February 22 is Girl Scout World Thinking Day. The date February 22 was chosen as it is the mutual birthday of Boys Scout’s founder, Lord Baden-Powell and his wife, Olave.

In the 1926 International Girls Scouts Conference, delegates expressed the need for an international day to think about scouting and their sisters throughout the world. They started a “penny for your thoughts” campaign to raise funds to promote scouting programs worldwide.

Scouting was initiated in when Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell of the British Army published Scouting for Boys in 1908. B-P participated in reconnaissance and scouting activities in India and Africa and Scouting for Boys was a primer to teach boys exploration, tracking, and survival skills.

Interest in the movement spread like wildfire (no pun intended.) In 1909, the first Boy Scout rally was held in London’s Crystal Place with 11,000 attendees, including some girls dressed as boys. Girl Scouts was initiated soon afterward by Mrs. B-P. By 1910 there were 100,000 Boy and Girl Scouts worldwide.

The 2019 Theme for Girl Scout Thinking Day is Leadership.