Ananova:

Girl guides say they need to know more about safe sex and assembling flat-pack furniture to prepare for 21st century life.

They also want instruction on how to manage debts and reduce the size of their carbon footprint, reports The Times.

The demands emerged in a survey of more than 1,000 Guides by Girlguiding UK, which is striving to keep itself relevant to the lives of young women.

A spokeswoman said that the movement would act on the findings and make sure that the appeal for more information on sex and money was met.

In the poll, senior Guides, who are aged over 16, said managing money was the most important skill to master as they contemplated leaving the family home.

“Practising safe sex” was placed fourth, with “assembling flat-pack furniture” eighth. Younger Guides, aged from 10 to 15, valued more traditional skills such as “cooking a healthy meal” and “pitching a tent”.

The youngest Guides, aged under 10, said that they wanted to know how to surf the web safely and how to cross the road.

Liz Burnley, the Chief Guide, said that the findings would be used to shape future Guiding programmes.

“As the UK’s largest youth organisation just for girls and young women, we prioritise giving girls the skills, experiences and opportunities they need to reach for new aspirations and succeed in the modern world,” she said.

“But these goalposts don’t stand still, which is why we constantly ask our members what they think, so that we can continue to be truly relevant to tomorrow’s young women.”