Almost a century ago, Henry Giessenbier, Jr. decided to take responsibility for the progress and welfare of his community by helping tackle difficult problems around him. Together with 32 other young men, Giessenbier established the Young Men’s Progressive Civic Association, JCI’s first Local Organization, in St. Louis, USA in 1915 who dedicated themselves to bringing about community improvements and giving young people a constructive approach to civic problems.

As active citizens, JCI members are not just focused on charity or service to the community. Active citizenship is about creating sustainable impact. Through active citizenship, we encourage young people to take responsibility for local issues, and find targeted, sustainable solutions that benefit our communities and the world.
Guided by the passion to lead the world in a new direction, JCI members have the courage to address the critical challenges of our time. Solutions to these challenges can only be reached by involving all sectors of society. JCI will be the driving force to unite government, businesses and the civil sector to collaborate for impact.

Sustainable impact is achieved through collective action of active citizens across local communities. Designed to address all types of community issues, JCI members are guided by the JCI Active Citizen Framework, which provides a methodology for conducting impactful projects. The process consists of assessing community needs, formulating sustainable solutions and evaluating results to ensure sustainability.
Community partners, business owners and government officials are engaged throughout each step of the process. The collaborative ownership of challenges and solutions by all community stakeholders is what produces sustainable impact.