. That’s why it’s important to think about what any content is saying, both in real life and online.

Do: Review “Look Out for Bias” from the Senior Booklet and ask Seniors to identify situations where they’ve seen bias and stereotypes in action. Use the questions in the booklet

*Detailed choice activities, meeting tools, and additional resources and materials can be found within the Volunteer Toolkit on my.girlscouts.org.

Tips and ideas to help you guide your troop through this badge.

SENIOR • Digital Leadership | 1

as a guide, but give Seniors time to open up and share any examples, considering their impact on both the individual and larger society.

Choices—do one:

● Identify ads everywhere. Ask Seniors for examples of ads they’ve encountered and where they appeared. Have them set up a data table to log where they see ads (in print, online, in the world), what kind of ad they are (category), and any red flags. Then have them analyze the data. Were any ads misleading or pretending to be something else? Which were the most interesting or convincing? How does each ad make them feel? Have Seniors share their findings.

⇨ For more fun: Seniors can compare the ads they see on social media with those someone else sees to explore how advertisers target different audiences.

Materials: Pencils; paper; smartphones, tablets, or laptops to look for digital ads

● Identify digital ads. Ask Seniors for examples of ads they’ve encountered online and where they appeared. Have them set up a data table to log where they see digital ads, what kind of ad they are (category), and any red flags. Remind them of the different places they might find ads, like sponsored posts, targeted ads, or someone paid to promote. After, have them analyze the data by: 1) calculating the number of ads on each platform, 2) identifying what ad categories they see the most of, and 3) estimating how many (if any) had access to their data.

⇨ For more fun: Have Seniors track their online activity, including websites they visit, places they shop, and anything else they search for or do before waiting to see if they start to encounter related ads online.

Materials: Pencils; paper; smartphones, tablets, or laptops to look for digital ads

● Recreate an ad to be inclusive and bias-free. Show Seniors examples of bias in a news story or ad. Then have them look for other examples in digital ads. Help them to analyze the ad carefully before rewriting, refilming, or recreating the ad to have an inclusive and fair point of view. After, have them compare the two ads, considering the motives and viewpoint of each creator.

Materials: Examples of bias in a news story or ad; smartphones, tablets, or laptops to look for and recreate digital ads (with video or graphics apps); paper; pencils; markers or colored pencils

Step 3: Advocate for yourself and others online • 30–40 minutes

Ask: How can you make a difference in the digital world?

Share: While scrolling and posting can be just for fun, they can also be used for larger goals. Your “feed” is a collection of content from the digital communities you belong to. You can tailor it to focus on things you care about, follow individuals and organizations who share your values,

find interesting information, and explore upcoming events and actions.

Do: Have Seniors imagine they’re moderating a digital community with hundreds of people. Ask them to suggest ideas to foster wellness online. How would they take care of themselves? How would they support and amplify others? What if there’s conflict? Use “Lead in Your Digital Landscape” from the Senior Booklet for ideas.

Choices—do one:

● Create a card game. Have Seniors brainstorm “scenarios,” like people sharing bias, cyberbullying, or promoting unhealthy body image, and “actions” to respond, like mute, delete, block, respond, and report. Have each Senior make a deck of “scenario” cards and a deck of “action” cards with a “player’s choice” card, too. Then have one Senior choose a “scenario” card and everyone can pick an “action” card to match how they’d respond. Compare responses and discuss. After several rounds, choose a random “scenario” and “action” to brainstorm what might be good and bad about responding in that way. Encourage Seniors to play their game with others, like friends and family.

Materials: Whiteboard or chart paper and markers; index cards; scissors; markers or colored pencils

● Analyze your digital landscape. Ask, “What’s the most memorable thing you’ve seen online?” Have Seniors create a list of superlatives for the highs and lows they may encounter, like “most inspiring quote,” “most hilarious cat video,” “worst body-shaming ad,” or “worst stereotyping news story.” Then have them go through any of their online accounts to find content that matches each superlative. After, have them share, compare how the different kinds of content make them feel, and brainstorm ways to better reflect their values in their feed.

Materials: Whiteboard or chart paper and markers for brainstorming; paper; pencils; smartphones, tablets, and laptops

● Map a historical leader’s digital landscape. Ask Seniors, “How does digital leadership look different from or the same as leadership in real life? How can you show your values digitally?” Have them choose a favorite historical leader from before the internet (1983) and imagine how they would act online: What would they do or share? What would their digital community be like? Have Seniors create a map of the leader’s imaginary digital world and footprint, including who they follow, who would follow them, and how they would use technology to help with their goals. Have Seniors share and discuss: 1) if they’d like to be a part of the community, and 2) what they can learn.

Materials: Paper; pencils; markers or colored pencils; smartphones, tablets, or laptops (optional for research)

⇨ For more fun: Explore influencers. Ask, “What’s an influencer? What makes someone an influencer?” Have each Senior choose (or pair up and choose) an influencer

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to research their credentials and better understand their expertise and impact in the digital and real worlds. Have them share what they find. Ask, “Are they a digital leader or just a social media celebrity? Do they embody values of digital leadership or just notoriety and fame?” Discuss and compare.

Step 4: Create content for change • 60+ minutes (will vary depending on activity chosen)

Ask: How can you create digital content to address an issue in your community? What could you do, online, to motivate people and create change in the real world?

Share: Digital leaders can reach people all over the world with a strong, well-researched, and well-prepared message. “Hashtag activism” or “slacktivism” is when digital content creates a buzz, but doesn’t actually accomplish anything. Digital content can spread awareness for an issue, but it also needs action to address why an issue happens in the first place.

Do: Go over each part of “Create Digital Content That Makes an Impact” in the Senior Booklet. Have them write down any ideas. Remind Seniors of these steps as they continue to create digital content in Steps 4 and 5.

Choices—do one:

● Make content for a community that may not be online. Seniors may want to reach people who aren’t online. Encourage them to consider what it would be like to not have reliable internet access. As they research, make sure they talk with community members to learn about the obstacles they face, the creative solutions they’re using, and ways others can support them. Then Seniors can create content or an initiative to help. For example, they could design print materials to share with the community including information about places to get internet access. Then they could organize volunteers and hold an event to help folks get online and navigate the digital world.

Materials: Smartphones, tablets, or laptops; computer printer; paper; markers

● Make a crowdsourced archive of community stories. Seniors may want to share stories from community members about a historical or current issue. Discuss how storytelling can be used to build awareness and create change. Help Seniors to choose an issue and find community members to share their stories. Before meeting with them, Seniors can come up with questions that explore the problem and what the community needs to feel safe. They can collect and record different voices and experiences to bring together in a video, podcast, or other storytelling format. Seniors might share their projects with the troop or community.

Materials: Paper; pencil; smartphones, tablets, or laptops with audio- or video-editing apps

● Make any digital content to engage your audience. Seniors can create anything they want to make an impact on a problem they care about. While brainstorming a topic, audience, and content ideas, have them consider how they can motivate people and inspire them to act in the real world. Encourage them to find the best digital tools to create their content and reach their audience.

Materials: Paper; pencil; smartphones, tablets, or laptops; other materials as needed

Step 5: Expand your reach • 40+ minutes (will vary depending on activity chosen)

Ask: Now that you’ve created one piece of digital content, how can it be amplified to have a larger impact?

Share: Big change doesn’t happen all at once. Behind progress are people organizing others, building community, and acting on their values day by day. Engaging content with a thoughtful message can teach people, ask them to consider a different viewpoint, and give them information to act.

Do: Ask Seniors how they want to make a difference. Explore how their content from Step 4 can or did create impact. Have them brainstorm ways to expand their content. Use “Your Digital Toolbox” in the Senior Booklet for ideas.

Choices—do one:

● Adapt your content for print. Have Seniors remake their content from Step 4 to be shared in the real world. Encourage them to meet their audience in places they already go and think creatively about engaging them. They might make posters, yard signs, and flyers, or they could design buttons, stickers, and other merchandise. They might reach out to a local newspaper that circulates within the community or create a display in a municipal building or library. Remind Seniors to include a call to action: what do they want their audience to do? Help Seniors distribute their content in the real world and track any feedback.

Materials: Paper; markers or colored pencils; materials to make yard signs, buttons, stickers, or other items; smartphones, tablets, or laptops and printer (optional)

● Amplify your message with an in-person action. Ask Seniors to share any times they’ve made a difference with their community. They may have gone to a beach cleanup, a potluck, or a march. Have Seniors identify something they can do in person to share their digital message from Step 4 and act together in community. Challenge them to then use technology to amplify their in-person action, such as inviting people, promoting the event, documenting the day, and creating materials. Then have them plan and implement their idea.

Materials: Paper; pencil; smartphones, tablets, or laptops (optional); other materials as needed

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● Branch out with other media. Discuss how platforms reach different audiences and show different kinds of content. Have Seniors collect and evaluate any feedback or reactions to their digital content from Step 4. They can consider things like what worked, what to improve, and ways to make the content more inclusive or impactful. Have Seniors create a new iteration, this time to be shared on another platform. Have them collect feedback again and compare how well each medium (the original from Step 4 and the new medium) worked. Have them decide which medium and platform were most effective for their message.

Materials: Paper; pencil; smartphones, tablets, or laptops; other materials as needed

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First published in 2021 by Girl Scouts of the United States of America, 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2798, www.girlscouts.org

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