Junior Chamber International
History
By the age of 18, Henry Giessenbier Jr. had formed the Herculaneum Dance Club, a social outlet for the community's youth. On October 13, 1915, the first JCI Movement was founded when 32 men joined to form the Young Men's Progressive Civic Association (YMPCA) at the Mission Inn located in their hometown of St. Louis, USA. The Young Men's Progressive Civic Association members received acknowledgement from the broader community, however on November 30, 1915 official recognition of the organization was granted after enrolling as a member of the Mayor's Conference of Civic Organizations. One year later, the YMPCA became known as the Junior Citizens and soon the Junior Chamber of Commerce, after affiliating with the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce. On December 11, 1944, an Inter-American Congress was held in Mexico City. Representatives from the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama gathered to officially establish Henry Giessenbier's 24-year-old civic association as an international organization, Junior Chamber International. In 2015 the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary.