WAGGGS & Norton Win Big Impact Award for Surf Smart 2.0

Description – WAGGGS and Norton receive the Big Impact Award at the 2025 Third Sector Awards for empowering girls with critical online safety skills through Surf Smart 2.0.

Published on: 31 October 2025 | 09:30 AM (GMT+05:30, IST, India)
Published by: Mr. Dibakar Mandal

Introduction

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), together with Norton, one of Gen’s globally recognized Cyber Safety brands, has been awarded the Big Impact Award at the 2025 Third Sector Awards. The award recognizes organizations that have created meaningful, measurable, and lasting social impact through community-focused initiatives. In this case, the recognition honors the success of the Surf Smart online safety programme, which equips girls and young women with essential digital literacy, online protection skills, and confidence to navigate the internet safely.

First launched in 2011, Surf Smart was designed in response to growing concerns about cyberbullying, misinformation, identity theft, digital exploitation, and violations of online privacy. With young people spending more time online than ever before, the need for structured, inclusive, and globally accessible digital safety education has become increasingly critical. Surf Smart addresses this need by offering a non-formal educational curriculum that helps youth develop awareness of digital risks, practice protective behavior online, and learn how to create positive digital identities.

Over the past year alone, Surf Smart directly reached 80,098 girls and young women across 21 countries and territories, while also training 2,527 volunteer leaders to deliver the curriculum at community level. This scale of outreach demonstrates not only the demand for online safety education but also the practical effectiveness of WAGGGS’ peer-based learning model.

One participant from Panama shared:

“I am browsing more carefully. I can tell when a page is fake. I care more about my safety.”
(Age 16, Panama)

This recognition arrives at a time when global organizations such as UNESCO (https://www.unesco.org), UNICEF (https://www.unicef.org), and the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int) have emphasized the critical importance of safe digital engagement, particularly among children and adolescents. The Surf Smart online safety programme aligns strongly with these international priorities by promoting digital protection, emotional well-being, and responsible global citizenship.

Background Section

Digital access among young people has expanded dramatically over the past decade. According to UNICEF (https://data.unicef.org), more than 90% of teenagers globally use the internet daily, often through smartphones. While this connectivity creates opportunities for learning, communication, leadership, and global awareness, it also introduces risks such as cyberbullying, identity fraud, privacy violations, hate speech, harassment, misinformation, and manipulative media influence.

Girls and young women, in particular, face unique online vulnerabilities. Reports from UNESCO (https://www.unesco.org/en/girls-women-in-education) show that gender-based cyber harassment disproportionately affects female users, creating long-lasting emotional, psychological, and reputational harm. Cultural, social, and educational inequalities can further limit their ability to safely navigate digital environments.

Recognizing these challenges, WAGGGS and Norton collaborated to create the Surf Smart online safety programme, emphasizing:

• Digital Self-Protection: Understanding online risks and learning how to prevent harm.
• Confidence & Digital Identity Awareness: Encouraging young women to control their digital presence and reputation.
• Online Rights Knowledge: Educating participants on privacy, consent, and personal data ownership.
• Positive Online Interaction Skills: Promoting empathy, communication, and global responsibility.

The curriculum, delivered through local Girl Guide and Girl Scout networks, ensures cultural relevance and accessibility. Volunteers play a central role in adapting discussions, activities, and community engagement based on local context, languages, and digital environments.

The continued evolution of Surf Smart demonstrates the adaptability of the programme. The upcoming phase, Surf Smart 2.0, expands to include artificial intelligence awareness, mental health in online life, and greater grassroots delivery — addressing new realities of the digital world.

Global Reach and Measurable Impact

Indicator Result Geographic Reach Girls + young women reached 80,098 participants 21 countries and territories Volunteer leaders trained 2,527 leaders Local and national Guiding networks Participant confidence increase 98% report improved ability to recognize online dangers Verified through post-programme surveys

This scale demonstrates that education, when combined with community networks, can drive global safety awareness effectively.

Why Surf Smart Stood Out to Award Judges

Judges at the Third Sector Awards praised Surf Smart for:

• A clear educational model tested across diverse cultural contexts.
• Sustained collaboration of more than a decade.
• Proven positive behavioral outcomes among youth participants.
• Leadership representation for girls in international advocacy spaces, including discussions at the United Nations (https://www.un.org).

Their written statement noted:

“It is an excellent achievement that all the hard work has led to continued improvement and advocacy in places such as the UN.”

Voices from the Programme

Participants frequently express increased confidence:

“I know how to report abuse online and protect my information,”
— Participant, Lebanon

“The internet feels safer when you understand how it works,”
— Volunteer Leader, Kenya

Long-Term Strategic Partnership

WAGGGS’ and Norton’s collaboration demonstrates the power of multi-year partnerships. Instead of short-term workshops, Surf Smart builds frameworks that evolve with:

• New digital threats
• Technological advancements
• Social communication trends

This year’s launch of Surf Smart 2.0 signals continued innovation, including:

• Grassroots expansion
• Mental health support resources
• AI literacy components
• New advocacy pathways for girls in policy spaces

Conclusion

The Big Impact Award is not only a recognition of the Surf Smart online safety programme’s success but also a confirmation of what long-term, ethically grounded, community-driven partnerships can achieve. As technology continues to evolve, the need for safe digital ecosystems grows stronger. WAGGGS and Norton are demonstrating that when young women are equipped with the right tools and confidence, they can thrive as informed, empowered digital citizens who shape positive online cultures.

Looking forward, Surf Smart 2.0 positions itself to meet emerging challenges with innovation, empathy, and global collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the Surf Smart online safety programme?
Surf Smart is a digital literacy and safety education programme developed by WAGGGS and Norton. It teaches girls and young women how to stay safe online, identify risks, protect personal information, and build positive digital identities.

2. Why is online safety education important?
With young people spending more time online, risks such as cyberbullying, data exploitation, and misinformation are widespread. Online safety education provides critical tools for healthy and confident digital participation.

3. How many participants has Surf Smart reached?
Over the past year, Surf Smart reached 80,098 girls and young women across 21 countries, with 2,527 volunteer leaders trained to deliver the curriculum locally.

4. What new features are included in Surf Smart 2.0?
The new phase includes expanded grassroots outreach, mental health support in digital environments, and educational materials on artificial intelligence and evolving online risks.

5. How can Girl Guide and Girl Scout groups participate?
Groups can download the Surf Smart curriculum in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, and share their experiences via surfsmart@wagggs.org or by tagging #SurfSmart on social media.