World Thinking Day, formerly Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on 22 February by all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It is also celebrated by Scout and Guide organizations around the world. It is a day when they think about their "sisters" (and "brothers") in all the countries of the world, the meaning of Guiding, and its global impact. Most recently,

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association that supports Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 153 countries. It was established in the year 1928 in Parád, H ...

has selected an important international issue as the theme for each year's World Thinking Day, and selected a focus country from each of their five world regions. Girl Guides and Girl Scouts use these as an opportunity to study and appreciate other countries and cultures, and equally increase

awareness In philosophy and psychology, awareness is the perception or knowledge of something. The concept is often synonymous with consciousness. However, one can be aware of something without being explicitly conscious of it, such as in the case of bli ...

and sensitivity on global concerns. Donations are collected for the Thinking Day Fund, which supports projects to help Girl Guides and Scouts around the world. 22 February was chosen as it was the

birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many religion ...

of Scouting and Guiding founder Lord

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...

and of Lady

Olave Baden-Powell Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell (; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was the first Chief Guide for Britain and the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting and co-founder of Girl Guides). ...

, his wife and World Chief Guide. Other Scouts celebrate it as B.-P. Day or Founders' Day.

History

In 1926, at the Fourth Girl Scout International Conference, held at Girl Scouts of the United States’s Camp Edith Macy (presently the Edith Macy Conference Center), the conference delegates highlighted the need for a special international day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts would think about the worldwide spread of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, and of all the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world, giving them, their "sisters," thanks and appreciation. It was decided by the delegates that this day would be 22 February, the birthday of both Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement, and Lady Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and the World Chief Guide. In 1999, at the 30th World Conference, held in Ireland, the name was changed from "Thinking Day" to "World Thinking Day", to emphasize the global aspect of this special day.

World Thinking Day Fund

At the Seventh World Conference in Poland, a Belgian delegate suggested that the girls' appreciation and

friendship Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Althoug ...

should not only be shown by the exchange of wishes, but also through presents, which are after all typical of birthdays, in the form of a voluntary contribution to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. In her first letter about the World Thinking Day Fund Lady Baden-Powell, the World Chief Guide, asked the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to donate "a penny for your thoughts," in order to support the Movement. The amount raised was £520 12s 6d in 1933, and rose to £35,346 in 1971. The World Thinking Day Fund is used to help more girls and young women around the world by spreading the Girl Guiding/Girl Scouting programme.

World Thinking Day themes

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts chooses a theme for each World Thinking Day and proposes related activities. Themes include: * 2005: "Think about food" * 2006: "Think about, talk about and do something about adolescent health issues"; often shortened to ''Think about adolescent health'' * 2007: "Discover your potential by taking the lead, growing friendships, and speaking out"; often shortened to ''Discover your potential'' * 2008: "Think about water" * 2009: UN Millennium Development Goal 6: "Stop the spread of AIDS, malaria and other diseases"; often shortened to ''Stop the spread of diseases'' * 2010: UN Millennium Development Goal 1: Girls worldwide say "Together we can end extreme poverty and hunger". * 2011: UN Millennium Development Goal 3: Girls worldwide say "Empowering girls will change our world". * 2012: UN Millennium Development Goal 7: Girls worldwide say “We can save our planet”. * 2013: UN Millennium Development Goal 4: "Reduce child mortality" and UN Millennium Development Goal 5:"Improve maternal health" * 2014: UN Millennium Development Goal 2: "Providing universal access to primary education" * 2015: UN Millennium Development Goal 8: "Developing partnerships for global development" * 2016: "Connect" * 2017: "Grow" * 2018: "Impact" * 2019: "Leadership" * 2020: "Living Threads" * 2021: "Stand Together for Peace" *2022: "Our World, Our Equal Future: The environment and

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

" *2023: "Our World, Our Peaceful Future: The environment, peace and security" *2024: "Our World, Our Thriving Future: The environment and global poverty" *2025: "Our Story: Reflecting the symbolism and values of our Movement"

Traditions and activities

Every year on 22 February, Rangers from Mona Burgin's Unit in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, set off before dawn, while it is still dark, and they climb to the top of Maungawhau / Mount Eden. There they set up their campfire and a flag-staff, and as the sun rises over the sea they raise the Guide World Flag, they sing the World Song, and they speak of some of the people and the countries they are Thinking about - and so they start "The Big Think" which then travels all the way round the world. On the nearest weekend to World Thinking Day, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from across the world come together on

ScoutLink Jamboree on the Internet, known by its acronym JOTI, is an international Scouting activity held annually. Participants, through the use of designated Chats from all over the world, can contact their fellow Scouts by means of the Internet. Common c ...

to chat with each other and celebrate their Founders. Others are involved with Thinking Day on the Air (TDOT

using

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

, similar to the

Jamboree On The Air Jamboree on the Air, known by its acronym JOTA, is an international Scouting and Guiding activity held annually; it is on the third full weekend in October. First held in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of Scouting in 1957, it was devis ...

of the Scout movement. Some

member organizations use it as an opportunity to do projects with their 'twin' organization, such as Canada and Dominic

One tradition is that every Scout or Guide, ex-Scout or ex-Guide, places a candle in their window that night at dusk: "This is my little Guiding Light, I'm going to let it shine." It is also a tradition to send letters or postcards to other Scout and Guides before Thinking Day. In 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 a postcard campaign was organized by the Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände, Ring Deutscher Pfadfinderinnenverbände, Lëtzebuerger Guiden a Scouten,

Swiss Guide and Scout Movement The Swiss Guide and Scout Movement (SGSM) (''German: Pfadibewegung Schweiz (PBS), French: Mouvement Scout de Suisse (MSdS), Italian: Movimento Scout Svizzero (MSS), Rumantsch: Moviment Battasendas Svizra (MBS)'') is the national Scouting and Gir ...

, Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins and Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs.

Literature

References

External links

* * {{cite web, url=https://www.girlscouts.org/en/about-girl-scouts/global/world-thinking-day.html, title=World Thinking Day, work=Girl Scouts of the USA February observances Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Scouting events