Ambassador Digital Leadership

You have tools at your fingertips to communicate and find information at lightning

speed. You can research, read the news, find upcoming events, and learn new skills.

Digital tools and technology like apps and computers lift the barriers of time and

distance, allowing you to connect with people all over the world.

In this badge, explore how you can use technology to build community. Digital leadership

is when you use technology to inspire and guide other people. It’s also how you

take care of yourself and others online. Digital leaders can include everyone from a

community organizer to a world leader to you!

Steps1. Explore your digital landscape

2. Examine digital bias

3. Advocate for your community

4. Create content for change

5. Evaluate and expand your impact

PurposeWhen I’ve earned this badge, I will know how

to use technology to lead and inspire. I’ll also

know how to make the internet and world a

better place for myself and others.

Ambassador Digital Leadership

Ambassador

Algorithm: A set of instructions. When coded, they’re computer programs.

Artificial intelligence (AI): Computer programs that make decisions or recommendations based on what

they have learned from their experiences with data.

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

Data: Another word for information.

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

Digital content: Something created for 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 and

act 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 you use (like smartphones,

tablets, or computers), the platforms or tools you use (like websites, apps, social media, email, and

messaging), who you connect with, and anything you do to put a message 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.

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

spread digitally.

Social engineering: A cyberattack strategy that attempts to manipulate or deceive a user so that they give

up their personal information.

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.

Words to Know

2 | Ambassador

Step 1: Explore your digital landscape Your digital landscape is what you do with technology, from the devices you use (like smartphones, tablets, or

computers) to the platforms and tools (like websites, apps, social media, email, and messaging). It’s who you connect

with and anything you do online.

Many things you do online can leave a digital footprint with data or information about you, like who you follow, what

apps you use, and what you search for. This happens automatically when you move around the digital world. Sometimes,

businesses can use your data to market their message or product to you. That’s called social engineering.

Since you don’t always know who’s on the other side of a device,

it’s important to keep you and your data safe. And by finding

people with similar goals and interests, you can create a digital

community of people to learn, share, and act together.

Choices—Do one:

Design a flowchart. Create a flowchart that shows how you move

around the digital world. Add people you interact with, information

you search for, videos watched, songs streamed, and anything else

you do. Look at your finished flowchart: Where can you take control

of your online experience? Where can you be more intentional in digital spaces? For example, if you spend a lot of

time on social media, purposefully post positive messages and information. If you’re easily distracted by pop-up ads,

learn how to block them and share that tip with your digital community.

Make a digital pledge with friends. Brainstorm with friends and decide how to support one another online.

Discuss how you use technology with questions like, “Do you use social media? What do you use it for? How does it

make you feel?” Go deeper and discuss how different platforms, different times of day, or different periods of time

impact how you feel. A lot can be learned when you talk about technology, so open up with your friends: is technology

relaxing, stressful, helpful, or all three? Then decide how you’ll pledge to work together and keep your digital

community friendly and safe.

Track technology’s impact on your mood. Fill out “My Digital Data Tracker”: What was your mood before and after

each digital experience? Maybe you learned something new and feel motivated to act. Perhaps you saw photos of

friends and feel like you’re missing out. Analyze your data and decide which sites, social media accounts, or content

affected your mood in positive or negative ways. Go deeper and investigate how duration online or the time of day can

impact your mood. Make a plan to focus your digital experiences on ones that make you feel good—even better if they

can help others!

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?

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4 | Ambassador

Check In with Your Digital Wellness

Taking care of yourself is important in the real world and the

digital world. Here are some tips to stay safe whenever you

use technology:

● Understand your screen time. The settings on an app

or device can tell you how much time you spend on it. If

you’re surprised by what you find, look for more balance

between the digital and real worlds. Many devices and

apps let you choose the amount of time you spend

on them. You can also mute notifications when you’re

enjoying the real world!

● Safeguard your data and devices. Don’t share personally

identifiable information that can be used to identify,

contact, or locate you, like your address or password.

Keep your technology updated, and change your

passwords regularly. Use a secure Wi-Fi connection and

turn off location services when you don’t need them.

● Think before you click. Don’t click on links or attachments

from strangers. Consider what you’re looking at—beware

of any offer that sounds too good to be true, like new

products for cheap prices. The same logic goes for images:

if the person looks perfect, the photo is probably not real!

You’re also only seeing a glimpse of time instead of the

whole picture.

● Check in with your feelings. How do you feel after

you’ve been online? If you’re feeling down or worse than

before, adjust the way you experience the digital

world. Find platforms and people that connect with

your interests and make you feel good.

● Take care of yourself and others. If you’re having a

hard time, online or offline, reach out to someone, like a

relative, troop leader, or teacher. They can support you

to find help and make sure you’re safe. You can also be

supportive to others. If you see something concerning,

remember that a text, call, or message can go a long way!

If needed, reach out to a trusted adult or call 911.


Step 2: Examine digital bias Everyone has their own point of view. It’s shaped by your experiences, environment, and personality. Your point of

view, in turn, shapes how you interpret experiences and information.

Our point of view comes out online and offline. For example, 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

known as 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. Online, this could be something like a body positivity

account that only features people of one body type.

All digital content is created by people with their own viewpoints and biases. Think about ads or products for women

that only come in pink—that’s a stereotype. 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.

Much of the digital world is created with algorithms, or sets of instructions. They recommend videos, search for

information, and analyze data. Even algorithms can have a point of view, be biased, or be affected by stereotypes,

because they’re written by people.

Monitoring what you see and share online is an important part of digital leadership. For example, misinformation

is information that’s incorrect or false but presented as true. It’s often created on purpose and spread digitally. Make

sure the messages you share are positive, helpful, honest, and inclusive. By thoughtfully managing your digital

landscape, you can make it safe, kind, and fair.

Choices—do one:

Create an inclusive, diverse, and bias-free world. Look at your digital landscape. What are people sharing? Can

you find a variety of voices and viewpoints? Identify examples of bias, stereotyping, misinformation, or anything else

that seems negative. How can you make your landscape a more inclusive place? Take steps to be more intentional in

the digital world. You might report, mute, block, or unfollow accounts. You might find accounts that align with your

values or offer new perspectives. You might do something to make the internet a more inclusive and safer place, like

advocating for body positivity or voices from people of diverse backgrounds.

Make a skit or video for younger Girl Scouts. Digital leaders teach others how to make the internet a safe and

friendly place. Act out and share the importance of thinking critically online with younger children. You might explore

how comparing yourself to people online isn’t fair. You might share what it feels like to see people who look like you in

online images that are hurtful or talked about in a mean way. Explain any terms and include examples children can

relate to, like how easily a photo can be edited or how misinformation can be spread as gossip at school. Give tips to

stay safe online.

Explore social comparisons. Filtered photos and people only posting highlights can create a pressure to be

perfect. However, they really give us one small and often glamorous glimpse into someone’s life. It’s normal to want

to compare yourself to others, but doing so may not be helpful. To explore, look carefully through your accounts,

platforms, and other places online. Note any examples of bias, stereotyping, or misinformation you find, like edited

images, posts, or portrayals of people that only give part of the story. Consider how what you see makes you feel.

How could it impact what other people think about themselves or the world? Then find ways to get rid of the negative

messages or comparisons, like muting or unfollowing accounts.

6 | Ambassador

Dig Deeper into Algorithmic Bias

You might not expect that a computer is biased

because it’s a machine, but like anything created by

humans, computers and other technology are

susceptible to the same biases as the creator.

Bias can exist in the message that’s being shared and

also within the platform sharing it. Some algorithms

tell the computer what to do with data—what to

search, what to flag, or what to recommend. If the

person writing the code has a bias, conscious or

unconscious, they might write a biased algorithm. Or

if the data computed by the algorithm is biased, then

the result will be biased, too.

This matters because algorithms are used to create

artificial intelligence (AI). AI programs make

decisions or recommendations based on what they

have learned from their experiences with data. If

the data put into the algorithm reflects systemic

bias, like specific standards of beauty or expected

activities for different genders, then the algorithms

will perpetuate that bias.

For example, facial recognition programs are created

using thousands of photos of people. If it doesn’t

occur to the creators to include photos showing a

diversity of people, the algorithm might be biased by

age, race, skin color, ethnicity, body size, or gender. If

the initial algorithm was created using photos mostly

of adult men or mostly white people, it would then

have trouble recognizing the faces of women, kids,

and people of color.

Algorithmic bias might just seem annoying or

frustrating when it recommends music or movies

you don’t especially like. But what about more

important issues? What if a dating app had bias built

in? Or if your spam filter mistakenly blocks all emails

from colleges or potential employers? How might

bias in technology negatively impact our educational,

health, and legal systems?

Because AI is so widely used, algorithmic bias has

the potential to impact whole populations of people

and perpetuate historic injustices. Tech companies

are exploring how they can best remove bias from

algorithms and AI. You can also be thoughtful and

observant of the apps and programs you use and

watch out for potential bias.


Step 3: Advocate for your communityIn the past, leaders relied on in-person actions like rallies and

town halls to mobilize others. Today, digital leaders can share their

opinions and raise awareness online. They can repost groups to

donate to, petitions to sign, and actions to attend. Technology has

increased their options and potential reach. Distance and location

don’t matter, and communication is nearly instant.

Being a digital leader means understanding that your digital actions

can have real-world impact. What you share can have an impact

on others, and what you see can have an impact on you. Scrolling,

favoriting, and commenting can be fun, but it can also be useful. You

can focus on things you care about, following individuals and causes

that are important to you. You can share ideas with your network.

You can uplift others. You can make plans, gather resources, find

volunteers, and connect with your community.

Choices—do one:

Amplify others online. By boosting the work of others, especially

people who are most affected by an issue, you make the real world

and the digital world better places. Look for causes or stories that

inspire you. Can you verify that they’re real, honest, and accurate? If

you can, share them with your digital community. Collect reactions,

shares, and any other feedback from your audience.

Use digital tools to mobilize your community. Search online

for an in-person event to make a difference, like volunteering at a

food pantry, attending a town hall, or going to a community service

day in the park. Post about the event and invite others to join you.

Encourage people to make a commitment, and use technology (like

a calendar invitation or reminder email) to prepare, connect, and

reflect together.

⇨ For more fun: Host your own community gathering or action, in

person or online.

Examine leaders who are using their voices online. Choose an

issue and find digital leaders who are advocating to solve it. Explore

their digital footprints: What do they post? What information or

resources do they share? Who do they interact with? How do they

amplify the impacted community? What makes their content

engaging? Look for smart and effective ways they use technology.

Then create your own best-practice guide.

Be a Leader Online

and OfflineControl your privacy settings. On many platforms, you can reach different audiences, like close friends, a community or group, the public, or just one person. You can make your account private so only people you’re connected with see what you share.

Be in charge of what you see and share. Manage the conversation on content you share and remember that you can mute, block, and unfollow. You can also report bullying or content and accounts that don’t follow the guidelines or rules.

Review your connections. Let go of negative content to make way for new people and ideas. Find others who share your interests to expand your digital landscape.

Reach for help. If you’re feeling sad or angry, reach out to someone you trust. If you come across something concerning from a friend, like a sad meme or angry posts, reach out, listen, and be supportive.

Uplift your digital communities. Celebrate other people’s success and amplify what they do! Share and reshare things that are important to your digital communities, like causes, petitions, and new businesses.

Collaborate with others. Share information, raise awareness, and work together to envision a better future. You can organize, plan, and mobilize. You can ask those in positions of leadership to use their power and influence for positive change.

8 | Ambassador

Step 4: Create content for changeOnline activism sometimes creates a lot of talk, or “likes,” but not much real change or progress. That’s sometimes

called hashtag activism or slacktivism. People might post support on social media, but not take the next step in

the real world. Though many of our interactions take place online, there’s important work to be done offline. Getting

people to take action in the real world calls for creativity and inclusivity.

So how do you motivate your community to move beyond talk and make a difference?

● Bring your own talents to support what you care about, like creating a performance to inspire and mobilize

people or an infographic to share information about the cause.

● Research and carefully craft your message to support the people you’re trying to help and reach your

audience most effectively.

● Use digital tools strategically to further your cause, like using your feed to uplift others already working on

the issue or designing new digital content.

For Step 4, choose a topic you care about, like unhealthy messages about beauty and body image or the scarcity

of books, grocery stores, or internet access in some communities. Find out what the impacted community needs and

how you can support them. Explore the digital landscape and create

original digital content that engages your digital community.

Choices—do one:

Build a digital toolkit. A toolkit is a set of tools, like those in a

kitchen drawer or toolbox. Choose a cause or topic you want others

to know more about. Find facts and resources to share, like articles,

books, podcasts, and videos. Compile your research into a digital

toolkit with activities and ways for people to get involved. Include

messaging others can share to amplify the cause on different

platforms. Share your toolkit widely to get others involved and work

together to create positive change.

Organize an online action. The most effective actions are taken by

groups, not single individuals. How can you collaborate with others

to create change? You might ask people to share a message online

all at once, quickly reaching leaders with power and influence. You

might create a hashtag campaign to archive stories from people who

have experienced bias or harm. Choose a format that’s engaging and

accessible and that will mobilize others, online and offline.

Make any digital content to create impact. What cause will

you support? Who will you work with? What digital tools will you

use? Choose a topic, audience, and goal that combines awareness-

raising with concrete action. You might include an online petition

to share with community officials. You might moderate a live

community forum or create a blog exploring different aspects of

the issue.

Use “Your Checklist for Digital

Impact” on page 10 to

plan and create your content.


Your Checklist for Digital Impact As a digital leader, you want to create change in the digital and real worlds.

Use this page to help you plan and build digital content that makes a difference.

CAUSE: Research the landscape.

What? How?

COMMUNITY: Keep community at the center.

AUDIENCE: Know your audience.

PLATFORM: Choose your tools.

Learn about the root causes of an issue you’re passionate about and explore how the problem impacts different audiences. Find out what the facts are, what public opinion is, what the experts say, and who else is trying to help.

What content will be appealing to the audience? Decide on a goal for what you want your audience to do and what digital content can support it, like a photo, video, or toolkit. Then choose online and offline channels to share it, like social media, email, and in person.

MESSAGE: Decide what and how to share.

Craft your message to create digital content for your audience. Include photos, text, facts, video, or anything else to motivate and inspire. Make your content accessible, written in a language that is relatable, and shared in places familiar to the audience.

Decide who to reach with your content. You might want to directly help those impacted, engage the public, or focus on community and government leaders. Learn how the audience uses technology and more about their involvement with the problem. Are they helping or harming? What platforms do they use?

Make your project something the community wants and needs. Find out what’s important to them. How can you communicate about the problem and solutions in a way that feels good to the affected community? What language do they use? What message do they want to share?

Working with others can make your ideas even better. Who can make sure your message spreads far and wide? What skills do you each have to contribute?

TEAM: Connect with others.

Engaging content can build awareness, ask the audience to consider a new viewpoint, and give them information to act. But one social media post or documentary won’t change the world! Make sure there’s a call to action for the real world behind your digital content.

ACTION: Mobilize in the real world.

Did your content have an impact? After you share it, collect data about the audience’s engagement, such as likes, follows, clicks, comments, or other feedback. How can you improve what you did and expand your efforts? Use the data to grow the impact your digital community can have.

IMPACT: Evaluate your content.

10 | Ambassador

Step 5: Evaluate and expand your impact Change doesn’t happen magically overnight. It comes from a

coordinated series of small efforts that grow into something officials,

lawmakers, and the public can’t ignore. Organizers can use

technology to engage new people, raise awareness, locate resources,

and drive donations. They can collaborate, communicate, and

imagine a better world.

Now that you’ve created digital content, review any data to evaluate

how your audience engaged with your content. Look at comments,

track participation rates and shares, and analyze any other indicators

to understand your impact.

Choices—do one:

Present your content. Share your content from Step 4 with the

people or group impacted by the problem (virtually or in person).

Collect feedback to better understand how your content helped and

what to improve. Listen to their reactions and take notes. Create

another piece of content to better address what they need. Analyze

any feedback. Did the new content better engage your audience? Did

it better serve the impacted community?

Launch a full campaign. Use any feedback you received on your

content from Step 4 to inspire a full campaign. Combine digital and

real-world organizing and mobilizing tools to create a comprehensive

approach. For each element you add, include a tangible action. Use

tools that will reach your audience. Then analyze any feedback to

understand the impact of your campaign.

Choose a different next step. How can you improve your content

from Step 4 to have a bigger impact? Gather and analyze any

feedback. What did your audience think? How did they respond in

the digital world? Did they act in the real world? Decide what you

can do to generate more action, online and offline, like share new

content across multiple platforms or shift your audience. Use the

data to inform your next step towards a better future for all.

Social Media Helping Global

Movements Check out how people have used

social media in movements all over

the world:

Anti-Violence Campaigns: Social

media has played a powerful role in

raising awareness about violence

based on gender, race, class, and

age. Black Lives Matter, MeToo, and

March For Our Lives all use social

media to shine a spotlight on injustice

and demand systemic change. It has

been used to organize demonstrations

and call for policy changes across

the US and worldwide.

Political Action: In the early 2010s,

pro-democracy movements spread

across countries in North Africa and

the Middle East, including Egypt,

Tunisia, and Bahrain. Millions

of posts, thousands of blogs, and

thousands of videos spread a

message of freedom and democracy.

Movements all over the world use

social media in the same way:

to share a message and mobilize

people for action.

Natural Disaster Relief: Social

media can help people to check in

with loved ones and organize

on-the-ground relief after an

earthquake, hurricane, tornado,

or tsunami. Social media can be

used to mobilize resources and

ask for donations of time, money,

or materials. It’s been used in

Haiti, Japan, the United States,

and around the world to

help those impacted by

natural disasters.


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12 | Ambassador

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Volunteer’s Guide to the Ambassador Digital Leadership Badge*

Step 1: Explore your digital landscape 30–40 minutes

Ask: How can you be a leader in the digital world?

Share: Your digital landscape is everything you do with technology: the devices, platforms, and tools you use. Almost everything you do online creates a digital footprint with data or information about you. You can research and find important news, stay up to date with events, and connect with others. You can also create your own digital community of people who want to learn, share, and act together.

Do: Have Ambassadors fill out “My Digital Data Tracker” in the Ambassador Booklet. Then discuss “Check In with Your Digital Wellness” in the Ambassador Booklet to explore different aspects of digital well-being and leadership. Remind Ambassadors to refer back to the ideas as they do their activity.

Choices—do one:

● Design a flowchart. Have Ambassadors use the data on their tracker to create a flowchart that shows how they move around the digital world. Encourage them to add in details like who they interact with, what they search for, videos watched, songs streamed, and any other digital media. Have Ambassadors share their flowcharts and discuss any reactions to their digital landscape. Have them identify areas where they can be more intentional with technology, like cutting back on screen time, learning a new digital skill, or unfollowing people or pages with negative messages.

Materials: Smartphone, tablet, or laptop; flowchart app (optional); paper; markers or colored pencils

● Make a digital pledge with friends. Ask, “How do you think other people use technology? How can we make the digital world a kinder and safer place, together?” Have them create a list of questions for a conversation with friends about technology. They may want to explore topics like people’s favorite and least favorite apps, how screen time impacts their mood, how technology helps

(or doesn’t) with multitasking, and anything else they’re interested in or think is important. Then, Ambassadors can hold the conversation and make their pledge to keep their digital community friendly and safe.

Materials: Paper and pencils

● Track technology’s impact on your mood. Ask, “Have you ever noticed how you feel after you spend time online?” Have Ambassadors analyze the data on their tracker, paying extra attention to their mood with each digital experience. Then have them decide which sites, social media accounts, or content affected their mood in positive or negative ways. Ambassadors can brainstorm together and each create a plan for how they can shape their digital experiences to produce more positive outcomes. Have them share their plans and find ways to support one another.

Materials: Smartphone, tablet, or laptop; paper; markers or colored pencils

Step 2: Examine digital bias • 30–40 minutes

Ask: When you see something online, do you wonder who posted it and why? How can you tell the point of view of the people who create and post? How can you tell if what you see is true?

Share: Everything you see online was created by someone with their own point of view. Sometimes people creating the images or content are biased, using stereotypes, or spreading misinformation. Bias is a belief or opinion that affects how we perceive and treat others—it can be an aversion or a preference. A stereotype is a characteristic or trait—whether positive or negative—that is associated with an identity group. Misinformation is when inaccurate information is shared. This could be things like a false news story, gossip, or clickbait.

Do: Discuss “Dig Deeper into Algorithmic Bias” in the Ambassador Booklet and support Ambassadors to brainstorm how bias in digital content can create harm in the real world.

*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.

AMBASSADOR • Digital Leadership | 1

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Choices—do one:

● Create an inclusive, diverse, and bias-free world. Ask, “Have you ever noticed bias, stereotyping, or misinformation in ads or the news? Have you ever come across it on social media?” Have them search through their social media, email, and any other accounts for any examples of bias, stereotyping, misinformation, or anything else that seems off or out of the norm. Ask them to consider what actions they can take to make their feed a more positive and inclusive place for themselves and others. If needed, share ideas like mute, unfollow, report, and restrict. Remind them that they have the power to control what they see and share online. Encourage them to not just protect themselves, but also support and uplift others.

Materials: Paper; pencils; smartphones, tablets, or laptops

● Make a skit or video for younger Girl Scouts. Ask, “How would you explain bias, stereotypes, and misinformation to younger kids?” Discuss ways to make these ideas accessible to younger audiences. Then Ambassadors can create a skit or video to share with children the importance of thinking critically while online. They can script and act out a scenario, like a too-good-to-be-true opportunity or an inaccurate news story, with different ways the character could respond. The story can show the result of each decision and explain any “red flags” that could have been clues for the characters to know things aren’t quite as they seem. Help them to film and share or perform their skit with a younger audience, like a Brownie troop or elementary school class.

Materials: Paper; pencils; smartphones or a tablet with video-recording and editing app (optional)

● Explore social comparisons. Ask, “Do you find yourself comparing your life or appearance to others’ online? Have you ever come across an ad or social media post that has made you feel pressure to look or act a certain way?” Discuss how what Ambassadors see online can have an impact on them personally and on their community. Help them identify edited, filtered, or touched-up photos, or posts that only show the very best and most exciting or beautiful images of someone’s life. Let them know that it’s normal to want to compare yourself to others, but doing so may not be helpful. Help them recognize that what they see shared by others is just one part of their story—a single post or video rarely reflects all that is happening behind the scenes. Have Ambassadors look carefully at their feed and other forms of media, like zines, videos, or digital news sites, to identify examples of stereotypes and misinformation in the form of edited images, posts, or other content. Then ask them to analyze what messages they send. Next, have them brainstorm as a troop or in small groups ways they can protect themselves from negative messages or comparisons and what they can share or do to help others do the same.

Materials: Smartphones, tablets, or laptops; magazines; paper; pencils

Step 3: Advocate for your community 35–45 minutes

Ask: Do you think leadership online is different from leadership in real life? How? As a leader, what values are important? How can you show them digitally?

Share: Leadership today is different than it was in the past. Technology has increased the number of options and potential reach for projects that create change.Understanding that your digital landscape can have real-world impact is part of being a digital leader. What you share can have an impact on others, and what you see can have an impact on you. You can focus on things you care about, following individuals and causes that are important to you. You can share ideas and mobilize your network. You can uplift others. You can make plans, gather resources, find volunteers, and connect with your community to act.

Do: Discuss “Be a Digital Leader Online and Offline” in the Ambassador Booklet. Have Ambassadors share any situations they may have encountered or know can happen online, like misinformation, cyberbullying, unrealistic body standards, and gossip.

Choices—do one:

● Amplify others online. Ask, “Who are digital leaders you admire? How do they act or influence their online communities?” Have Ambassadors look for causes and stories that inspire them online. Help Ambassadors to look up sources and research the viewpoint of the creators. Then if they decide it’s something they support, have them share the cause or story with their digital community. Ambassadors can then collect data about their “share,” such as reactions to the post, shares, comments, and any other connections or feedback. Have Ambassadors share their experience and data with the troop. Then discuss how the troop can work together to promote one another’s causes. How can they connect digital communities?

Materials: Smartphones, tablets, or laptops; paper; pencils

● Use digital tools to mobilize your community. Ask, “What issues are important to your community?” Discuss with Ambassadors how they can find out what their communities need and want and how technology can help. Have them research ways to get involved with an upcoming event in their community, like a beach cleanup or rally. Then they can share information to spread the event and motivate their digital community to participate. After the event, Ambassadors can collect data about their “share” and how they mobilized their digital community in the real world. Share results and discuss how it felt to make real impact in the digital and real worlds.

⇨ For more fun: Help Ambassadors to host their own gathering, bringing people together in person or online to act together on an issue.



● Examine leaders who are using their voices online. Ask, “What does the digital landscape of today’s leaders look like?” Discuss leaders Ambassadors are familiar with and research their online presence. Then have Ambassadors choose a topic they care about and find organizations or people who are helping to solve the problem. Have them take notes on how they are using technology in an effective, engaging, or meaningful way. Have Ambassadors work together or in small groups to create a best practice guide based on what they found. They can share it with others and return to it as they continue to build their own paths as digital leaders!


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

Ask: How can you build a digital community? How can you motivate the community to create a positive impact in the real world?

Share: Digital leaders create content for change. They amplify fellow leaders working on important issues and create their own movements, too. You can also bring your own special talents to support an issue you care about. Choose a topic you care about and research related experts, leaders, and advocates and find organizations and campaigns. Then use your research to create original digital content to motivate and engage your digital community.

Do: Go over each part of “Your Checklist for Digital Impact” in the Ambassador Booklet. Remind Ambassadors of these different elements as they continue to create digital content in Steps 4 and 5.

Choices—do one:

● Build a digital toolkit. Ambassadors may want to compile a digital toolkit about their topic. They can find and include facts, resources, activities, actions, and other ways for people to get involved. Encourage them to include different kinds of content, from photos and text to podcasts, books, and documentaries. Support them to create a plan and make their toolkit with technology. Then have Ambassadors share their toolkit widely with others they’d like to join them to create positive change.

Materials: Smartphones, tablets, and laptops; paper; pencils

● Organize an online action. Ambassadors may want to organize their digital community for an online action about a topic of their choice. First they can choose a topic, goal, and audience to reach with the message. Then, who will be sharing the message? Support them to connect with their community and plan the action. They should choose a format and action that’s engaging, accessible, and impactful.

⇨ For more fun: Ambassadors can add real-world activities to their online call to action.

Materials: Smartphones, tablets, and laptops

● Make any digital content to create impact. Ambassadors can create any kind of digital content they want to mobilize support for a cause they care about. Have them set a goal for their content that combines awareness-raising with concrete action and follow the steps of “Your Checklist for Digital Impact” in the Ambassador Booklet to formulate a plan to create their digital content. Help them to then create and share their content.


Step 5: Evaluate and expand your impact • 60+ minutes (will vary depending on activity chosen)

Ask: How did your audience engage with your content? How can you continue to build impact?

Share: Your content may have been a hit! Or it may not have had as big of an impact as you had hoped. Either way is okay—change doesn’t happen overnight! It also doesn’t come from one action, but from many. Your digital content from Step 4 was a great first step. Now, decide what you can do next to engage or act with your community. For example, how could you improve your content or share it with a broader audience? How can you adapt your digital campaign to include more real-world action?

Choices—do one:

● Present your content. Have Ambassadors collect data on how their audience engaged with the content from Step 4, including things like likes, shares, clicks, and so on. Have them analyze the data: Did their audience seem engaged? Remind Ambassadors that understanding what the people you’re trying to help both want and need is another, maybe more, important part of being a leader. Have Ambassadors present their content to the people or group they’re trying to help. Have them take notes on how technology can better help them. Ambassadors can then create a follow-up piece of content using what they’ve learned. They can post the new content and analyze any feedback. Then have them decide if the new content: 1) better engaged their audience and 2) better served the people they are trying to help.


● Launch a full campaign. Ambassadors can use their content from Step 4 as a starting point for a larger campaign about the cause. First have them collect data on the content, including things like likes, shares, clicks, and so on. Have them analyze the data: How can they amplify the most engaging part of their content? What was most inspiring to their audience? Support them to brainstorm ways to expand their message, audience, and reach. Maybe they made a toolkit and want it to be part of a new website or available in print? Maybe they created a short video and want to make more for a web series? As Ambassadors develop their campaign, remind them to include real-world action with their digital


content. Ask them to evaluate their impact and feedback after they launch.


● Choose a different next step. Ambassadors may want to take a very different next step. Have Ambassadors collect data on how their audience engaged with the content from Step 4, including things like likes, shares, clicks, and so on. Have them analyze the data: What positive and negative feedback did they receive? Was anyone motivated enough to act beyond the content? Support them to decide what to do next to generate both digital and real-world action. They can do anything: shift platforms, reach an entirely new audience, add additional real-world activities, or create new digital content to organize action. Once they’ve decided on their new approach, help Ambassadors to set a goal and put a plan into action.


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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




Documents

Ambassador Digital Leadership