This Friday, February 22nd, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from across the world will be celebrating their sisterhood during World Thinking Day! Every year since 1926, we have joined together with girls from 150 different countries to celebrate our global sisterhood and take part in activities that promote changing the world for the better. This year’s World Thinking Day theme is Leadership, and we are challenging you to think about the change you would like to see in the world and to take the lead in making that change!

Here are 5 different ways you can challenge yourself this year, Girl Scouts!

1.Examine the words of leadership.

Girl Scouts across the country share our Girl Scout Promise and Law. But did you know
that Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in each country have their own promise and law? Take a look at the promises and laws from Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in other parts of the world on this page and the next, and compare them to the Girl Scout Promise and Law. How are they the same? How are they different? How do they relate to leadership or your leadership style?

2. Wave your flag.

Look for pictures of flags from some other countries and choose your favorite. Find out what the colors and symbols represent. Now think about how you could represent your leadership in a flag. What colors would you use? What shapes, animals, or plants would you include? Why? Design a flag that incorporates one element from the WAGGGS world flag, one element from the flag you learned about, and one element that represents you as a leader. When you’re finished, share your flag with your Girl Scout sisters and tell them what it represents.

3. Take the G.I.R.L. (Go-getter,Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™quiz.

Find out if you are more of a go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, or leader. Do the results surprise you? After you’ve taken the quiz, share the results with your Girl Scout friends. Together, make four posters. Write the words “Go-getter,” “Innovator,”“Risk-taker,” and “Leader” on each poster. Choose the word that best describes you and write the characteristics or actions that you associate with it. For example, for risk-taker, you might write “brave,” “tries new things,” or “curious.” What can you think of?

4. Find out why.

Write an issue, statement, or fact on the center of a large piece of paper. Then ask yourself “why?” Write the answers to that “why” around the original statement and draw lines to connect your answers to the issue or statement. Then for each of your new answers, ask “why?” again. Write down all your answers again. Keep building out your circles of “why” until you think you can’t think of any additional explanations. You just created a flowchart of the issue you’ve identified. Now think about how you can use your leadership skills to address this issue. Create an action plan that uses your skills to address this issue. Explore how your peers in another country have addressed this issue. What did they do? What leadership skills did.

5. Connect with a global leader.

The Peace Corps is a program that sends American volunteers to work in other countries. The organization tackles many global issues. Visit their website to invite a returned Peace Corps volunteer to speak to your troop or group about her experience in the country where she served. How is life different for girls your age in that country? If you aren’t able to find a returned Peace Corps volunteer in your community, talk to your troop leader about other organizations you might connect with.

To learn more about World Thinking Day 2019 and how your troop can take the lead, visit our website!