What is Kiwanis Junior?

Kiwanis Junior is a service club for young people (students, trainees, employees and self-employed) aged 18 to 35. It is part of KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL.

Object: Kiwanis Junior aims to provide young people with the means to help children and other young people in need and, at the same time, to enhance their leadership skills.

Vision: We are part of a global network that helps realize our goal of helping others.

Creation: A Kiwanis senior club creates and supports a Kiwanis Junior club.

A Kiwanis Junior club has a minimum of 10 members and is run by a board elected on a yearly basis.

The Kiwanis senior club supports social projects of the Kiwanis Junior club.

Membership transfer

Members of Kiwanis Junior clubs having reached the age limit of 35 years are welcome in a Kiwanis senior club.

What is Kiwanis?

Kiwanis is one of the oldest and largest service organizations in the world. Since the creation of the very first Kiwanis club in Detroit, USA, in 1915, Kiwanis evolved to an internationally recognized service organization with numerous clubs all over the world.

The Kiwanis name was taken from an American Indian term, Nunc Kee-wanis which translates many ways, including:

Kiwanis and social projects

Kiwanis exists in order to provide active support and ensure the future of children and young people in need worldwide. Kiwanis focuses on situations where social assistance or charity organizations can’t provide sufficient support.

Kiwanis Junior Clubs

Kiwanis Junior members aim to develop and maintain enduring friendships, across national borders, and to render altruistic service to children and young people in need. Following our international motto, we firmly believe in:

 “Serving the children of the world”

Joint activities lead to mutual understanding and personal friendships on local, regional, national and international level.

  How to create a Kiwanis Junior Club?

Goals of Kiwanis Junior clubs:

• Develop and maintain enduring friendships

• Develop initiatives and managerial responsibility

• Gain experience in project teamwork

• Serve the community

• Help develop a civil society

Objects of Kiwanis Junior:

• To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life

• To encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships

• To develop, by precept and example, a more active and serviceable citizenship

• To form enduring friendships

• To render altruistic service

• To promote international understanding

At the initial stage, the Kiwanis senior club provides the necessary financial means by paying the Kiwanis Junior dues to KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL (i.e. charter fee of 100,- US$ and annual dues of 100,- US$). Also, the Kiwanis senior club submits together with the Kiwanis Junior club the request for official registration (= petition for charter) at KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL.

Upon receipt of the petition for charter and the payment of the charter fee, the Kiwanis Junior club will receive the official charter certificate, banner, pins, etc.

The Kiwanis Junior Club can decide to raise annual club dues (e.g. 50,- Euro pro member or more).

A project committee of the Kiwanis senior club cooperates with the charter members of the Kiwanis Junior club on the club’s organization.

This committee invites future new members to the first club meetings and trains members to assume specific club assignments.

The Kiwanis Junior club members elect their own officers and committees annually. The board is responsible for the club’s management in accordance with Kiwanis Junior bylaws and for establishing a club program with social activities.

Club life

The members of a Kiwanis Junior club meet regularly twice a month at the club’s meeting place.

Members unable to attend usually ask to be excused.

Agenda and activities

1st club meeting: Club business: social projects, comments, discussions, actions, etc.

2nd club meeting: Lectures, sightseeing, projects, meetings with other Kiwanis Junior Clubs, etc.

Club meetings help develop enduring friendships among club members. Working in a team within the club also promotes social skills essential for the members’ personal and future professional life.