SCOUTS’ DIGITAL MANIFESTO FOR YOUNG PEOPLE SIGNALS START OF NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH VODAFONE

Now Scouts are ePrepared…

The Scouts’ Digital Manifesto will empower young people to develop key digital skills and encourage them to stay safe online

The manifesto signals the start of a new long term partnership between Vodafone UK and The Scout Association
Vodafone also becomes the official partner for two badges – Digital Maker and Digital Citizen
Vodafone will be encouraging its 12,500 employees to volunteer for Scouting

A Digital Manifesto launches today to empower hundreds of thousands of young people to make more of the opportunities to explore their digital potential. It will also help them develop additional skills that will make a positive difference in their local communities as well as to their own futures.

The launch of the manifesto coincides with the start of a long term partnership between The Scout Association and Vodafone UK, supported by the Vodafone Foundation, aimed at helping young people develop improved digital skills, safety and confidence.

The manifesto has been developed to provide young people with six clear, concise and easy to understand goals so that they can use digital technology in a safe, creative, smart and responsible way.

The new Scouts’ Digital Manifesto

Use digital to learn and embrace new skills
Share your adventures digitally and inspire others
Know when to switch off, balancing screen time with outdoor activities
Use digital skills to support your family and community
Use digital to be creative
Stay safe online and know the risks

As part of the partnership, Vodafone will also support two badges which will encourage Scouts to enhance their digital skillsets. The ‘Digital Maker’ badge encourages digital creativity, challenging Scouts to learn skills such as coding using HTML or editing a website. Meanwhile, the ‘Digital Citizen’ badge will encourage Scouts to have open discussions of the potential risks that the online world poses and share this knowledge with friends, family members and others in the local community.

To make Scouting easier for the thousands of volunteers who support young people across the UK, Vodafone will also be supporting the development of new online resources for them to deliver the Digital Maker and Digital Citizen badges.

In addition to this, Vodafone will be encouraging its 12,500 UK employees to use their volunteering days to help out with local Scout groups in order to help address the volunteering shortage and capability gap that is preventing 35,000 young people from becoming Scouts.

Abbie Laker, aged 16 from Newport said: “Scouting gives me some brilliant chances to learn new skills and do amazing activities. Since joining I have been gliding, canoeing and built a bivvy. I have also had a chance to develop my digital skills by recording what I do outdoors and editing them all together as a video to show my friends. I think the digital manifesto is a great idea that will encourage young people like me to get involved online and still means I get to enjoy and appreciate the beautiful world in which we live.”

Jeroen Hoencamp, CEO at Vodafone UK said: “We are so proud to partner with the Scouts and, with the support of the Vodafone Foundation, look forward to providing young people, volunteers and parents with the skills and practical solutions to enable them to use digital to its full potential. Vodafone already has a strong heritage in helping parents and children navigate through the social and digital worlds in a safe way via our Digital Parenting Magazine and global cyber-bullying programmes – this partnership further encourages and empowers young people to develop their digital literacy helping them become confident digital makers and citizens. It will help them grasp the benefits of the great outdoors as well as more safely enjoy the great indoors.”

Bear Grylls, Chief Scout said: “The Scouts’ Digital Manifesto will encourage hundreds of thousands of young people to develop a range of key digital skills, empowering them to have even greater adventures as well as helping them to stay safe online. Scouting is a worldwide force for good and with Vodafone’s help our young people will be empowered to use technology to make even more of a difference in their communities while also getting outdoors and active.”

Wayne Bulpitt, UK Chief Commissioner of The Scout Association said: “Our digital manifesto underlines the importance of digital in the modern world, and will help young people use it to learn new skills and make a positive impact in their communities. We are so pleased to be partnering with Vodafone who will help provide our Scouts and volunteers with the digital skills they need for the future. With Vodafone’s support we also hope to be welcoming many more volunteers, helping us offer opportunities and adventure to the 35,000 young people in the UK waiting to join.”

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The following assets are available and can be found on the Vodafone Media Centre:

Video of Jeroen Hoencamp, Vodafone UK CEO and Bear Grylls, Chief Scout, introducing the partnership
Image of Jeroen Hoencamp, Vodafone UK CEO and Bear Grylls, Chief Scout
Image of Scouts in hashtag formation outdoors
Image of young Scouts with mobile phone

About The Vodafone Foundation

The Vodafone Foundation’s Mobile for Good programme combines Vodafone’s charitable giving and technology to make a difference in the world. Globally, the Vodafone Foundation supports projects that are focused on delivering public benefit through the use of mobile technology across areas including health, education and disaster relief. The Vodafone Foundation invests in the communities in which Vodafone operates and is at the centre of a network of global and local social investment programmes. The Vodafone Foundation is a UK registered charity, registered charity number 10989625.