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Over 10,000 Irish Girl Guides mark 100 years of
a global celebration of friendship
Ireland, 19 February 2026 – More than 10,000 members of Irish Girl Guides will take part in celebrations on 22 February to mark a historic milestone: 100 years of World Thinking Day, celebrated by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in over 150 countries worldwide.
The 2026 celebrations take place under the theme “Our Friendship.” The theme highlights the friendships that sit at the heart of the Guiding movement. Through these friendships, girls develop a sense of belonging, build confidence, and better understand their place in a wider world.
Across Ireland, Irish Girl Guides are exploring what friendship means in their own lives and communities, while also connecting with Guides and Scouts globally. Activities encourage members to celebrate international sisterhood, build meaningful connections, and recognise how friendship can be a powerful force for understanding and positive change.
Irish Girl Guides Chief Commissioner Aisling Claffey Healion said:
“World Thinking Day reminds our members that being a Guide means being part of a global sisterhood. For 100 years, friendship has connected girls across borders and generations. Irish Girl Guides are proud to be part of this worldwide movement, where girls support one another, learn together, and grow into confident young women. Through this global connection, they also develop a strong sense of care for their communities and the wider world.”
Many Irish Girl Guides Units take the opportunity around this time to connect with Guides from around the world through pen-pal exchanges, sharing their experiences of Guiding and learning about traditions and cultures in other countries.
To mark the centenary, Irish Girl Guides also held a special Badge design competition for members. The organisation would like to congratulate everyone who took part, and to offer special congratulations to Aoife from Brandon Senior Branch, whose design was selected as the official World Thinking Day 2026 Badge.
The commemorative Badge is now available to purchase from the Irish Girl Guides shop, allowing members to proudly celebrate this historic occasion.
Irish Girl Guides will also engage with global initiatives led by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), including online celebrations and shared digital activities that bring members together across countries and cultures. Through Campfire, WAGGGS’ digital community space, members can connect, learn, and share experiences with girls and Leaders from around the world. This reinforces the global friendships at the centre of this centenary year.
World Thinking Day has been celebrated annually since 1926, bringing girls and young women together across borders to reflect on shared values, global friendship, and collective action. What began as a celebration of the founders’ shared birthday has grown into a landmark annual event within the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), the world’s largest voluntary movement dedicated to girls and young women.
As Irish Girl Guides celebrates this landmark anniversary, the organisation reaffirms its commitment to providing safe, inclusive spaces where girls can grow in confidence, develop leadership skills, and make lifelong friendships, both at home and across the world.
– ENDS
IGG actively promotes diversity and inclusion and welcomes girls and young women from all walks of life ages 5-30+. We also seek volunteer Leaders ages 18+ in a variety of roles. To find out more, visit www.irishgirlguides.ie or telephone 01-6683898.
Press contact:
Celia Melcus
Public Relations and Advocacy Officer
01-6683898 ext. 104 / (086) 136-7824
ABOUT WORLD THINKING DAY
World Thinking Day, celebrated on February 22, honors the birthdays of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, founders of Guiding and Scouting. Since 1926, Girl Guides and Scouts unite to celebrate the global Movement, raise funds to expand Guiding, and take action on global issues. This day connects 11.2 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts across 153 countries.
ABOUT IRISH GIRL GUIDES
Irish Girl Guides has about 8,000 members across Ireland. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,200 volunteer Leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens.
ABOUT WAGGGS
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is the world’s only movement for every girl and any girl and believe that each of them deserves to be the best they can be. The diverse movement represents 10,8 million girls and young women from 153 countries. Free to make what they want from the movement, girls learn by doing, making friends and having fun. In safe, local spaces, girls develop the skills and attitudes to change themselves, their communities, and our world.