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World Thinking Day Service Area Event Guide
Table of Contents
Welcome!
Why World Thinking Day? 2 Council Support 2 Planning Your Event 2 Supplies 2 Activities 3 World Thinking Day Passport 5 Girl Scout and Girl Guide Changemakers handout 6 Invitation to Present 7 Cultural Connection Without Cultural Appropriation handout 8 Evaluation 10 Flyer 11 Social Media 12
You’ve decided to host a World Thinking Day Service Area Event! Yay! Planning a large event is not always easy and some people simply don’t have the time to plan events from scratch. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide that lays it all out for you. This event is designed for all age levels, and Girl Scouts will earn the World Thinking Day patch. The event takes place approximately 2 hours. For event planning help, check out our Service Area Event Planning Guide. When you finish your event, we’d love to hear how it went! Contact us to Share Your Story.
▶▶ Why World Thinking Day? Every year on February 22, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in more than 150 countries around the world celebrate World Thinking Day! Each year has a special theme, such as helping the environment, fighting poverty, making sure all kids can go to school, or speaking up for fairness and equality. On this day, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides everywhere honor their global community by doing activities around a shared theme.
Girl Scouts and families can also be invited as attendees to learn about countries at the interactive displays. The activities can be run in stations, each country represented will be a station, and the additional activities to earn the World Thinking Day Award will also be stations. This event activity guide makes use of simple household materials and can be led by volunteers without prior World Thinking Day knowledge.
▶▶ Supplies
▶▶ Council Support
• A table for each station (represented countries and World Thinking Day activities)
This Service Area Event Guide comes with more than just a few activity ideas. To make your event as successful as possible, your Girl Scout staff are here to support you. We are happy to provide printed event guide, fliers, and handouts; planning support; and Service Area funding through spring allocations.
• String • Tape • Paper cut into banner triangles
Service Areas will receive an allocation based on hosting quality local events for Girl Scouts that tie in with the GSNWGL Super Troop Year plan topics and that host at least one event that is open to Girl Scouts beyond their Service Area.
• Paper
If you don’t find everything you need in this guide—we can help! Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions via an email to info@gsnwgl.org.
• World Thinking Day Passports
• Markers • Pens • World map • Girl Scout and Girl Guide Changemakers handout • Cultural Connection Without Cultural Appropriation handout for troops prior to participating in event
▶▶ Planning Your Event Invite troops in advance to research a country to present on at World Thinking Day. These troops should have an interactive element on their display. A food sample, clothing items to try, a photo op, or a simple craft are great options.
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▶▶ Activities Troop Interactive booths ▶ Supplies • Table • Troops bring their own displays (with interactive portions) for presenting their research ▶ Instructions Troops will have a visual display and will share some highlights about their country with the participants. The girls will also encourage attendees to participate in their interactive portion of their booth. Before the attendees go to the next booth, they will receive a mark in their passport either by marker, sticker, or a stamp. International Pen Pals ▶ Supplies • Paper and pens • World map ▶ Instructions Find international pen pals to exchange ideas on leadership and how they’ll make the world a better place. Browse the WAGGGS member organizations and check individual country websites to research their pen pal programs. Have a map available for girls to find the country your pen pal is connected to. Have a conversation to learn what their experience was like living in their country. Ask questions and share your own answers! What foods do you typically eat? What is the common form of transportation? How do you like to spend your weekends? What is your favorite thing to do in Girl Scouts? Do you have a holiday or celebration you enjoy and how do you celebrate? You might find that things are more similar between the two of you than you realized! ▶ Ask the Group • What are traditions that are important to you and your family? • How do you think the culture is different around the United states? Compare where you live now to the West Coast, the East Coast, or Southern States? Add to the “Wish for the Future” Banner ▶ Supplies • Triangular pieces of paper for the banner • Pens, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers • Tape • String ▶ Instructions On a piece of triangular banner paper, write or draw your vision for what you want to happen in the future. Then tape it onto the banner string. Think about things that would make the world a better place, such as: •
A cleaner planet
• No one goes hungry
• Kindness
• Education for all girls
• Clean water for everyone
• Healthcare for all people
• No more poverty
• An end to all wars
• Equal rights for all people
Older girls should write down a plan for steps they can take to help make it happen in their community. ▶ Ask the Group • Whatwould it take to make your wish come true all over the world? • What are steps can you take toward making that wish come true in your community? Create Your Own World Thinking Day Symbol ▶ Supplies • Paper • Markers • Picture and description of the World Trefoil Symbol
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▶ Instructions Have girls create their own World Thinking Day Symbol and add in elements to represent this year’s theme. You can find this year’s theme here. Take some inspiration from the World Trefoil Symbol. The World Trefoil symbol’s background is blue to represent the color of the sky. The outer ring’s gold band represents sunshine. The inside gold leaves stand for the three parts of the Girl Scout Promise. There are two gold stars: one is for the Girl Scout Promise and the other is for the Girl Scout Law. The center gold compass needle is the safeguard between the Promise and Law. The gold base underneath the compass is the flame of international friendship. ▶ Ask the Group • Describe the symbol you created. • How does it represent this year’s theme? Activity for This Year’s Theme: Learn About a Girl Scout Changemaker Invite in local changemakers. This can be Girl Scouts who have earned their Silver or Gold Award to talk about their project, guest speaker(s) who are making positive changes in their communities, or a troop leader who has made positive changes through Girl Scouts, or you can bring the list of Girl Scout Changemakers for girls to read about before answering the following questions. ▶ Ask the Group • What changemaker is inspiring to you? • What kind of changemaker does your community need? • If you were to earn a Silver or Gold Award, what type of project would you like to do? • Who would your project help?
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Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes
World Thinking Day PASSPORT Draw a self-portrait here.
First name: Last name: Troop number: Date of travel: Signature:
For All Girl Scouts (K–12) | 2027 World Thinking Day Award
Girl Scout and Girl Guide Changemakers Supports Step 3, Choice 3
Juliette Gordon Low | Girl Scouts of the USA Founder Juliette Gordon Low, affectionately known as “Daisy,” founded Girl Scouts in 1912. She dreamed of a space where members could practice leadership skills, help themselves and others, and bring their ideas to life. Daisy passed away in 1927, but her vision lives on! Today’s Girl Scouts honor Daisy’s memory every time they speak up, blaze their own trail, and make the world a better place.
Sarah | GSUSA Gold Award Girl Scout The Gold Award is Girl Scouting’s biggest honor. It is earned by planning and leading a project that makes a lasting impact on an issue in your community. Sarah earned her Gold Award by creating the Musical Lending Library at the Fayetteville Free Library in New York. This program lets musicians try instruments before buying them, ensuring they get the one that’s right for them. “Music is a universal language that knits us all together,” she explains. Now, thanks to Sarah, the music will play even louder.
Kettie | WAGGGS Global Advocacy Champion From her home country of Malawi, Africa, Kettie observed strong, successful women around the world. She wanted Malawi women to have the same opportunities to achieve their goals. So, she became a women’s advocate—that’s someone who speaks up or acts to help overcome challenges others are facing. As a Girl Guide, Kettie mentors women and girls of all ages, encouraging them to attend school and build careers. Through this work, she is supporting Malawi’s women to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Agnes Baden-Powell | Girl Guides Founder When Agnes Baden-Powell’s brother, Robert, founded the Boy Scout movement in the UK, he quickly found out that girls wanted to be in on the fun, too—so Agnes took on the challenge and founded the Girl Guides in 1910. Agnes served as the organization’s first president for seven years, then continued as vice president until her death in 1945. During this time, she wrote many Girl Guide books and magazines. She also helped plan what members would learn and do in the program.
Olave Baden-Powell | World Chief Guide, Girl Guides Olave Baden-Powell, Agnes’ sister-in-law, started working with the Girl Guides organization in 1915. By 1918, she had risen to the rank of Chief Guide for Britain, and in 1930, she was elected World Chief Guide. She worked in this top role for forty years, traveling tirelessly to establish the Guide Movement in countries all over the globe. Under Olave’s leadership, membership rose to over 6.5 million worldwide.
© 2023–2027 Girl Scouts of the United States of America. All rights reserved.
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Daisy, Brownie, and Junior World Thinking Day 2027 Activity Guide | 9
Blank Service Area Presents
World Thinking Day Invitation to Present
▶ You’re invited to present at World Thinking day! You and your troop will decide on a country to research. Learn about their culture, traditions, history, food, art, or agriculture. What do people do for fun? What do they eat? Do they have special celebrations? What are popular modes of transportation? What are popular places and things to do when visiting this country? What is the weather like throughout the year? Do they have Girl Guides in this country? What are some of the things Girl Guides do there? At the World Thinking Day event, you will have a table to share what you’ve learned about the country you’ve researched (posters with images are highly encouraged). Please have an interactive element at your table for the attendees: a traditional food, a traditional song or dance to learn, clothing to try, a simple craft, or something else creative to make your table fun and engaging! Read the Cultural Connection Without Cultural Appropriation handout before planning your information table. Date: Time: Location: How to register: For more information, contact:
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Cultural Connections Without Cultural Appropriation We are building Girl Scouts of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. To do that, we must first provide a space that is inclusive, equitable, and accessible for Girl Scouts of all backgrounds. Part of this responsibility entails teaching about cultural diversity accurately and respectfully. You may have heard of cultural appropriation, but what does it mean? Cultural appropriation is the misuse of customs, practices, ideas, art, and more by a member of a different culture in a way that is disrespectful or inappropriate. Cultural appropriation does not give proper credit to the original creators and/or is for personal gain. Cultural appropriation can be harmful, even if unintentional. When elements of a particular culture are adopted by a dominant group, the original meaning and purpose of these ideas and practices often get lost. Cultural practices are often sacred and signal peoples’ diverse identities, and borrowing from these cultures without proper care can lead to misrepresentation, exploitation, and trivialization. However, appreciating and understanding different cultures is an integral part of the Girl Scout experience. Girl Scouts can create positive change in the world by learning about people, ideas, and places outside their familiarity or comfort zone. There are many ways to appreciate cultures different than your own respectfully. Cultural appreciation means learning about a culture through customs, practices, ideas, art, and more. It requires gaining knowledge about the culture you are sharing and an explanation of the cultural and historical roots of what you are appreciating. It can help to gain knowledge from an expert, like someone with lived experience of that culture, or online resources.
Tips and Guidelines for Adding Cultural Connections Learn before you share. As you bring cultural connections to badges and journeys, spend time learning about the connection you are making, using resources written or created by members of that community. This will give you the background information and context you need to share with the Girl Scouts. Learn from the community. Use sources and seek guidance written or created by members of the community for the culture you wish to share. This minimizes the risk of appropriating a culture and the risk of learning and repeating stereotypes. Bringing in members of the community you’re learning about can also be incredibly helpful—there are a variety of organizations within the council that can provide this kind of support. Learn the origin and purpose. Keep in mind that items, patterns, music, and stories may look like fun crafts, art, or decorations from an outside perspective but fulfill a culturally significant role as elements of ceremonies, celebrations, or religions. Research will help you determine if art-based activities are appropriate. Wearing other cultures as a costume is always inappropriate, such as wearing blackface and Native American headdresses. You can still talk about items and cultural connections that you can’t recreate but find a different hands-on activity to accompany the lesson. Appreciate, don’t appropriate. The goal of cultural activities should be to shed light on the cultures, histories, and identities of our communities. When Girl Scouts learn accurate information about other cultures, they will be better equipped to respect diverse voices and see the value in cultural diversity.
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Do’s and Don’ts for Planning Girl Scouts Programming About Cultural Diversity Do: • • • • • •
Encourage your Girl Scouts to learn about and appreciate other cultures! Provide background information to connect the activity to the culture it comes from. Choose books, music, art, and food that originate from and accurately represent specific cultures instead of showing an outsider’s perspective. Incorporate cultural expertise with voices from the culture you share through guest speakers, books, videos, or movies. When studying other cultures, take the time to learn how to correctly pronounce the names of people and places. Ask questions! It’s okay to say that you don’t have the answers now, but you’ll find out.
Don’t: • Use activities only for entertainment—although everything should be fun, it should also be educational. • Create activities around customs or practices considered sacred (i.e., the funeral/ religious rites of any culture). • Use terms from other cultures, such as calling your friends your “tribe” or saying you have a “spirit animal.” • Support the profit of cultural appropriation by purchasing culturally themed items from businesses outside of that culture.
Examples of Culturally Appropriate Activities • Eat at a local ethnic restaurant, supporting local businesses. Or make the food on your own! • Attend a cultural festival in your area. • Listen to music from other cultures. • Find out about a new holiday from another culture. • Learn about world geography. Discover art from diverse cultures through learning and creating crafts (making sure the art is not culturally sacred, such as Native American headdresses).
FAQ What if I say or do the wrong thing? The most crucial step to take when you’ve appropriated from another culture is genuinely apologizing and using the experience to avoid similar missteps in the future. When apologizing, make sure not to make the situation about you and instead empathize with what the other person or group might be feeling. Mistakes can be tremendous growth opportunities. And remember not to be too hard on yourself since everyone makes mistakes. Where do I learn accurate information about varying cultures that I can share with Girl Scouts? There are a variety of resources on the Internet that can help you learn. The best thing you can do is listen to members of that culture or community. Why is it so important to understand and accurately represent different cultures? By learning and understanding different cultures, you can understand more clearly why people do things the way they do and identify and empathize with many different points of view. Girl Scouts who are exposed to a wide range of cultures and ideas gain confidence since they can get along with more diverse groups of people. This is especially important for Girl Scouts since learning about the diversity in the world allows Girl Scouts to take action and make the world a better place.
Other Resources Google Arts and Culture—You can explore art, games, and museums from cultures across the world without having the travel through this interactive website. National Geographic Kids—This kid-accessible website is an excellent place for Girl Scouts to learn independently! Facing History—This resource is great for older Girl Scouts to learn about history and cultural diversity. Cultural Appropriation Examples—If you’re looking for some examples of cultural appropriation, look no further!
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World Thinking Day Evaluation
Thanks for taking our survey! Please read each question carefully and mark the best answer for you—don’t worry about how your friends are answering. If you don’t understand a question, please ask an adult for help. Circle your Girl Scout level: Daisy
Junior
Senior
Brownie
Cadette
Ambassador
Adult
At the event: 1. I shared my opinions and ideas.
2. We learned by doing activities, not just listening. 3. We talked about what worked and didn’t work. 4. The thing I liked most about this event was:
5. Something I didn’t like about this event (not including this survey!) was:
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Blank Service Area Presents
World Thinking Day ▶▶ Girl Scouts, you can earn your World Thinking Day patch. ◀◀
Join us! Date: Time: Location: How to register: For more information, contact:
info@gsnwgl.org | gsnwgl.org | 888.747.6945
▶▶ Social Media
Service Area
Published by Girl Scout Volunteer
1 min ago
Join us for a World Thinking Day event with Service Area! Girl Scouts, are you ready to earn your World Thinking Day patch? For girls in grades: K–6 Where: Local community center When: Saturday, February 22 | 3–5 PM Register today!
World Thinking Day Event
Girl Scouts, are you ready to earn your World Thinking Day patch?
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