Life Skills

Activity Details

Background: ICT includes things like smart phones or computers, items that help people connect with each other and learn about the world around them. International Girls in ICT Day encourages girls to consider careers in information and communication technology, a field which typically has more men than women. International Girls in ICT Day is held on the fourth Thursday of April. 

As Girl Scouts, we celebrate International Girls in ICT Day because by developing an app or learning to code, girls can have a great career and make the world a better place through technology. 
 
Activity: The three movie suggestions are all about an hour and a half to two hours long. You will probably want at least 40 minutes to discuss the movie with your friends or family afterwards as well, so plan on two to three hours for this activity. 

You will need: 

• Access to the internet and a streaming site like YouTube, Amazon, or iTunes  

• Or, a local library that has these movies available

First, set up a time with your family, Girl Scout troop, or friends to watch the movie you choose. If you are in different places, there are a few internet browser extensions that will allow you to all watch the film together. 

• The first movie suggestion for International Girls in ICT Day is Code: Debugging the Gender Gap which is a documentary about the lack of women and people of color in the field of software engineering. It tells the stories of some successful women in computer programming and some women in history who were at the very forefront of computer technology. Code is available free on the streaming service Tubi, or for rent on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and iTunes. 

• The next movie you might want to watch for International Girls in ICT Day is an Oscar nominated film from 2016, Hidden Figures, rated PG. Hidden Figures tells the story of three brilliant African American women at NASA who made it possible to send the first American to space. Hidden Figures is Available for rent on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and iTunes.

• The last movie recommendation is a documentary called She Started It, which follows trailblazing young women as they strive to launch tech start-ups in the competitive world of Silicon Valley. Through their stories, She Started It explores female underrepresentation in entrepreneurship, self-doubt, fear of failure, and overcoming them. She Started It is available on the streaming service Kanopy. 

Of course, if you can’t access any of these movies, you can choose another one. Just make sure it is about girls and technology so that you are following the International Girls in ICT theme.

If you enjoyed the movie you watched, check out one of the other recommended films, or can you think of more movies that feature girls in information and communication technology?

Troop Leaders:  The instructions for all badge steps are available free of charge in your  Girl Scout Volunteer Toolkit.

Girl Scouts at Home activities have been adapted from existing Girl Scout programming and optimized for use at home during a period of social distancing.