Thinking Day

World Thinking Day at Our Chalet

World Thinking Day 2008 will centre around the theme of water, focusing on all aspects of water and sanitation that affect the health of girls and young women.

Water is very central to life at Our Chalet, particularly during the winter season. We are also in an ecologically delicate area in a catchment zone of the Swiss Alps. For World Thinking Day 2008 Our Chalet will be learning about how much water we are using and what Switzerland is doing to conserve water. We will also be identifying ways in which we can reduce water usage and harm to our water system. 

We will finish by making a natural bath bomb that helps to reduce the toxicity of our waste water that our guests and staff can take home and use!  We will be raising money for the Thinking Day fund by asking guests to bring a contribution to help with our fundraising.

For the Thinking Day Fund Our Chalet will also be holding a lunch time Snow BBQ for guests and staff on the Adelboden ski slopes. All funds raised from this BBQ will go the 2008 Thinking Day fund.

What is World Thinking Day?

Each year on 22 February, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world celebrate World Thinking Day.

World Thinking Day was first created in 1926 at the fourth Girl Guide/Girl Scout International Conference, held at Girl Scouts of the USA’s Camp Edith Macy (now called Edith Macy Conference Center). Conference attendees decided that there should be a special day when Girl Scouts and Girl Guides all around the world think of each other and give thanks and appreciation to their "sister" Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. 

The delegates chose 22 February as the date for Thinking Day because it was the mutual birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement, and his wife Olave, who served as World Chief Guide.

In 1932, at the seventh World Conference, held in Poland, it was suggested by a Belgian delegate that since birthdays usually involve presents, girls could show their appreciation and friendship on Thinking Day not only by extending warm wishes to each other but also by offering a voluntary contribution to the World Association. Olave wrote to all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts after this idea was adopted asking them to help support the Movement by donating just a penny.