PEMCO Mutual Insurance and Girl Scouts of Western and Eastern Washington Raise Awareness About Cybersecurity

PEMCO volunteers share expertise with 2^nd through 5^th grade girls on how to spot and prevent cyber crimes

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PEMCO Mutual Insurance and Girl Scouts of Western and Eastern Washington recently partnered to share the importance of cybersecurity with nearly 100 Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts across Washington. Through a series of virtual workshops, PEMCO volunteers led participating 2^nd through 5^th grade Girl Scouts in the Seattle and Spokane areas through exercises focused on increasing online safety and digital leadership.

The partnership, which is part of PEMCO’s Mutual Good initiative, aims to provide young girls in Western and Eastern Washington with actionable steps to identify and prevent cybersecurity crimes. The curriculum is part of the Girl Scouts’ Cybersecurity Badge Program and walks through what a cyberattack is, how identity theft occurs online, how to spot problems in an increasingly online world and how computers communicate during a cyberattack. Girls Scouts who completed the events earned Cybersecurity Investigator badges to signify their commitment to being cybersecurity savvy.

“Today, more and more of our daily lives are happening online. This became even more evident during the pandemic when activities from school to dance lessons to playdates went fully virtual,” said PEMCO vice president and chief information officer Chris Purcell. “It’s now more important than ever that our children understand how to spot cyberattacks, protect themselves and prevent them in an online world. We’re so happy we partnered with Girl Scouts to share this knowledge and better equip the next generation with online safety skills.”

PEMCO is committed to increasing digital safety for everyone, regardless of gender or age. With its Girl Scouts’ partnership, PEMCO continues to live its mission through their program, Mutual Good, which builds better communities in the areas of Youth & Education, Environment and Safety.

“We’ve all felt the effects from living in an online world more often than not this year. And that’s true for our Girl Scouts, too. Events and activities that typically would be held in person were moved online,” said CEO of Girl Scouts of Western Washington Megan Ferland. “We loved partnering with PEMCO on this cybersecurity program to prepare our young people with the 'virtual armor' they need to use technology safely, not just now but for years and years to come.”

“Girl Scouts is fond of saying ‘There’s a badge for that,’ and certainly cybersecurity is one that now there’s a lot of badges for that. So, in teaching girls about cybersecurity we’re hoping that they’re going to protect themselves, have some words of wisdom for their family, and ultimately have a better life because we all worry about hacking,” shared Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho’s CEO Brian Newberry. “PEMCO has been the perfect partner for us.”

For more information on PEMCO’s commitment to bringing safety education to its Northwest community, please visit www.pemco.com/mutual-good.

About PEMCO Mutual Insurance

PEMCO Mutual Insurance is the Defender of Your Northwest, providing auto, home, renters and boat coverage. We are consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee expertise and social impact. Our Mutual Good programs raise the achievement levels for youth in education; build stronger, greener environments; and increase safety at home, on the road and at play. Our mission: Free our communities to worry less and live more. To learn more, visit www.pemco.com.