Junior Chamber--as relevant today as when it was first created on October 13, 1915, at the Mission Inn in St. Louis, Missouri, USA--offers young professionals the most dynamic and cost-effective means for personal and professional development and training. It can help them network with other members around the world. It currently connects more than half-a-million members, senior members, and JCI Senators in more than 100 countries and territories.

Made up, primarily, of professionals, business people and entrepreneurs who are active in more than 5,000 local communities around the world, Junior Chamber helps members develop the right attitude to grow professionally and personally. The friendships and business ties made by members offer rewards that last a lifetime.

A very tangible benefit that members receive from Junior Chamber is training and individual development at a fraction of the cost charged by universities or professional development companies. It has been called a "practical university," since members learn by actively participating in various projects. Other benefits include entrepreneurial opportunities, community involvement, international cooperation, and participation in environmental concerns, world peace and other global issues.

More than 12 million members have passed through Junior Chamber's ranks. Of these, hundreds of thousands are active senior members and JCI Senators who mentor younger members offering assistance and advice when needed.

Junior Chamber's community service and business experiences can change your life. The testimony of members from around the world shows how profound and rich the benefits can be for anyone who joins and participates. Here are a few testimonials:

• "For me, it has been an inexpensive and very effective way to make new friends and to network."
• "I enjoy volunteering rather than attending awkward mixers and dreaded single bars. In Junior Chamber, you are able to interact in a healthy and professional environment."
• "It's an excellent way to meet people. I met my husband at a Junior Chamber function." (You would be surprised at the large number of marriages that have originated in Junior Chamber.)
• "Thanks to Junior Chamber, I was able to add business activities to my resume and get the type of job I always wanted."
• "It helped me get some experience in public relations. I then switched careers and got a better job. I had not been able to get that type of experience before."
• "In Junior Chamber, I developed my skills as a trainer and now have a large business academy."
• "As a chapter treasurer, I was able to sharpen my finance skills, which have been extremely useful to me in my present business."
• "When I decided to go for a post-graduate degree, my experience in Junior Chamber projects helped me be admitted in a very prestigious program."
• "As a lawyer, I never have to go looking for clients. I have more work than I can handle from fellow members and people referred by them. "
• "I was able to obtain academic credits for my Junior Chamber experience."
• "When attending a training seminar organized by my chapter, I was approached by one of the trainers. He is now my boss and I'm extremely pleased with my present career prospects. "
• "My chapter organized a project to help needy children in my town. I never knew there were so many children I could help. The experience was extremely rewarding; it changed my life. "
• "I used to be afraid to speak in public. When I became a national president, I had to deliver speeches, and found that I actually enjoyed them. My improved public-speaking skills were definitely useful when I decided to run for mayor. "
• "I had attended several Junior Chamber conferences and congresses and participated in international programs. When I applied for a job at a large export company, my international experience in Junior Chamber was definitely a factor in my landing a great job."
• "At a Junior Chamber conference, I met a member from another country who was interested in importing sporting goods we manufacture in my country. We have been able to develop a profitable business."
• "I was retired and a little bored, when a Junior Chamber member invited me to be a speaker at a seminar. It was extremely gratifying for me, as a JCI Senator, to be able to help young members. That led me to contact other JCI Senators in my country. I'm now involved in several interesting projects and I'm even contemplating starting a new business with one of my old Junior Chamber friends."

Every member has a different experience. But there is no question that, for countless members all over the world, Junior Chamber has meant personal and professional development, a wide network of interesting people, international experiences, and wonderful friendships.

Jumpstart Your Career!.........

Junior Chamber can help you jumpstart your career, land a new job or launch a new business as an Entrepreneur in Action!

Junior Chamber will help you develop in many professional and personal areas, including:

Human Relations
Your experiences in Junior Chamber will enable you to be confident when meeting strangers, and help you put your best foot forward when speaking or communicating. Your improved skills will facilitate your everyday interactions with coworkers, clients, managers, your CEO and customers.

Self Confidence
Junior Chamber training will give you the confidence to aspire and achieve. It will encourage you to promote and advance new ideas, as well to be more creative, a problem-solver and a solution seeker.

Ability to Handle Pressure
Your Junior Chamber experiences will give you the confidence to handle pressure-packed work situations. When you're called upon to give a presentation, make a speech or be a tour guide and demonstrate work processes, you will be ready, willing and able thanks to your Junior Chamber-honed proficiency.

Ability to Handle Diversity
In today's increasingly diverse workplace, your Junior Chamber experience will give you a special advantage as a job seeker. In Junior Chamber, you interact with a diverse cross section of the world. Young people of both sexes, all races, religions and persuasions come together under the Junior Chamber umbrella. JCI's internationalism broadens your horizons and increases your appreciation for others and their perspectives.

Teamwork
In Junior Chamber you develop the ability to work with people from all backgrounds. In job interviews, one of the most important skills managers seek is the ability to fit in with existing work teams. You can point to your Junior Chamber experience as evidence that you are team player. If you have your own business, your Junior Chamber experience will help you develop a team spirit among your employees.

The Leadership Edge
When it comes to leadership, Junior Chamber gives you a special edge.

Grooming leaders is one of the things this organization does best. It is impossible to be affiliated with Junior Chamber and not be, in some way, a leader. Anywhere you look, you are bound to see Junior Chamber members in positions of influence: presidents, prime ministers, U.N. delegates, chief executive officers, entrepreneurs, community activists, judges, journalists.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, President of France Jacques Chirac, Senator and Cabinet Minister of Japan Taro Aso, and former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford are all examples of leadership coming from Junior Chamber ranks.Junior Chamber provides outstanding leaders on a global scale. Job candidates with leadership experience and training are in demand. Employees demonstrating leadership qualities are natural candidates for promotion.

The Junior Chamber Advantage
So, whether you are a new job seeker, contemplating a career change or launching a new business, Junior Chamber in your resume and portfolio can make all the difference. In any of these situations, Junior Chamber will give you many added dimensions to distinguish you from other candidates. So, stress your communication and leadership skills and experience. Share examples from Junior Chamber of problems solved, innovative approaches applied, and leadership accomplishments.

Junior Chamber will help you present yourself as a leader, a person with vision and the ability to communicate. Most importantly, it will show that you can be a role model who will inspire action. Vision without action is meaningless.

With the Junior Chamber advantage, confidence and optimism, you and your team will be on the cutting edge, succeeding in whatever you desire or aspire.