Y-CND 2023

Youth Conference of Network Defenders (YCND) provides an interactive and fun environment to inform and inspire middle and high school students from Baltimore city about cybersecurity and the career opportunities presented by the cybersecurity industry.

YCND provides an open forum for cybersecurity professionals, providers and educators to connect with diverse youth from various socioeconomic backgrounds to share their experiences, be recognized as role models, form mentorship relationships, attract participants to their education and training programs and identify recruits for future job opportunities.

Proceeds from the 2023 YCND will support the non-profit Women's Society of Cyberjutsu. See below for information on this incredibly valuable organization.

YCND Activities:

Interactive Exhibits & Gaming Gallery

Education & Inspiration Workshops & Sessions including Flash Talks & Youth Presentations

Career Exploration Center

Capture the Flag Competition

Selfie Station

Relaxation Station (for parents/guardians/speakers/sponsors)

Breakfast, Lunch, Closing Ice Cream Social with DJ, Candy Station & more

YCND Attendees

The 2023 Conference will focus on middle and high school students from underserved and underrepresented communities and groups in Baltimore city and surrounding areas

Parents/guardians of the above-mentioned youth

Educators who currently support the above-mentioned youth and parents

Educators & trainers who wish to engage with the above-mentioned youth as potential future students for their programs

Cybersecurity professionals who wish to serve as role models and mentors

Vendors and partners who wish to engage with the above-mentioned audiences for product and/or services sales or workforce recruitment

About the YCND Creator & Host

Joy Huggins was a foster child born into a life of service. From Girl Scout to veteran, to community volunteer, she has dedicated her time and talents to her local community. In the spirit of sharing her knowledge and introducing youth who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to discover how “cool” cybersecurity is like she did, she founded Network Defender Academy to teach middle and high school students the fundamentals of cybersecurity. She is also the founder of Hack Joyously, a confidence coaching program for women and minorities that encourages a resilient and confident cyber superstar.

Joy created the Youth Conference of Network Defenders as a way of bringing students and their influencers – parents and educators – together to meet, engage with and learn from cybersecurity professionals in a safe, casual and fun environment.

Joy lives in Baltimore, Maryland where she works as a senior level civilian for the Department of Defense. Joy is passionate about educating the next generation of cybersecurity professionals to help close the workforce gap. She believes that new approaches to fundamental skills development can create a more dynamic, credentialed and diverse security workforce for the future.

You can read more about Joy’s experience in “Reinventing Cybersecurity” by Jasmine Henry.

About the Women's Society of Cyberjutsu

The Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu, a national 501(c)3 non-profit, is dedicated to raising awareness of cybersecurity career opportunities and advancement for women in the field, closing the gender gap and the overall workforce gap in information security roles. Founded in 2012, WSC is focused on empowering women to succeed in the cybersecurity industry. WSC’s mission is to advance women in cybersecurity careers by providing programs and partnerships that promote hands-on training, networking, education, mentoring, resource-sharing and other professional opportunities.