Article 1 Deanna Carden

Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all around the world are preparing for the upcoming World Thinking day
on the 22nd of February where it is celebrated in Scout huts and meeting halls all over the world.

World thinking day is a day of celebration and connecting with friends all over the world. A day when
Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world think about all the different countries which take part
in the movement.

World thinking day is always celebrated on the 22nd of February as it is the birthday of the founder
members of the whole association. Lord Robert Baden Powell who had founded the Boy Scout
movement and his wife Lady Olave Baden Powell who was world Chief Guide created a movement
which changed the lives of youths throughout the world when it started to expand out.

The whole thinking day was started in 1926 where Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from around the world
had met in the USA for the 4th world conference. It was decided at this conference that there should
be a special day in which Guides and Scouts from around the world should think of each other. It was
thought of as a thank you and their appreciation for the international movement of which it became.

It then expanded, six years later in 1932 at the 7th world conference which was taking place in Bucze,
Poland when a Belgian delegate had pointed out a birthday usually involves giving gifts, and a way in
which the girls were able to show their appreciation for Thinking day by giving gifts to the
international movement by methods of fundraising or making a donation. This had then created a
thinking day fund which is called ‘the world thinking day fund.’

This was started by Olave Baden Powell in 1932 who wrote a letter to all the Guides and Scouts
asking them to be sparing a penny to help Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting grow. The idea behind the
funding is simple, one coin might not been seen as much but with ten million coins then it would be
able to make our movement grow and the potential of the Guides and Scouts around the world.

By 1999, the name had been changed from ‘thinking day’ to ‘world thinking day’ at the 30th world
conference in Dublin. The name had been changed by the delegates which were present because
they believed it would better emphasise international aspects of the day and the funding raising
aspect of world thinking day which had begun in 1932 is still an important part for WAGGGS (World
Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) to function and it keeps the movement going and keeps
expanding.

World thinking day is celebrated in different ways, many units decide to hold an event where they
think of the different countries which are part of the movement. Many units decide to dress up in
the national colours of the flag for the country of what they are thinking of. Dress up in the uniform
of which that certain country wears for their meetings.

Louth Division this year are holding an event in which they are thinking about the five world centres
around the world. There is representation from Pax Lodge in London where the girls are thinking
about Guides in the United Kingdom. There are units representing the Girl Scouts in Mexico with the
world centre Our Cabana, there is representation of the Girl Guides in India where they are
representing the Sangam world centre which is based in India. There is recently a new world centre
which has been established in Africa called Kusafiri which is Swahili for travelling as this world centre
isn’t based in just one country such as the others are. There is going to be representation of the Girl
Guides and the Girl Scouts in Africa. The final world centre which is being represented is Our Chalet
in Switzerland.
Article 1 Deanna Carden

Some of the food which is going to be provided is based on which country they are representing.
Switzerland for Our Chalet, are going to be providing a sample of Swiss chocolate for people to try.
For Kusafiri, there is a selection of African cuisine so they are going to be providing dried mangos,
African sausages, and African based donuts. For Sangam, there is going to be a traditional rice dish
where it has some vegetables such as potatoes, broccoli, peas and sweetcorn and there is some
cardamom seeds scattered throughout the dish. For Our Cabana, there is some chilli with tortillas
and taco shells. To finish it off for Pax Lodge, they are going to be providing some samples of
Battenberg.

There are many activities which all the different units are preparing for the event which units create
piñatas for the younger girls to take part in and this way they are thinking about all of the movement
and how far and wide it reaches all over the world. There is the opportunity for the girls who are
taking part to try out the different foods from all of the other countries. At the end of the night, the
selected girls from the different world centres are going to be blowing out the candles which had
been lit at the start of the night are then going to be blown out and then there are going to be a
presentation as some of the girls has been awarded some of the highest awards in which you can get
for Guides, the Baden Powell award is the highest award which you can gain as a Guide.

These girls have now moved onto Rangers which they are enjoying their new unit where they are
going to be taking part in more adventurous activities which are more appropriate to their age
range. They are now settling into their new unit where they are getting to know what their new
structure is going to be where they can plan their own meetings to show their maturity within
Guiding.