The Girl Scouts Troop hosted World Thinking Day in the Jetsnasium on March 14th. The annual gathering coincided with its 100th anniversary. Girl Scouts from all over Daegu converged to honor the tradition of ‘friendship’ and ‘sisterhood,’ first established in 1926.
DIS Girl Scouts adviser Mrs. Vis collaborated with USA Girl Scouts Overseas membership manager Ashley Courts to secure the school venue. Courts also supports the Daegu Middle High School Girl Scouts. “DIS held this event a couple of years ago, and we have a really nice relationship between both our school’s Girl Scout troops, the Korean Girl Scouts of Daegu, and also the Camp Walker Girl Scout troop. And so they approached us this year and, when I went to Mr. Jolly with the idea, he didn’t even hesitate. He was like, yes, absolutely.”
Originally designed as a space of connection, the day drew girls from different troops and regions to forge intimate friendships and exchange ideas. The event consisted of five interactive stations unified by the theme of ‘Our Friendship.’ It invited participants to craft friendship bracelets, take part in relay races, practice yoga, exchange postcards and fold fortune tellers.
The event also offered room for discussion around systemic misogyny and female relationships, focusing on positive relationships and recognizing each other as counterparts. “There’s this impression out there that women are really competitive with each other,” Mrs. Vis said. “I think we’re actually in an era where women are really out there cheering for each other and trying to support each other. We’re seeing more female leaders in companies, in schools, in leadership positions all over the world.”
The event concluded with a traditional friendship circle. Hand in hand, the girls shared a “friendship squeeze” as the Girl Scout song filled the air, passing warmth from one to another. Liwu Son, a student from Daegu Dalsan Elementary School, said, “I think friendship, at its core, is being together.”
Troop leaders reflected that the event encouraged girls to pioneer change. Darren Cruz, the Girl Scout leader for the Daisies and Brownies Troop 82100, said, “Most importantly for me is for girls to understand that they can become a leader. And in our organization, Girl Scouts, we are trying to build that confidence for girls to lead our world.”
Now past the 100-year mark, the Girl Scouts continue to hone their leadership skills and anticipate next year’s event. Mrs. Vis said, ”There’s a lot of power in this idea that for 100 years, girls all over the world have been coming together to celebrate friendship and to celebrate female leadership and the development of those leadership skills in young girls. So I think it’s a really special occasion.”
