Today is World Thinking Day, which is celebrated by Girlguiding associations worldwide annually.
It was formerly known as Thinking Day.
It is a day for all Guides and Girl Scouts to think of each other and celebrate sisterhood worldwide.
Here’s what you need to know about the origins of the day and how it’s celebrated.
What is the significance of World Thinking Day?
World Thinking Day, launched by the World Organisation of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), celebrates 10 million girls worldwide and takes place every February 22.
It is a day for solidarity, sisterhood and female empowerment. It is also a time for international friendship and a chance to advocate causes that can improve the lives of girls worldwide.
How did the celebrations begin?
Girl Guides and Girl Scouts have marked this special day since 1926. Delegates from Guide and Girl Scout organisations from around the world met in the US for the fourth world conference.
They wanted to create a day for Guides and Girl Scouts to celebrate being part of an international movement.
Delegates decided to hold the first celebration on the joint birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, who set up the Scout and Guide movement, and his wife Olave, who served as World Chief Guide.
At the seventh world conference in 1932, a Belgian delegate recognised that birthdays tend to involve gifts and that perhaps girls could express their thanks on thinking day by fundraising.
Olave Baden-Powell duly wrote to all Guides and Girl Scouts asking them to donate a penny, which was enough to buy a loaf of bread, to help fund Guiding around the world.
This is what’s called the World Thinking Day Fund.
The name of the day was changed to ‘World Thinking Day’ at the 30th world conference in Dublin in 1999.
Delegates selected a new name to emphasise the global nature of the celebration.
How is World Thinking Day celebrated?
World Thinking Day remains one of the most important dates in the Guiding calendar.
The theme of the event each year encourages members to consider the big issues affecting them and their global community.
World Thinking Days have in the past tackled poverty, gender, inequality, environmental sustainability and access to education.
The theme this year is ‘Our Planet, Our Peaceful Future’. This explores what we can learn from the ecosystem and how humans can work with nature to build a more secure and peaceful future for girls all over the world.
