Girl Scouts have always supported the mission of peace in our communities, our country and our world. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, the largest voluntary movement dedicated to girls and young women in the world, chose ‘Peacebuilding’ as the theme for annual World Thinking Day celebrations around the world. Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from 150 different countries focused activities and skill building on the theme.
Locally, LZSU646 Girl Scouts celebrated World Thinking Day virtually in 2021, learning about ways to promote peace within themselves, encourage peaceful discourse with the people in their communities and learning about remarkable young women furthering peace through projects and advocacy around the world. They made peace pledges which included their plans for how they can further peace in their own lives and vowing to be peacebuilders.
Several of our troops even participated in making squares for our Lake Zurich Girl Scout Service Unit Peace Quilt. Inspired by the Boise Quilt Peace Project and the National Peace Quilt, girls from our area sewed and decorated squares depicting what peace means to them in an effort to create an art piece to express their hope for future peace in our world. This quilt will be displayed throughout our Service Unit this year.
You can see the debut of the Peace Quilt on International Day of Peace, September 21, at Ela Park, outside of Ela Historical Society, from 5:30-7:30 PM.
The assembly of the Lake Zurich Girl Scout Peace Quilt was made possible by generous donations of services and funding from Norma Anderson, A Quilting Bee in Mahomet, IL, and Empowered Nails by Jenni.
Now, in celebration of International Peace Day on September 21, 2021 Girl Scouts from our area are bringing their message of peace to their community with Pinwheels for Peace! While celebrating World Thinking Day our Girl Scouts learned about the Pinwheels for Peace project, a global movement of people who plant pinwheels in the ground outside public places to encourage ‘whirled peace’ on International Peace Day.
You can visit our Pinwheels for Peace display at Ela Park, outside of Ela Historical Society, now until September 25. Stop by on Tuesday, September 21 from 5:30-7:30 PM and assemble your own pinwheel to add to the display.
In an effort to bring a fun ‘spin’ on the Pinwheels for Peace project our Girl Scouts planted larger pinwheels around Lake Zurich and Hawthorn Woods. Now through September 25, residents can find pinwheels, scan the QR code, and enter to win fun prizes!
Our Girl Scouts hope this event will encourage local residents to pledge to do what they can to promote peace in their community and the world. To learn more about International Peace Day, visit https://internationaldayofpeace.org/ .
