It might sound like a tweener girl's dream come true: an entire Friday evening devoted to dressing up in costumes, maybe some makeup, music, crafts, dancing, games, and food, with your girlfriends. Lots of them.
Feb. 29 marked the third International Night for area Girls Scout groups. Twenty troops, 200 girls in all, ranging from Daisies and Brownies to Juniors and Cadettes, took over the East Lyme Community Center activity room, turning it into their own version of a global village. Most of the troops were from East Lyme, but some came from Chester, Haddam, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. Thirty-five adult volunteers helped out.
Bandanas, Girl Scout banners, and badges mixed with country costumes. Some girls swooped around in saris and patiently waited in the long line to have henna "tattoos" painted on their hands and arms. Others handed out Irish soda bread or Polish kolaches. Members of each troop took turns staffing their booth, asking questions, helping visitors make something, play a game, take a quiz, or help themselves to trinkets that taught or symbolized something about the chosen country or topic. Visiting girls stepped up to get their "passports" stamped.
"Can you take me to Greece?" one young scout stopped another in the middle of the room. It didn't seem like a strange question to ask.
The evening had a much more educational-and worldly-objective. In keeping with the Girl Scouts' credo to develop leadership qualities of social conscience and self-worth, as well as courage, confidence, and character, the evening was built around learning about different countries and cultures. Whether the girls realized it or not, they were part of a network of celebrations by and for members of the largest international voluntary organization of girls and women in the world.
"International Night is held to celebrate World Thinking Day," said Rosemary Littlefield, one of two adult leaders for Junior Troop 3409 of East Lyme, and organizer of the local event for the past three years. "It's the idea that we're a global, international organization, not just a national one. Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world celebrate World Thinking Day."
There is a long and storied history of the event, first created in 1926 at the fourth Girl Guide/Girl Scout International Conference, held in the U.S. Conference attendees decided that there should be a special day when Girl Scouts, as they are known in the U.S., and Girl Guides, the name used in most of the rest of the world, should think of each other and give thanks and appreciation to their "sister" groups and members. The global organization for the groups is known as WAGGGS, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Feb. 22 was selected as the worldwide date because it is 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 international conference held in Poland, the custom of each girl donating one penny to WAGGGS was started, in recognition that birthdays usually involved gifts, and this would be a way for all members to show their appreciation for each other.
Globally, World Thinking Day 2008 adopted the theme of adolescent health, specifically the importance of water on daily life. The global campaign has materials for scout groups that focus on the consequences, particularly for girls' health, of the lack of access to clean water and sanitation.
There are several ways to participate in International Night, Littlefield explained. The East Lyme event for the younger scouts took the world festival approach, which included a display by Troop 3409 of what WAGGGS is all about. The girls also got to hear Sue Wilber play her guitar and perform Girl Scouts songs from around the world.
Each girl paid 50 cents admission. Half will be sent to the WAGGGS, Littlefield said, and half will be kept closer to home for Girl Scouts family partnership activities.
For more information, visit www.worldthinkingday.org.