Introduction to jci

Editor's Notes

• #2: This session was created to introduce JCI to members and non-members by focusing on the true spirit that moved our founders and that makes JCI successful and relevant today. We hope this presentation will answer your questions about JCI and inspire new and experienced members to create global impact through local actions. Only with this spirit of active citizenship that links all JCI members can we take action and work together to create a better future for all.
• #3: JCI is a worldwide community of young people who share the belief that in order to create lasting positive change, we must improve ourselves and the world around us. Nearly 200,000 active citizens around the globe ages 18-40 are taking the opportunity to create positive change through JCI. Through activities ranging from local development to international initiatives, JCI members are empowered to improve their communities and themselves through participation, leadership and action. Covering four geographical regions: Africa and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, the Americas and Europe, JCI has established National Organizations in over 100 countries and Local Organizations in about 5,000 communities. All members belong to a JCI Local Organization where they work to develop their local community. Local Organizations are affiliated to National Organizations where members coordinate activities on national and international scales. This structure links JCI members together to form a global grassroots movement. Through this network, members create global impact through local action.
• #4: 1910: Henry Giessenbier, a young active citizen, formed the Herculaneum Dancing Club in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. It started as a social club whose purpose was to form a closer and more pleasant relationship among the members to concentrate on better ideas and social standing. Over the next five years, Giessnbier created several clubs and often invited speakers to events 1915: After hearing Colonel Huse N. Morgan argue the case for the construction of a highway through the City of St. Louis, Henry Giessenbier felt compelled to become more active in his community. He realized how much young people could accomplish for their communities and for themselves if they worked together.
• #5: October 13, 1915 : With 32 other young men, Giessenbier established the Young Men Progressive Civic Association, which became the first Junior Chamber Organization. It was formed at Mission Inn in St. Louis. The association was dedicated to giving young people ages 18-30 a constructive approach to civic problems. Henry Giessenbier said his aim was: ... “ bringing the young men of our great city together into one grand body with that great purpose of fellowship, advancement and everything which would make a good boy a better boy, a good student a more proficient scholar and a good citizen a better citizen.” 1918 : The name Junior Chamber was adopted. The movement soon began to spread internationally. 1944 : The expansion of the movement led to the establishment of an international organization called Junior Chamber International, with the first Congress held in Mexico City and Raul Vidal Garcia of Mexico was elected the first JCI President.
• #6: JCI members today share the same ideas and goals as they did nearly 100 years ago. Some key concepts stand out of the JCI mission: development opportunities, empowerment of young people; positive change
• #7: Henry Giessenbier said his aim was to “ make a good citizen a better citizen” This idea lives on in the phrase development opportunities. When JCI members seize the opportunities JCI brings them, they develop themselves and become better citizens and better at whatever they do.
• #8: Henry Giessenbier said that he brought “the young men of our great city together” to create a “constructive approach to civic problems” Giessenbier knew that young people, working together, had real power to address the problems they saw around them. They knew they did not have to wait for government or someone else to find solutions. United in their values, they took on the responsibility to take action. This idea lives on in the phrase of the JCI Mission “empower young people.” By joining JCI, members share the sense of social responsibility which empowers them to take action.
• #9: Henry Giessenbier spoke of making “better citizens.” he spoke of addressing “civic problems” and he said he formed the organization for “that great purpose of fellowship [and] advancement.” All these ideas live on the last phrase of the JCI mission “to create positive change.” When a group of young people seize the opportunity to be better citizens, when they embrace their power to solve the problems that they see around them, they are creating positive change in themselves and the community. The result of their improvement of themselves and their community is the creation of a better society and future for all.
• #10: As an ultimate goal of our organization, we wish to be the leading global network of young active citizens. As many young people around the globe embrace the power they have to improve themselves and their communities, we hope to lead the world toward a better future.
• #11: The JCI Creed is a statement of values that we honor as an organization. In 1946, National Vice President of the United States Junior Chamber C. William Brownfield was inspired by the devotion of Junior Chamber members to write the Creed in July 1946 The author said about the Creed, “Every Member is free to interpret the Creed in the light of his own conscience.” Today, members around the globe find that the concepts in these statements unite them and inspire them, no matter their origin, ethnicity, gender, religion or background.
• #12: JCI member constantly seek ways to live JCI’s slogan: Be Better. It reflects directly back to our founder’s goal “to make a good boy a better boy, a good student a more proficient scholar and a good citizen a better citizen.” Today, the Be Better slogan represents that JCI members not only believe that improvement is possible, but that it is their responsibility to initiate positive change. Be Better is applied to both the individual and their surrounding community. Be Better means creating better communities, better nations and better societies. Be Better means learning, becoming better citizens and better leaders with better skills creating a better future.
• #13: Active citizenship is a concept that concerns everyone. As global citizens, we all have rights and responsibilities. We have shared local, national and global interests. Active citizenship is the capacity we all have to work together towards these shared goals. This is the spirit that links all JCI members: their sense of social responsibility and their initiative to take action to create a better future for all. In JCI, active citizenship is a long-established concept. The JCI movement is a means by which young people have become active citizens for nearly 100 years. JCI is the original organization of young active citizens.
• #14: Not only is JCI the original organization of young active citizens, JCI is the original global organization of young active citizens. We’ve been working internationally for 65 years, producing a unique global perspective. JCI fosters this global perspective by uniting diverse cultures at our international events. Each year, JCI holds 1 World Congress, 4 Area Conferences (Africa and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, the Americas, and Europe). JCI often teams up with partners to hold Summits where we form action plans to address current issues facing our world, including the Advancement of the UN Millennium Development Goals, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Climate Change. JCI members understand that in a globalized world, their local actions echo around the world. They appreciate both the challenges and opportunities of globalization while living the JCI value “the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereignty of nations.” JCI’s international dialogue serves as a catalyst for new international development projects. In these forums, JCI members express their sense of responsibility to the global community and display their respect for others through international cooperation.
• #15: Each JCI organization holds elections every year on the local, national and international levels. This One-Year-To-Lead principle makes it possible for there to be leadership positions available at all levels each year. It gives young people the challenge to learn to lead, manage people, time and resources, and develop their personal skills. And as a leader, they take responsibility for their JCI Organization and the advancement of their community, fostering a sense of social responsibility. This self-governing structure not only trains principle-centered leaders, it calls for democratic participation. Each member holds accountability for the Organization. Each member is responsible to bring ideas and work together. This fosters openness, respect, responsibility, interactive decision-making in all members.
• #16: Returning to the JCI Mission: “To provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change” How, exactly, do individual members live JCI’s mission and principles?
• #17: Opportunities From the very beginning JCI has provided opportunities for personal development, learning and participation. Today, the world is changing faster than ever in history. The top 10 jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. So we need to learn skills to address problems we don’t know about today. A local organization must ensure that it provides the opportunity for every member to be involved. Every activity allows members to learn and encourages participation. For Example: (Presenter gives examples of things members do that they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to do. Choose from the examples below and add in your personal experience): One 22-year-old member in the USA is elected to Local Treasurer and learns how to manage the organization’s $70,000 budget. One member gets elected to the Local President, where she is able to meet with her city’s mayor to learn more about the city’s issues and how her organization can help. One member in Japan never had a reason to leave his city, but after joining JCI he travels to JCI World Congress in India where he personally meets other young people from 76 countries in 5 days. One member organizes and motivates a team of 93 young people to run a community-wide HIV/AIDS awareness program. A young truck driver joins JCI and learns organizational and management skills that let him open his own small business. 8 years later, his trucking company is the 3 rd largest in the country. A new member joins the Public Relations committee of a Local Organization. She cultivates relationships with journalists in her city and develops a strategy that gets articles about her organization’s projects published in 7 newspapers and recognized by the city council. Add personal experiences It is up to each individual member must take advantage of the opportunities that suit their needs.
• #18: Empowerment Today the internet can bring almost any information you could want to your fingertips within seconds. And we know that knowledge equals power. But all this power means nothing if you don’t take action. In JCI, the Organizations are completely in the hands of the members. They have the power and the responsibility to bring ideas to improve the community, organize the projects, learn from their experiences, manage the operations of their organization, and ensure the ongoing success of the organization through leadership. Members find empowerment in many ways. For Example: (Presenter gives examples of how members have brought initiatives and taken responsibility. Choose from the examples below and add in your personal experience) One member saw a disadvantaged neighborhood, and instead of walking by, she developed a plan for her local organization to adopt the neighborhood and improve the lives of the residents. One member in Belgium couldn’t afford to travel abroad. So instead of staying home, he and his fellow members met with leaders at Renault and negotiated a sponsorship to finance their trip to the European Conference. A member in France saw that the Riviera was polluted from the actions of the local boaters, so he took the initiative to clean the polluted shore and educate the yacht operators about the impact of their actions on environment. A young member joined JCI because she wanted to help her community. After competing in a local public speaking competition, she realized she has the capacity to motivate and inspire others to care and take action, too. A member from South America attended the JCI Summit at the United Nations to learn about the global agenda of reducing poverty through the UN Millennium Development Goals. She learned straight from UN officers how she can help reach the worldwide goals by taking action in her local community. When she returned home, she organized a project to reduce child mortality, advancing goal #4. Add personal experiences
• #19: Positive change We know the world is changing faster than ever. Researchers estimate that more unique information was created in 2008 than in the 5,000 previous years combined. JCI focuses on being aware of the emerging issues in the community to take change in a positive direction. To have the greatest impact, we maintain that positive change must -Be sustainable -Be in the interest of the entire community For Example: (Presenter gives examples of the positive accomplishments and results created by JCI members. Choose from the examples below and add in your personal experience) In Mali, a member saw a hospital without reliable access to clean water, so he worked with the other members of his local organization to raise money and build a water tower to provide the hospital with a reliable water supply. A member in Taiwan joined JCI not knowing how he could possibly make an impact on poverty in the Caribbean, until he traveled to Dominican Republic with a group of doctors to give free health screenings to over 1000 people. A member from Switzerland travels to Burkina Faso to visit the 25 teen mothers benefiting from the new center for runaways she helped to build and run and is now working to expand with the local JCI members. A member in Cote d’Ivoire sees how corruption is affecting his community and organizes a series of round-table discussions with local government officials to open the conversation about how they can fight poverty by reducing corruption. A member in Hong Kong saw that children in the poor area of Guizhou did not have facilities to attend school. He raised money and organized the construction of 4 new school buildings as well as a scholarship fund. In total they helped 4,000 school children get an education. Add personal experiences Positive change is the ultimate goal of every JCI activity.
• #20: With the speed of change in the information age, we can’t know what problems we’ll have to face tomorrow. But whatever they are, we know we will be ready for them. What can you do today to improve yourself and your community?