What is World Thinking Day?

World Thinking Day is a day of friendship, advocacy and fundraising for 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world.

On 22 February each year, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world celebrate World Thinking Day by:

• Learning about their international sisters in designated focus countries for the year

• Doing fun and educational activities based around an advocacy theme for the year

• Fundraising for the World Thinking Day Fund

• Earning the World Thinking Day badge

For 2014 the theme is achieving universal primary education. The messages for this theme are: "Every girl has the right to learning so she reaches her fullest potential" and "Education opens doors for all girls and boys". This theme is based on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2: Acheive universal primary education.

Girl Guides and Girl Scouts have been celebrating World Thinking Day since 1926 and it has been an important fundraising day since 1932. Read all about the history of World Thinking Day below.

The History of World Thinking Day

In 1926, delegates from around the globe met in the USA and agreed that 22 February would be known from then onward as a special day for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world.

Camp Edith Macy – now called Edith Macy Conference Center – in New York state, USA, was the venue for the fourth World Conference of the Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Movement in 1926.

A special day Conference attendees agreed that year that there should be a special annual day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world think of each other and express their thanks and appreciation for our international Movement. 

This was called Thinking Day.

The delegates chose 22 February as the date for Thinking Day because it was the birthday of both Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout Movement, and his wife Olave, who was World Chief Guide.

Six years later in 1932, the seventh World Conference was taking place in Bucze, Poland, when a Belgian delegate pointed out that a birthday usually involves gifts, and so girls could show their appreciation on Thinking Day by offering gifts to our international Movement by fundraising or making a donation.

Olave Baden-Powell wrote to all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts later that year to tell them about this idea and to ask them to spare a penny to help support Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting around the world. Click here to read Olave’s letter.

Much later in 1999, at the thirtieth World Conference in Dublin, Ireland, delegates from around the world decided to change the name of the day from Thinking Day to World Thinking Day, to better emphasise the international aspects of the day. The fundraising aspect of World Thinking Day that began in 1932 is still an important funding mechanism for WAGGGS today, and it helps to keep the Movement going.

Source: World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)

Download Activity Pack for 2014 here

Links you may find interesting:

• UN MDG Report 2013 - "Too many children are still denied their right to primary education"

• Women Leaders and Gender Parity -  "Women make up a half of potential human capital available in any economy. The efficient use of this talent pool is a key driver of competitiveness."