Members of Girlguiding and Girl Scouts around the world are preparing to unite this month in a celebration of their international movement.

On the 22nd February every year Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and Leaders celebrate World Thinking Day, an event which encourages girls to learn and ‘think’ about their peers across the globe, the contributions they make to their communities, and the efforts of Girl Guides in historic events such as the Second World War.

Guides have been celebrating Thinking Day since 1926 and the event is celebrated by 10 million girls worldwide.

2024 marks the last of 3 years of an environment focus on World Thinking Day, coined ‘Our World, Our Thriving Future’ by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).

Units across the region will be celebrating with activities that, according to a leader from 5th Hadleigh Guides, ‘give girls new experiences’ and are designed to create global and environmental awareness. These include getting to know other Girlguiding members from around the world, innovating eco-friendly solutions to real life challenges, and activities such as multicultural dancing and visits from petting zoos.

World Thinking Day is one of many events run by Girlguiding as part of their long-term effort to create a warm and welcoming safe space for girls aged 4-18.

Other activities in the organisation’s calendar include The Big Help Out in June and overseas trips to Girlguiding’s World Centres.

One leader in Hadleigh, who has been involved in Guiding for 62 years, said, ‘I get to do things I’d never get to do if I wasn’t in Guiding: I get to go to camp, I’ve zipwired, I’ve abseiled’; while another added, ‘people did this for me when I was younger and it’s about giving back to the community’.

This sense of community and adventure is widely shared by all the volunteers who keep Girlguiding going, such as the Head Leader of Hadleigh Rangers who said that ‘I feel that I’m contributing to girls’ wellbeing.’ World Thinking Day shows that the organisation provides an invaluable level of togetherness which she finds to be of great importance. As she pointed out, ‘I feel that you need that safe space whether you’re male or female’.