Hundreds of Girls and Young Women Celebrate World Thinking Day
On Sunday, 19th February 2023, hundreds of Bim Bims, Brownie Guides, Girl Guides, Ranger Guides, Young Leaders and Guiders of the local Girl Guiding Association turned out to celebrate World Thinking Day under the theme “Our World, Our Peaceful Future: The Environment and Peace”.
World Thinking Day is a special day across the 152 Member Organisations and 10 million members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). World Thinking Day is celebrated on February 22nd each year and is a day for international friendship since 1926. Every year on the 22nd of February, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts celebrate the Movement by connecting with each other and having fun together, learning about and taking action on the global issues that affect their local communities, and fundraising for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world.
Locally, the Girl Guides Association of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hosted a celebratory parade from the Peace Memorial Hall to the Kingstown Methodist Church where a special ceremony then commenced. This year’s ceremony featured Bim Bims, Brownie Guides, Girl Guides and Ranger Guides from the Windward and Leeward Divisions as well as the Kingstown and the Grenadines Division.
The feature speaker, Janeel Miller-Findlay emphatically encouraged all present to be guided by the four Rs in their everyday life “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover”. Reverend Janice Soyer-Delaney also reminded the guiding community that they are not too young to make a difference. In her message, Reverend Delaney shared the influence of 11-year-old Barbadian; Maria Marshall; a UNICEF Youth Advocate for climate advocacy. Marshall has been championing climate issues and believes that “No matter how old you are, you can make a real change on big issues like the climate crisis”.
On Wednesday, 22nd February, members of the guiding community are encouraged to wear their uniforms in recognition of World Thinking Day 2023 to school and work. Activities for the week will climax with eight Brownie Guides participating in the annual Althea Commissiong Brownie Public Speaking on Saturday, 25th February 2023 at the Girl Guides Headquarters in Level Gardens. The topic for the public speaking event is “Our Peaceful Future. What would this look like and what can the Girl Guide Movement do to ensure that Brownies inherit such a future?”
