World Thinking Day 2012

Each year on 22 February, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world celebrate World Thinking Day. World Thinking Day was first created in 1926 at the 4th Girl Guide/Girl Scout International Conference, held at Girl Scouts of the USA’s Camp Edith Macy (now called Edith Macy Conference Center). Conference attendees decided that there should be a special day when Girl Scouts and Girl Guides all around the world think of each other and give thanks and appreciation to their “sister” Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Each year on 22 February, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world celebrate World Thinking Day. It’s a day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts think of each other and give thanks and appreciation for the international friendship they find in our Movement.

The theme for World Thinking Day 2012 is “we can save our planet”, based on UN Millennium Development Goal 7: environmental sustainability. On this website you’ll find activity ideas, information about the theme, and lots of resources.

The new activity pack for World Thinking Day 2012 is bigger than ever! It’s packed with lots of fun and educational activities, extra information on the theme of environmental sustainability, plus ideas for how you can speak out on environmental issues. There are activities for all ages, and we also have a list of fundraising ideas to make your events as successful as possible. Don’t miss the fundraising tips!

This year the activities have been divided into four sections.

Reduce the use of fossil fuels (complete two activities)
Save resources in and around your home (complete two activities)
Switch to sustainable energy solutions (complete two activities)
Speak out to make a difference (complete any one activity that delivers WAGGGS’ demands on MDG 7)

The activity pack can be downloaded here in English, French and Spanish. Make sure you log your activities on our activities map, and read about our special online resources.

To earn a World Thinking Day badge, complete six activities including at least one fundraising activity. We have included some fundraising suggestions in this pack, or you can get creative and design your own. Badges are available to purchase from WAGGGS’ online shop and completing the activities is not compulsory.

Facts and figures

In Latin America and south-east Asia. 100 per cent of people living on less than one US dollar a day areexposed to indoor air pollution from the burningof fuels like wood and charcoal. In Bangladesh,95 per centof the population relies on such fuels.

In countries where water is not easy to find, women and girls, some as young as seven years old, are having to walk three times as farto find it.

It now takes the Earth one year and six months to regenerate what we use in a year. www.footprintnetwork.org

Girls spending more time walking for watermiss out on their education.
If we could capture all the sunlight that falls on the earth in just one hour, we would have enough energyto power the whole world for one year.

Girls and women walking long distances, often alone, face a greater risk of being attacked.

About 90 per cent of the rubbish in landfill sites could have been recycled.
If meeting basic needs like food and waterbecome harder, girls have to take on morehousehold responsibilities and are forced togo out to work to help their family, preventingthem from attending school.
Women are often central in determining their household’s contribution to climate change and lead the way in low-emission living. In developed countries,women typically eat less meat than men and more.
often choose “green” products when given the option.
When extreme weather strikes, girls and young women are less likely to leave the home to seek help, or to have basic survival skills like swimming or climbing.
Around 2.7 billion people, almost half of all people in the world, rely on biomass (such as plant or animalmatter, like wood) for cooking and heating. Burning biomass puts lots of CO2 into the atmosphere and breathing the smoke every day is very harmful. www.sustainableenergyforall.org/about

Need help? Contact development@wagggsworld.org

Suggestions: If you have completed this badge, why not try the GAT Badge.

Your comments

View newest comments first

GLENIS PIERRE - 22 January 2012 - 12.10AM (GMT)

the information on this site has been helpful...i am a new Guider....continue to share

Lindsey - 29 January 2012 - 8.51PM (GMT)

Can't wait for World Thinking Day!! Glad the theme is addressing helping the planet - it's the only one we have!!

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