What are the
Jaycees?
The Jaycees or Junior Chamber is a
leadership development organization that uses community service projects as the
training ground for applying leadership principles and skills learned in Jaycee
individual development and training sessions.
Leadership development is the prime directive, with community service
the means to such end, and all other members' needs deemed important, but
subsidiary.
Structure and History
Jaycee s belong to a vast network
of Junior Chamber organizations in all 50 states and 80 foreign countries.
Jaycee membership begins with the local chapter but it also includes the state
organization, the national organization, and Junior Chamber International
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Junior Chamber International
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United States Junior Chamber of Commerce
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United
States Jaycees
The United
States Junior Chamber of Commerce or the Jaycees officially came to be in 1920,
but the origin of Junior Chamber can be traced as far back as 1910. Back then in St. Louis,
Missouri, a young man named Henry
"Hy" Giessenbier and his friends formed the Herculaneum Dance
Club. This club was born of a belief
that young people would have to join forces socially in order to improve their
prospects for social and career advancement.
This approach was a bit unusual, as his era was one in which most young
men were out of school and working by the age of 15, and their first jobs were
the jobs they died in. If they were lucky, they might work their way into an
executive position by the time they were in their 40s.
Five years later, in 1915, Colonel
H.N. Morgan, a prominent St. Louis
citizen, inspired the members of the dance club to become more involved in
civic issues. Giessenbier and 32 other young men formed the Young Men's Progressive
Civic Association (YMPCA) on October
13, 1915. This organization grew to a membership of 750 in less
than five months.
Giessenbier
also wanted to develop the business skills and the reputation of young
men. For the YMPCA, just talking about
issues and listening to speakers was not enough. Lectures, speakers and
training sessions provided the group with needed knowledge. But some method was
needed for members to apply what they had learned. Service to the community
provided the answer. Community service allowed members practical application of
the insights they had learned. It was then the Junior Chamber movement realized
its goal - building better leaders.
The YMPCA
went on to developing their skills as leaders by tackling difficult civic problems. The very next year, 1916, saw another change
of name as the YMPCA became Junior Citizens, commonly called JCs, which later
became Jaycees. The year 1918 marked another change as the JCs were affiliated
with the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce and officially became the St. Louis
Junior Chamber of Commerce.
International
After WWI, Giessenbier contacted
other cities in the United States
with similar young businessmen's groups, and, subsequently, 29 clubs from
around the nation formed the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce. Henry
"Hy" Giessenbier was elected the first President of the national
organization.
The Jaycees also went global. The international chapter of the organization
began in 1923 with the Winnipeg Board of Trade becoming the first Junior
Chamber outside the United States.
By 1928 the idea of an international body crossed the Atlantic Ocean
to England. In 1943, Junior Chambers were established in Mexico
City, Guatemala
City, El Salvador,
Honduras, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica and Panama
City. One year
later, the first international conference was held in Mexico
City, and a Jaycee from Mexico
was elected the first President of the Junior Chamber International or
JCI.
Two years later, in February of
1946, the first World Congress was held in Panama City.
44 delegates attended this congress from 16 different countries. The
international organization was formally constituted and a temporary
constitution was approved. A Jaycee from
Panama was
elected the second JCI President, and Australia
and Canada were
officially affiliated.
Hawaii
The Jaycees first appeared in Hawaii
in 1930 with the chartering of the Honolulu Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 1939, Jaycee chapters sprouted up in Hilo,
Maui, Kauai and Wahiawa. In 1943, the Hawaii Junior Chamber of
Commerce was formed. The Hawaii Jaycees
served in WW II, helped fight for statehood in 1959, served through two
hurricanes in 1982 and 1992, and in between and beyond, served the Special
Olympics, Jerry's Kids, Easter Seals, March of Dimes, United Cerebral Palsy,
Aloha United Way, the Shriners, HUGS, Ronald McDonald, and the list goes on and
on. We, as Hawaii Jaycees, are the
Honolulu Marathon Startline, the Hilo County Fair, the 50th State
Fair, the Miss Chinatown Hawaii
and the Narcissus Queen Pageants, the Three Outstanding Young Persons Program,
and the Cherry Blossom Festival and Pageant.
Our efforts led to establishing the American Cancer Society in Hawaii,
Aloha Week, and the Blood Bank of Honolulu.
Jaycees can
be found in all walks of life: Presidents Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford, Tom
Monaghan the owner of Domino's Pizza, former Miss America Kaye Lani Rae
Rafko-Wilson, and basketball great Larry Bird.
Here at home, civic leaders like Ed Case, Jeremy Harris, Walter Dods and
Eduardo Malapit have all been Jaycees.
