Junior Chamber International
Encyclopedia
Junior Chamber International (JCI) is the only worldwide non-political and non-sectarian youth service organization. It is an international
community
of citizens between the ages of to with the aim and purpose of creating positive changes
in the world
. The organization believes that these changes must result from one taking "collective action to improve themselves and the world around them." While non-sectarian, JCI has a religious element in their official creed.
1916 saw a name change, with the YMPCA becoming the 'Junior Citizens', colloquially 'JCs' or 'Jaycees'. The St. Louis Junior Chamber of Commerce asked them to adopt the name 'Junior Chamber of Commerce', which was done.
After World War I
the organization contacted similar groups in the United States. A pamphlet describing the 'St. Louis Plan' was sent in response to questions regarding the group and invitations were issued for a caucus. When the proceedings opened in St. Louis on January 21, 1920 with 30 cities represented. A provisional constitution was adopted until a convention could be held in June. With the adoption of a provisional constitution until a convention could be held in June, and the election of officers, the national Junior Chamber movement was born.
Henry Giessenbier
won election as provisional president of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (USJCC) by acclamation, and was joined by other officers from St. Louis; El Paso and Dallas Texas; Terre Haute, Indiana; and Springfield, Massachusetts. The 'United States Junior Chamber of Commerce' was established with 29 clubs from around the nation.
In 1923 the Winnipeg Junior Chamber was formed and has operated continuously since. The unofficial motto of the Winnipeg Junior Chamber, the first in Canada, has long been "We put the I, in JCI". Other Canadian chapters soon followed.
On May 14, 1925 Lincoln Junior Chamber JCI UK was formed, thought to be the first Junior Chamber outside the United States. A Birmingham branch was formed in 1927, followed the same year by a Sheffield branch and by a Nottingham branch in early 1928.
By the time officials from the U.S. Junior Chamber visited England in 1928, there were already eleven functioning chambers. In 1929, Douglas Jelley, President of 'Northampton Jaycees' visited the United States for the first time, which was followed by a visit by a delegation of three Sheffield Members led by W.G. Ibberson to the annual convention of the U.S. Junior Chamber in Brooklyn in 1930.
The first formal attempts to form an international organization came at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1932 when an International Executive Committee was formed. However the U.S Junior Chamber was not sure whether this was a separate organization or one of their own committees. The U.S. Junior Chamber official history does not record that the group evolved into anything more than a loose grouping of member nations with the U.S., Canada, England, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia and Colombia. In 1936, at the national conference in Liverpool representatives from several countries determined to form an International Junior Chamber, but this appears to have been overlooked when JCI was eventually formed.
In 1940, a resolution was passed by JCI USA approving a program to further mutual interests among countries in Central and South America. This led to the establishment of JCI organizations in Mexico City
, Guatemala City
, El Salvador
, Honduras
, Nicaragua
, Costa Rica
, and Panama City
in 1943.
A meeting took place in Mexico City in December 1944 which was billed as an Inter-America Meeting at which representatives of the U.S.A. and seven Latin American countries attended and it was at this meeting that the decision to form Junior Chamber International (JCI) was taken. It was resolved to hold a further meeting in Panama City in 1946.
In 1944, the first international conference was held in Mexico City. Raul Garcia Vidal of Mexico was elected JCI's first President. The countries that originally formed JCI were Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States of America.
at the end of February in 1946. It was attended by 44 delegates from 16 different countries. Presided over by Erasmo Chambonnet of Panama, since JCI President Raul Garcia Vidal was ill and unable to attend, the delegates approved a temporary Constitution and set for themselves a list of purposeful resolutions which all in attendance agreed to follow.
Erasmo Chambonnet of Panama was elected the second JCI President at that JCI Congress, and Australia and Canada were officially affiliated.
In 1948, the JCI Creed was officially adopted at the IV JCI World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, and in 1952 a permanent JCI Headquarters was established. In 2002, after more than 30 years in Coral Gables, Florida, the JCI Headquarters moved to Chesterfield, Missouri.
Over the years, the organization developed and became known as "Junior Chamber," "Junior Chamber of Commerce," "Jaycees International," and their multiple translations in various languages. Since 2004, however, JCI organizations worldwide are incorporating "JCI" in their names.
Every year JCI hosts regional meetings (known as 'Area Conferences'). They are intended to give each local and national organization of that area the opportunity to participate in training, conduct regional and global business and address global issues.
Every year in November JCI host the 'JCI World Congress'. This is an international meeting when every national organization from the four areas come together for training, events and to cast their vote for the changes to be made the following year.
In the 2003 JCI Summit at the United Nations
(UN), JCI took over the responsibility to contribute to the efforts of the UN and presented a resolution supporting the UN Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
In the 2004 Summit JCI decided to focus on the promotion of the MDGs 1 and 6 in Africa/Middle East, MDG 1 in Asia/Pacific, MDGs 4 and 8 in the Americas and MDG 8 in Europe.
The 2008 UN Leadship Summit in New York focussed on Corporate Social Responsibility and the UN Global Compact
. The summit initiated cooperation on the subject with International Chamber of Commerce
. Also some time was devoted to Malaria No More
.
In 2009 the JCI Leadership Summit was held in Geneva, Switzerland
due to the renovation of the UN Building in New York.
In 2010 the JCI Global Partnership Summit was held in New York, USA, from June 21 to 23. The Summit featured appearances from many leaders including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Coca-Cola Vice President of Government Relations Afzal Malik, author Ted Sorensen, United Nations Foundation Nothing But Nets Campaign Director Adrianna Logalbo, Senior Advisor/National Advocate at the United Nations Foundation Gillian Sorensen and Professor Fred Dubee. The Summit was chaired by JCI Japan member Hisanori Gomyo.
In 2011 the JCI Global Partnership Summit will be held in New York, USA, from June 22 to 24.
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
of citizens between the ages of to with the aim and purpose of creating positive changes
Social change
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...
in the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
. The organization believes that these changes must result from one taking "collective action to improve themselves and the world around them." While non-sectarian, JCI has a religious element in their official creed.
Philosophy
- JCI mission
To provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.
- JCI vision
To be the leading global network of young active citizens.
- JCI values
We believe:
That faithFaithFaith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
in GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
gives meaning and purpose to human life;
That the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereigntySovereigntySovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
of nations;
That economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterpriseFree enterprise-Transport:* Free Enterprise I, a ferry in service with European Ferries between 1962 and 1980.* Free Enterprise II, a ferry in service with European Ferries between 1965 and 1982....
;
That governmentGovernmentGovernment refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
should be of laws rather than of men;
That Earth's great treasure lies in human personality;
And that serviceCommunity serviceCommunity service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
to humanity is the best work of life.
From the YMPCA
The Young Men's Progressive Civic Association (YMPCA) was formed on October 13, 1915. The YMPCA grew to membership of 750 in less than five months.1916 saw a name change, with the YMPCA becoming the 'Junior Citizens', colloquially 'JCs' or 'Jaycees'. The St. Louis Junior Chamber of Commerce asked them to adopt the name 'Junior Chamber of Commerce', which was done.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the organization contacted similar groups in the United States. A pamphlet describing the 'St. Louis Plan' was sent in response to questions regarding the group and invitations were issued for a caucus. When the proceedings opened in St. Louis on January 21, 1920 with 30 cities represented. A provisional constitution was adopted until a convention could be held in June. With the adoption of a provisional constitution until a convention could be held in June, and the election of officers, the national Junior Chamber movement was born.
Henry Giessenbier
Henry Giessenbier
Henry Giessenbier was the founder of the United States Junior Chamber in 1920. He was a St. Louis banker.-References:...
won election as provisional president of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (USJCC) by acclamation, and was joined by other officers from St. Louis; El Paso and Dallas Texas; Terre Haute, Indiana; and Springfield, Massachusetts. The 'United States Junior Chamber of Commerce' was established with 29 clubs from around the nation.
In 1923 the Winnipeg Junior Chamber was formed and has operated continuously since. The unofficial motto of the Winnipeg Junior Chamber, the first in Canada, has long been "We put the I, in JCI". Other Canadian chapters soon followed.
On May 14, 1925 Lincoln Junior Chamber JCI UK was formed, thought to be the first Junior Chamber outside the United States. A Birmingham branch was formed in 1927, followed the same year by a Sheffield branch and by a Nottingham branch in early 1928.
By the time officials from the U.S. Junior Chamber visited England in 1928, there were already eleven functioning chambers. In 1929, Douglas Jelley, President of 'Northampton Jaycees' visited the United States for the first time, which was followed by a visit by a delegation of three Sheffield Members led by W.G. Ibberson to the annual convention of the U.S. Junior Chamber in Brooklyn in 1930.
The first formal attempts to form an international organization came at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1932 when an International Executive Committee was formed. However the U.S Junior Chamber was not sure whether this was a separate organization or one of their own committees. The U.S. Junior Chamber official history does not record that the group evolved into anything more than a loose grouping of member nations with the U.S., Canada, England, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia and Colombia. In 1936, at the national conference in Liverpool representatives from several countries determined to form an International Junior Chamber, but this appears to have been overlooked when JCI was eventually formed.
In 1940, a resolution was passed by JCI USA approving a program to further mutual interests among countries in Central and South America. This led to the establishment of JCI organizations in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
in 1943.
A meeting took place in Mexico City in December 1944 which was billed as an Inter-America Meeting at which representatives of the U.S.A. and seven Latin American countries attended and it was at this meeting that the decision to form Junior Chamber International (JCI) was taken. It was resolved to hold a further meeting in Panama City in 1946.
In 1944, the first international conference was held in Mexico City. Raul Garcia Vidal of Mexico was elected JCI's first President. The countries that originally formed JCI were Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States of America.
First JCI World Congress
Junior Chamber International would come into formal being at the First World Congress in PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
at the end of February in 1946. It was attended by 44 delegates from 16 different countries. Presided over by Erasmo Chambonnet of Panama, since JCI President Raul Garcia Vidal was ill and unable to attend, the delegates approved a temporary Constitution and set for themselves a list of purposeful resolutions which all in attendance agreed to follow.
Erasmo Chambonnet of Panama was elected the second JCI President at that JCI Congress, and Australia and Canada were officially affiliated.
In 1948, the JCI Creed was officially adopted at the IV JCI World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, and in 1952 a permanent JCI Headquarters was established. In 2002, after more than 30 years in Coral Gables, Florida, the JCI Headquarters moved to Chesterfield, Missouri.
Over the years, the organization developed and became known as "Junior Chamber," "Junior Chamber of Commerce," "Jaycees International," and their multiple translations in various languages. Since 2004, however, JCI organizations worldwide are incorporating "JCI" in their names.
Structure and organization
Today the JCI Structure is standardized, yet varies from country to country. This is because each National Organization has different ties to their local government and Chambers of Commerce, giving them different benefits and requirements they must adhere to. This is the schema, usually applied- LOM - Local Organization of Members, is a local "Chapter" in a town or area with around 20-50 members. It is usually its own legal entity like an association and has its own characteristics based on the personalities that make out this group of young people
- ROM - Regional Organization of Members, is used in USA, Germany, and a few others to identify a district group within a NOM.
- NOM - National Organization of Members, basically JCI at a country level. Much is coordinated at this level, especially international relationships, national congresses and international benefits for members at the LOM-level.
- Area - each area organizes its own events
- Worldwide - the global chamber
Events
- Area conferences
Every year JCI hosts regional meetings (known as 'Area Conferences'). They are intended to give each local and national organization of that area the opportunity to participate in training, conduct regional and global business and address global issues.
- Area A Conferences
-
-
- 2007 Africa and the Middle East Conference - Joburg, South Africa
- 2010 Africa and the Middle East Conference - Abuja, Nigeria
- Area B - Asia and Pacific -
- Area B Conferences
- 2011 Asia and Pacific - Manila, Philippines
- 2010 Asia and Pacific - Singapore
- Area C - The Americas - Rosario, Argentina. April 21–24, 2010
- Area D - European - Braunschweig, Germany. June 13-17, 2012
- Area D Conferences
- 1996 European Conference - Porto Carras, Greece
- 1997 European Conference - Reykjavik, Iceland
- 1998 European Conference - Monte Carlo, Monaco
- 1999 European Conference - Berlin, Germany
- 2000 European Conference - Oostende, Belgium
- 2001 European Conference - Tampere, Finland
- 2002 European Conference - Istanbul, Turkye
- 2003 European Conference - Birmingham, UK
- 2004 European Conference - Lausanne, Switzerland
- 2005 European Conference - Poitiers, France
- 2006 European Conference - Tallinn, Estonia
- 2007 European Conference - Maastricht, The Nethetlands
- 2008 European Conference - Turku, Finland
- 2009 European Conference - Budapest, Hungary
- 2010 European Conference - Aarhus, Denmark
- 2011 European Conference - Tarragona, Catalonia
- 2012 European Conference - Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany
- World Congress
-
Every year in November JCI host the 'JCI World Congress'. This is an international meeting when every national organization from the four areas come together for training, events and to cast their vote for the changes to be made the following year.
- The 67th JCI World Congress - Taipei, Taiwan. Dates TBA, 2012
- The 66th JCI World Congress - Brussels, Belgium. November 1–5, 2011 - www.jciwc2011.be
- The 65th JCI World Congress - Osaka, Japan. November 2–7, 2010
- The 64th JCI World Congress - Hammamet, Tunisia. November 16–20, 2009
- The 63rd JCI World Congress - New Delhi, India, November, 2008
- The 62nd JCI World Congress - Antakya, Turkye, November, 2007
- The 61st JCI World Congress - Seoul, South-Korea, November, 2006
- The 60th JCI World Congress - Vienna, Austria, November, 2005
- The 59th JCI World Congress - Fukoaka, Japan, November, 2004
- The 58th JCI World Congress - Copenhagen, Denmark, November, 2003
- The 57th JCI World Congress - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, November, 2002
- The 56th JCI World Congress - Barcelona, Spain, November, 2001
- The 55th JCI World Congress - Sapporo, Japan, November, 2000
- The 54th JCI World Congress - Cannes, France, November, 1999
- The 53rd JCI World Congress - Manila, Philippines, November, 1998
- The 52nd JCI World Congress - Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, November, 1997
- The 51st JCI World Congress - Pusan, South Korea, November, 1996
- The 50th JCI World Congress - Glasgow, Scotland, November, 1995
- JCI UN Summit
In the 2003 JCI Summit at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(UN), JCI took over the responsibility to contribute to the efforts of the UN and presented a resolution supporting the UN Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
(MDGs).
In the 2004 Summit JCI decided to focus on the promotion of the MDGs 1 and 6 in Africa/Middle East, MDG 1 in Asia/Pacific, MDGs 4 and 8 in the Americas and MDG 8 in Europe.
The 2008 UN Leadship Summit in New York focussed on Corporate Social Responsibility and the UN Global Compact
UN Global Compact
The United Nations Global Compact, also known as Compact or UNGC, is a United Nations initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation...
. The summit initiated cooperation on the subject with International Chamber of Commerce
International Chamber of Commerce
The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 130 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise....
. Also some time was devoted to Malaria No More
Malaria No More
Malaria No More is a nonprofit organization that aims to end death caused by malaria in Africa by 2015. Malaria No More is known for its participation in the Idol Gives Back charity specials.- History :...
.
In 2009 the JCI Leadership Summit was held in Geneva, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
due to the renovation of the UN Building in New York.
In 2010 the JCI Global Partnership Summit was held in New York, USA, from June 21 to 23. The Summit featured appearances from many leaders including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Coca-Cola Vice President of Government Relations Afzal Malik, author Ted Sorensen, United Nations Foundation Nothing But Nets Campaign Director Adrianna Logalbo, Senior Advisor/National Advocate at the United Nations Foundation Gillian Sorensen and Professor Fred Dubee. The Summit was chaired by JCI Japan member Hisanori Gomyo.
In 2011 the JCI Global Partnership Summit will be held in New York, USA, from June 22 to 24.
Programs
- Programs with partners
- UN Millennium Development Goals with the United Nations
- Corporate Social Responsibility with UN Global Compact
- Global Economic Progress with ICC-WCF
- JCI Nothing But Nets with UN Foundation’s Nothing But Nets initiative
- Encouraging Innovation with Flanders District of Creativity
- The JCI Creative Young Entrepreneur Award (JCI CYEA) is a new international award which was designed specifically to recognize outstanding young entrepreneurs. This award is administered by JCI in partnership with Flanders District of Creativity. This award attempts to recognise exceptional young entrepreneurs and the role of creativity in their success.
- Child Health with Pan American Health Organization
- JCI Programs
- JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons (JCI TOYP)The Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP)The Outstanding Young Persons of the World program serves to formally recognize young people who excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people. The program is sponsored by Junior Chamber International ....
of the World program is intended to formally recognize young people who excel in their chosen fields and thus exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people. See a List of The Outstanding Young Persons of the World.- JCI Training
- JCI World Public Speaking Championship takes one candidate per NOM for its Area Conference championships. The winner at each Area Conference goes to the world final at the JCI World Congress. Candidates may speak in any of the JCI correspondent languages; English, French, Spanish, or Japanese.
- JCI World Debating Championship is a tournament with teams of three members. A team normally represents a single NOM. The world championship has three separate classes; English, French, and Spanish. The Area Conference championships are formally separate from the world championship. The European Conference championship has three classes; English, French, and German.
- JCI Twinning
- JCI National Organisations
-
- JCI India
- JCI Sri Lanka
- JCI Bangladesh
- JCI Belgium
- JCI Cyprus
- JCI NorwayJCI NorwayJCI Norway is the national non-political and non-sectarian youth service organization, part of JCI Junior Chamber International.It is an international community of citizens between the ages of 18 to 40 with the aim and purpose of creating positive changes in the world.- Mission :To provide...
- JCI UK
- JCI Monaco
- JCI Hong Kong
- JCEF France
Alumni
- Jacques ChiracJacques ChiracJacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
- Olivier Giscard d'EstaingOlivier Giscard d'EstaingDr. Olivier Giscard d'Estaing, born in Paris, December 30, 1927, is chairman of the Committee for a World Parliament. The brother of former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is the Founding Dean and Director General of the INSEAD business school and Governor of the Atlantic Institute.He has served...
- Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
- Al GoreAl GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
- Albert II, Prince of MonacoAlbert II, Prince of MonacoAlbert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly...
External links
- Junior Chamber International
- JCI Intl. Community Platform
- JCI India
- JCI Bangladesh
- JCI Belgium
- JCI Brazil
- JCI Cyprus
- JCI Denmark
- JCI Finland
- JCI Germany
- JCI Hungary
- JCI Indonesia
- JCI Japan
- JCI Lithuania
- JCI Malaysia
- JCI Missouri
- JCI Monaco
- JCI Mongolia
- JCI Norway
- JCI Sweden
- JCI Switzerland
- JCI Turkey
- JCI UK
- JCEF France