THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES JAYCEES

U.S. Junior Chamber History Henry “Hy” Giessenbier visualized an organization that would allow young men to develop their business skills and reputations in the community. In his era, most young men were out of school and working by the age of 15. Their first jobs were most likely the jobs they held throughout their lives. With luck and hard work, some might reach executive positions by their forties. Giessenbier felt that young men were not receiving the opportunities necessary to develop their skills at a younger age, thus depriving our nation of an important resource, and so he formed the founding ideals of the U.S. Junior Chamber.

For more insight on how the Junior Chamber has affected the lives of its members, the following book is recommended: A Legacy of Leadership, by John W. Clark, USJCC Historian. This book can be obtained by contacting The Junior Chamber Products Department. You can e-mail them at: salesjci@aol.com .

The Personal Improvement Philosophy
Building Better People is what the Junior Chamber is all about!
The sole purpose of the Junior Chamber movement is to meet the personal and career development needs of young people.

Maybe you already know that, but consider what you just read.

More than 75 years ago, Henry Giessenbier and a group of young men in St. Louis established the junior Chamber for personal reasons. They wanted to move ahead in their careers and their lives, but they faced a classic "catch-22" To advance they needed more experience, but the only way to get more experience was to advance. They found they faced similar problems and had different solutions. That diversity became their strength. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, they discovered they possessed a wide ran Of talents, skills and abilities, with the natural leaders in the group able to find and use available resources.
With the help and guidance of established civic and business leaders, the St. Louis group determined its own needs and set about meeting those needs. To advance in their careers, members needed skills in planning, budgeting, training, communication and supervision. To gain those skills, they channeled their collective efforts in a unified direction. Committees were formed. Chairmen elected. Goals set. Timetables established. Resources marshaled. Management and workers trained. Manpower took action.

First they built the organization. Membership swelled from 32 to 750 members in just five months. Lectures, speakers and training sessions provided the group with "classroom" knowledge. But some laboratory-like vehicle was needed for members to practice what they learned. Community service projects were the answer. Community projects allowed practical application of the lessons learned in the classroom. Members built a parkway, conducted a citywide clean-up effort and promoted a community pride campaign. Like a well-oiled machine, the diverse parts of the junior Chamber movement began to work toward the common goal - building better people.

Today the junior Chamber is re-emphasizing its purpose: Provide the opportunity for personal development and leadership training through community service and organizational involvement. Everything in the Junior Chamber is Individual Development. Every project, every meeting, every experience expands the abilities of Jaycees. Each new situation presents opportunities and choices. Actions are the results of choosing. Personal growth is achieved through each set of circumstances. Ideas are conceived. Beliefs are strengthened. Opinions are formed. Memories are mentally filed away for future reference and use.

An equilateral triangle depicts the total Junior Chamber concept. Each side represents an area of activity or involvement. Yet Individual Development is more than just one side of the triangle - ID encompasses the entire triangle, all three sides, inside and out.

Chapter projects serve as a vehicle for hands-on learning. "Off-the-job" training while benefiting society is how junior Chamber members transform classroom learning into self-improvement. All the skills to plan, promote and manage a junior Chamber project are directly transferable to real-life situations. Community Development projects are the "laboratory" where junior Chamber members learn while doing!

Activation and retention programs like Springboard, Degrees of Jaycees and Leadership Academy are the basic tools needed for human resource development. Chapter Planning Guides, Blue Chip and Chairman's Planning Guides are systems and strategies to harness and channel available resources to achieve desired results. Each position or office in a chapter or state organization offers even greater opportunities for responsibility, authority and leadership.

To supplement the multitude of personal development experiences available through involvement in the Junior Chamber organization, resource materials are available to help members expand their knowledge. The "Dynamics" series has provided solid, proven information. For years, junior Chamber members have used the concepts in Communication Dynamics, Leadership Dynamics, Personal Dynamics and Time Dynamics to improve their life skills. In 1991, responding to the need for new materials, The U.S. junior Chamber of Commerce introduced all-new workbooks, audio cassette programs and videotapes designed to further strengthen members' abilities. Many chapters and state organizations have developed comprehensive programs to help build personal and professional skills. junior ChamberInternational also offers a wide variety of programs and materials, including its Training Academy programs PRIME and EXCEL, to train and develop new junior Chamber trainers and instructors.

Whatever the needs for personal improvement, we have the means available to meet those needs! A multitude of resources and personal development opportunities sit quietly in the community, waiting for us to tap their riches. The topic, breadth and scope of Individual Development programs are limited only by our imaginations.
Each of us is an unfinished product. We all have "rough edges" to smooth and exceptional skills to polish. We must be seekers of knowledge! Opportunity knocks but once, and often so softly that it's unnoticed. To grow as individuals, we must proactively seek experiences and situations that stretch our limitations and expand our minds.

You have probably heard, "You only get out of something, what you put in to it." In the Junior Chamber, it could be more accurately stated, "You only get out of your Junior Chamber experience what you take from it." The opportunity to grow as a person is here. But members must recognize those opportunities and use them to their advantage, to selfishly strive to improve. Building better people is what the junior Chamber is all about!

United States Jaycees Timeline

1920 - The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (USJCC) was formed in St. Louis, Missouri, with 3,000 members.

1923 - Get Out The Vote was the first Jaycee program to receive national endorsement.

1925 - Beginning of national projects Know America First and Fire Prevention. Birth of EXPANSION, the first USJCC national magazine.

1926 - Development of aviation adopted as national project

1927 - Jaycee Charles A. Lindbergh made the first solo flight between New York and Paris. Jaycees worked with Lindbergh to develop the U.S. Air Mail Service.

1931 - Distinguished Service Awards program established at the chapter level.

1935 - Death of founder Henry Giessenbier.

1936 - National Wildlife Federation established with guidance of USJCC.

1937 - Programs begun at state and national level to inform public of need for diagnosis and treatment of venereal disease.

1938 - Future Magazine established. USJCC name Ten Outstanding Young Men for the first time.

1939 - Safety with Light campaign gained national attention as thousands of street lights were donated to communities by Jaycees.

1940 - USJCC endorsed the principle of a military draft.

1944 - Junior Chamber International (JCI) formed at Pan American Congress in Mexico City.

1946 - USJCC established permanent headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Junior Golf program begun.

1947 - Official approval of Jaycee as synonym of organization. Adoption of Jaycee Creed.

1951 - War Memorial Headquarters in Tulsa dedicated. At urging of Andy Mungenast, the reference to “Faith in God” was added to the Jaycee Creed.

1953 - Jaycees sponsored stops on Professional Golfers' Association tour for first time at Greensboro, North Carolina, and Hartford, Connecticut.

1954 - First Outstanding Young Farmer and Junior Tennis programs held.

1959 - Jaycees supported statehood for Alaska. Hawaii gained statehood the following year due to Jaycee efforts.

1961 - First Governmental Affairs Leadership Seminar conducted.

1962 - Jaycees urge adoption of Uniform Vehicle Code, with emphasis on state action resulting in adoption nationally.

1963 - Clean Water Program launched to improve water quality in communities across America. Shooting Education adopted as a national program.

1964 - Project Concern adopted as International Relations activity. Program raised money and equipment for clinics providing medical care to Chinese refugees in Hong Kong.

1965 - Jaycees presented first annual National Award of Distinction from National Clean Up-Paint Up-Fix Up Bureau.

1966 - Name of organization officially changed to U.S. Jaycees.

1970 - Do Something campaign sparked national interest in volunteerism. Jaycees' cooperation with other service organizations resulted in the founding of the National Center for Voluntary Action.

1971 - More than 3,000,000 volunteer hours were provided by Jaycees to help administer seven million doses of rubella measles vaccine.

1972 - Jaycees undertook model Operation Identification program to combat burglaries and aid crime prevention efforts. Five million stickers were distributed nationally through Operation Red Ball to reduce fire fatalities. Bylaw change admitted 18-year-olds as regular members.

1973 - The United States Jaycees' Center for Improved Child Nutrition opened in Bloomington, Minnesota.

1977 - Operation Threshold, a program dedicated to reducing alcohol abuse, reached more than 23 million Americans. Muscular Dystrophy Fund Raising adopted as national program

1980 - Daisy/U.S. Jaycees Shooting Education program honored with National Safety Council Award for Youth Activities.

1982 - Healthy American Fitness Leaders adopted as national program.

1984 - Bylaw change admitted women as full and regular members. Sign Up America campaign collected 1.5 million signatures supporting America's Olympic athletes.

1985 - The U.S. Jaycees endorsed Campaign for Liberty to encourage public support for restoration of Statue of Liberty. St. Jude Fundraising adopted as national program.

1986 - First woman honored by Congress of Ten Outstanding Young Americans.

1987 - Bylaw change established membership age as 21 through 39. Name of U.S. Jaycees' official publication changed to JAYCEES MAGAZINE.

1990 - Name of organization officially changed back to The U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce.

1992 - National Wake Up America program urged communities to get involved in politics by coordinating voter registration campaigns, hosting debates, and embracing pertinent community issues. Jaycees responded to devastating hurricanes in the southeast with national support.

1993 - GreenWorks! environmental education and community action program adopted by USJCC. Jaycees Against Youth Smoking (JAYS) adopted as national program. Junior Chamber members were instrumental in bringing relief to the flood-stricken Midwest.

1994 - Junior Chamber Mission Inn Foundation created to build a nationwide network of care facilities for children and adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS.

1995 - The Jaycee Alliance was formed as a non-partisan, educational, grassroots governmental advocacy organization to give young Americans a voice in government. The Jaycee KidCare I.D. Program was organized to provide identification to aid in the recovery of missing children.

1996 - The Jaycees Wake Up America Tour bus began a journey through the 48 contiguous states promoting programs and membership. Social Security Reform Town Hall Meetings program initiated.

1997 - Junior Chamber Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Advancement begun - a program designed to train young entrepreneurs and improve local economies.

1998 - Junior Chamber Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Advancement name changed to Junior Chamber Center for Business Advancement. Two new programs, National Business Network and Virtual Networking, added to encourage Junior Chamber members to business network via the Internet both nationally and internationally.

1999 - JAYS program reintroduced as an educational program that informs children about the dangers of smoking. Value Investing and Career Advancement added to the Junior Chamber Center for Business Advancement.

2000 - First female elected National President. Junior Chamber Center for Business Advancement develops web-based video seminar training.