WAGGGS and WOSM celebrate World Thinking Day and Founder’s Day

3 minutes

Today, WAGGGS and WOSM celebrate the birthdays of the two people, Olave Baden-Powell and Robert Baden-Powell, who founded Scouting and Guiding more than a century ago.  

On 22 February every year, we celebrate the shared ideas, principles and values that make Guiding and Scouting such a positive force for good around the world. Through this global movement, young people have the opportunity to build lifelong friendships, take part in fun educational activities, and develop the skills and attitudes to grow and contribute to change in their communities and our world.  

This past year has been a challenging one for us all, but today we celebrate the resilience and strength of the Guiding and Scouting family. While many of our activities, meetings and events have been put on hold due to the pandemic, Guides and Scouts have found ways to meet online, react to the needs of their local communities which have been impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, and continue to spread the principles of leadership which unite us.  

Together we share a belief that by equipping young people with the education, experiences, skills and empathy to understand the world from the perspective of others, that Guides and Scouts can make informed choices and take action to create the world they want to live in. 

As you celebrate with your friends near and far today, and take part in activities that maybe look very different from the past, remember to be proud of what we have achieved together over the past year. We are united in our determination to inspire and give voice to young people everywhere – the world needs this now more than ever.