Girl Guides and Scouts from across the Foothills came together for a Torchlight Walk on Wednesday night to honour World Thinking Day and their founding brother and sister, Lord and Lady Baden-Powell.

Girl's First Champion Facilitator and Guide Leader, Lisa Penzo, says this annual tradition celebrates the group of girls who challenged "boys only" activities.

"It's truly just recognizing our founding brother and sister who started this movement. way back, Lady Baden-Powell and a group of girls with her said, hey, how come we can't do some of this stuff. So, they formed their own troop, and that's where girl guides was born," she said.

Penzo says the local Guide and Scouts programs have grown rapidly in the Foothills.

"We've grown in the last little bit, which is neat to see. You often do see, as the kids get older, they age out, or they get more involved in other community or school events. There's lots out there for competitive sports players, music and school events, and sometimes you just need something that gets you outside," she said.

The Torchlight Walk started at Sheep River Park, ending at the Elks Club with juice, cookies and a camp fire.

Brand new programming, called Girls First, has also been introduced to guiding, which aims to empower girls in Guides to navigate their world through girl-driven activities and experiences.

This year's World Thinking Day celebrated the theme of leadership, and is dedicated to the group of girls who demanded change in the scouting movement in 1909.

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