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| Photo easyJet |
The badge was announced in March 2018 to get more girls interested in aviation, to challenge gender stereotypes, and to encourage more girls to consider a career as a pilot.
The Aviation badge was launched as part of Girlguiding’s new Programme, its biggest ever overhaul of badges and activities. easyJet renews its partnership with Girlguiding as over 7,000 Brownies have so far achieved the Aviation badge or are working towards it.
To earn the badge, girls are challenged to think of 40 things that fly and put their engineering skills to the test, creating their own aircraft experiments with different building materials, structures and launch techniques.
Girlguiding’s 2018 Girls’ Attitudes Survey found:
53% of girls aged 7-10 would like to be a leader in their chosen job
48% of girls aged 11-21 want more representation of women in science and technology
In 2018, research from the International Society of Women Airline Pilots found that just over 4% of the world's airline pilots are female. However, easyJet’s new female pilot intake in 2018 was 18% of all new pilots. easyJet continues to encourage more women to become pilots, aiming for 20% of its new entrant pilots to be female by 2020.
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| Photo easyJet |
This partnership extends easyJet's outreach work, as part of its Amy Johnson Flying Initiative, to the Girlguiding community of nearly half a million girls and young women. The aim is to match local Girlguiding units with pilot speakers. Since launching the initiative in 2015, easyJet pilots - including many female pilots - have visited over 200 schools and colleges. easyJet's continued partnership with Girlguiding, the UK's biggest charity for girls and young women, aims to engage even more girls in aviation throughout 2019.
David Morgan, Chief Operating Officer for easyJet commented: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the Girlguiding Aviation badge for Brownies for another year as we recognise the importance of inspiring girls today to improve the gender balance of the pilot community in the future. That is why our pilots have visited more than 100 schools in the last year and we continue to work closely with Brownie units across the country to get girls interested in flight at an early age. We firmly believe that no other airline is doing more on this issue.”
Kat Lee, Head of Youth Programmes at Girlguiding, said: “We’re very excited to continue our partnership with easyJet for another year and to engage even more girls in aviation. Thousands of girls have already achieved the badge, developing their engineering skills and having fun too. Our research shows girls want to see more women in careers in science and technology. The Aviation badge is a great introduction for the budding pilots of the future.”
Aviation Minister Baroness Vere said: “The Aviation badge for Brownies is a fantastic way to show young women the great jobs that are available in aviation, inspiring the next generation to consider a career in the skies. It’s extraordinary that women make up just 6% of UK airline pilots and 12% of engineers, and the Brownie badge is one of the initiatives that will help change this. The work of Girlguiding towards the Aviation Badge builds upon the wider actions taken across the industry including the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter, which has support from over 100 organisations”
Girlguiding's new programme, revealed in summer 2018, marks the biggest investment in girls' futures outside of school in the UK. The new Girlguiding badges and activities are based around six theme: Skills for my Future, Have Adventures, Be Well, Know Myself, Express Myself and Take Action. Hundreds of thousands of girls benefit from the revised programme. It equips them with the skills and experiences they need to thrive, succeed, make change and be happy in the modern world.
