World Thinking Day 2023: Date, Theme, History, Significance, Celebration & More
World Thinking Day 2023: On World Thinking Day, which is observed on February 22, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from all over the world speak out on topics that affect girls and young women. It is a day of friendship, sisterhood, and empowerment. The Girl Guides and Girl Scouts take advantage of this as a chance to learn about and appreciate other nations and cultures while also raising awareness and sensitivity to international issues. Donations are taken for the Thinking Day Fund, which supports initiatives to assist Girl Guides and Scouts worldwide.
World Thinking Day 2023: 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: "Environment": 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"
- 2023: "Our World, Our Peaceful Future: The environment, peace, and security"
- 2023: "Our World, Our Thriving Future: The environment and global poverty"
World Thinking Day 2023: History
The need for a special international day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts would reflect on the global expansion of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting and of all the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world was highlighted by conference delegates in 1926 at the Fourth Girl Scout International Conference, held at Girl Scouts of the United States' Camp Edith Macy (currently the Edith Macy Conference Center).
The delegates decided that this day would be February 22, which also happens to be the birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, who founded the Boy Scout movement, and Lady Olave Baden-Powell, who is the World Chief Guide.
The name was changed from "Thinking Day" to "World Thinking Day" in 1999 at the 30th World Conference, which was held in Ireland, to highlight the universal nature of this noteworthy day.
World Thinking Day 2023: Significance
- World Thinking Day is a significant holiday that not only honours the day itself but also raises money for the global development of girl scouts and guides.
- Worldwide scouts and guides unite to celebrate their common values and objectives. It provides an opportunity to consider the accomplishments of the scouting movement and its global influence.
- This day is crucial for fostering among young people a sense of global awareness and understanding as well as for encouraging community service and environmental stewardship.
- It gives girl guides and girl scouts the chance to learn about and address problems that the world is facing.
The sheer amount of work put forth by girl scouts and girl guides around the world is the reason why World Thinking Day has become such a significant international event. Young people can learn vital life skills like teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making from scouting organisations and other international organisations, and they can also forge enduring bonds with their peers and community leaders.
