History

JCI's history spans over 100 years!

JCI

Junior Chamber International was founded by Henry Giessesbier on October 13, 1915 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA and in less than five months, the organization grew up to 750 members. At its inception it was initially called the Young Men's Progressive Civic Association, but the name was called in 1916 to Junior Chambers commonly known as "JCs", which later became Jaycees.

In 1944 the first international conference was held in Mexico City. Raul Garcia Vidal of Mexico was elected the first President. The countries which formed Junior Chamber International were: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States of America.

In 1948 the JCI Creed was officially adopted at the IV JCI World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, and in 1952 a permanent Secretariat was established. In 1972 the name was changed to Jaycees International at World Congress in Taiwan; however, in 1988 the name was changed back to Junior Chamber International.

JCI Barbados

The Junior Chamber was then established upon the shores of beautiful Barbados in 1957. The organisation was started by Mr. Paul Foster, Mr. Marcus Jordan and Mr. Ishi Kesseram. The inauguration was done by J.E.P Steward of Bermuda on June 26th, 1957. Mr. Paul Foster was elected President. This group of young gentlemen and subsequent leaders propelled the development of the Barbadian community through a series of pivotal ground breaking projects. A legacy which remains prevalent today!

Some of our first projects include:

Clean up Campaign (from Oistins to the Airport)
The establishment of the first Life Guard Station at Rockley Beach
The Barbados First Carnival - Jaycees Carnival
Jaycees Radio Bingo
Contribution towards the National Stadium
Early Childhood Development - Government Hill Nursery & Eden Lodge Nursery

To learn more about these first projects, visit our milestones page.

This deep-rooted tradition of bringing together active citizens from diverse backgrounds remains alive today in our international events. They fuel the JCI movement and set the groundwork to create positive change that transcends boundaries.