World Thinking Day

World Thinking Day - I must confess to never having come across it before. A spot of “Googling” led me to the website of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGS for short) and this headline statement:

“Celebrated since 1926, World Thinking Day is a day of international friendship. It is an opportunity to speak out on issues that affect young women and fundraise for 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 150 countries.”

Who knew? Obviously not menever having even reached the giddy heights of being a Brownie, let alone a Girl Guide. Reading a little further, it transpires that the association like to theme World Thinking Day (this year, it falls on 22nd February). A 2020 poll of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (under the age of 18) from 100 countries asked what issues they were most concerned about and what they wanted to change about the world. The resultant data revealed that the number one worry of the respondents was the environment.

2022 saw the start of a three year period of encouraging Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to become environmentally conscious leaders. Via a free to download activity pack, girls from around the world will discover the link between Climate Change and Gender Equality and find out why girls and young women are disproportionately affected by environmental issues.

We can help by making a donation to WAGGS via https://www.wagggs. org/en/what-we-do/world-thinkingday/world-thinking-day-fund/, but we can also take some time out and do a spot of thinking ourselves…in our comfortable Western homes, it is easy to forget the struggles that girls and young women experience in other parts of the world.

See if you can come up with some ideas to help the environment, from simple things like only filling up the kettle with the amount of water to make that one cup (or pot) of tea; to more elaborate plans to install solar panels and ground source heat pumps. Perhaps you could try growing some of your own fruit and veg; walking more often instead of automatically jumping into the car; recycling more; only buying new clothes when you absolutely have to…there are so many simple ways to start making an impact, and in the words of a famous retailer“every little helps”.

On February 22nd this year, pause for thought; take 10 mins to sit quietly and engage your brain. You may not be a Girl Guide or a Girl Scout; you may not even be female…but each and every one of us can make an effort to be more thoughtful about the environment and the world we live in. We owe it to the generations after us to clean up our act and leave them a healthy planet.

These articles are researched and written by Laura Billingham, a local content writer and author. Laura moved to the Peak District several years ago to pursue her passion for writing. To find out more visit www. landgassociates.co.uk or contact Laura on 07736 351 341