Leo Club
| Leo club | |
|---|---|
|
|
| founding | 1957 |
| Seat | Oak Brook |
| motto | Leadership, Experience, Opportunity |
| Action space | worldwide |
| Members | 177,175 (2018) |
| Website |
www.leo-clubs.de (Germany) www.leo.at (Austria) www.lionsclubs.ch/de/leo/ (Switzerland) |
The Leo clubs are the independent youth organization of the Lions clubs . They are service clubs , that is, charity clubs run by young adults between the ages of 16 and 30. Its members refer to themselves as Leos . The international headquarters are now in Oak Brook , Illinois .
history
Leo club history began in Albington High School, Pennsylvania on the initiative of a Lions club, and initially consisted only of the school's baseball team. The first club was formed on December 5, 1957.
In 1964 the existing Leo clubs were recognized as an official activity by Lions Clubs International . In the first year, 200 Leo clubs were organized in 18 countries. In 2018, 177,175 youth volunteered in 7,116 Leo clubs in 145 countries and regions.
In the Federal Republic of Germany , the first Leo Club was founded on December 12, 1970 with the name "Leo Club Lahn-Dill". Men and women were admitted. In 2018 there were 250 Leo clubs with 3,642 members in Germany. The oldest Austrian Leo club is the Leo Club "Wien opera"; founded on December 5, 1969, it is the oldest in the German-speaking area. Leo Lugano (founded in 1987) is the oldest club in Switzerland.
General
Leos are politically and denominationally independent. You support u. a. Children, old and sick, homeless, handicapped or z. B. also people damaged by disasters. The engagement is purely voluntary.
The local Leo clubs are particularly active at the local and regional level. There are also national and international campaigns and meetings.
The term “LEO” stands for the English terms leadership, experience and opportunity . This means that personal commitment as a member offers the opportunity to take on responsibility , gain experience and seize opportunities for commitment. This is preferably done in teamwork .
Since Leo clubs are not allowed to be registered as an association by statute, many clubs have aid organizations that are recognized as non-profit organizations. National activities of the German Leos take place under the umbrella of the Hilfswerk der deutschen Leos e. V., Wiesbaden.
Leo clubs are registered associations in Austria.
Public officials
Each club has the following officers, who are in office from July 1st to June 30th of the following year, according to a global Leo year:
- president
- Vice-President (and possibly 2nd Vice-President)
- last year's president (past president)
- secretary
- Treasurer
- Club master
Various club representatives (e.g. for activities, membership issues, public relations, webmasters, international relations, member recruitment, environmental protection) can assist the board. The leadership positions (President, Governor, International President) are purely voluntary and are usually only held for one year.
The individual Leo clubs are grouped regionally into Leo districts. The 18 districts in Germany are combined to form a multi-district at Germany level.
activities
Club activities
The Leos call their social actions "Activities". At club level, a wide variety of activities are planned and carried out by members and guests. Usually, the purpose is redefined for each activity, with many clubs also carrying out an activity more frequently for the same purpose (so-called permanent activity ). Typical examples of activities are:
- Food collections
- Flea markets
- Regular visits to a retirement home
- School yard beautification campaigns
- Benefit advent calendar
- Eyewear collection campaign for developing countries
- Sports events (e.g. with disabled people)
- Clothes collection campaign for the homeless
- Benefit concerts
- "One wish free" (seriously ill children are granted wishes)
Insofar as the income and donations in kind obtained in these activities cannot be passed on directly, e.g. B. the food donations to the local food banks, the proceeds are completely passed on to socially committed and charitable organizations.
Germany-wide activities
There are also two activities at national level, each of which is supported in a coordinated manner by almost all local Leo clubs: Leo Service Day and Leo Relay Activity.
The Leo Service Day has existed since 1995 and takes place nationwide on the first Saturday in May. All participating Leo clubs appear uniformly and collect only on this day for the nationally defined purpose. The uniform donation goal is determined democratically in advance by the Leo members themselves at the annual general meeting (so-called multi-district meeting). Each club can independently choose its donation activity with which it contributes to the proceeds of the common donation goal.
Leo Service Day
| year | purpose |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Bone marrow donation campaign e. V. |
| 1996 | Bone marrow donation campaign e. V. |
| 1997 | Björn Steiger Foundation |
| 1998 | Children's home in Caransebes, Romania |
| 1999 | Children's home in Koenigsberg |
| 2000 | German station mission |
| 2001 | Off-Road Kids e. V. |
| 2002 | Rudolf Pichlmayr Foundation |
| 2003 | Federal Association of German Food Banks V. |
| 2004 | Foundation initiative for Neural Ceroid Lipofusiosis |
| 2005 | Psychosocial care for children with cancer |
| 2006 | Medical Center in Munkacs, Ukraine |
| 2007 | Center for animal-assisted therapy and education |
| 2008 | Bear heart e. V. - Foundation for seriously ill children |
Lions Leo Service Day
In 2009 the Leo Service Day became a joint activity under the name Lions Leo Service Day. The first nationwide activity was born. The motto of the Lions-Leo-Service-Day was “Youth”, whereby each club could determine its own donation purpose. Leo Germany supported the Federal Association of Youth Art Schools and Cultural Education Institutions e. V. (bjke). The youth programs of Lions Club International (LionsQuest, Klasse2000 , Kindergarten Plus) were also available as donations . The Lions-Leo-Service-Day is a synthesis of the Leo-Service-Day and the Lions-Action-Day in order to promote the partnership between Leo and Lions. Since 2011, all donations received on this day have gone to a specially selected organization in order to further increase the common bond of the activity.
| year | purpose |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Federal Association of Youth Art Schools and Cultural Education Institutions V. |
| 2010 | Off-Road Kids e. V. |
| 2011 | Sarah Wiener Foundation |
| 2012 | Friedensdorf International |
| 2013 | Rock Your Life |
| 2014 | Portable Aqua Unit for Lifesaving |
| 2015 | [U25] - Online suicide prevention |
| 2016 | NCL Foundation |
| 2017 | Humor helps healing |
| 2018 | Balu und Du eV |
Leo relay activity
In the Leo Relay Activity, which was launched in 2004, the Leo clubs collect for a common purpose over the calendar year.
| year | purpose |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Clinic clowns |
| 2005 | Children's Rheumatism Foundation |
| 2006 | German Children's Hospice Association V. |
| 2007 | Off-Road Kids e. V. |
| 2008/2009 | Leo Vocational Training Center in Sri-Lanka |
Austria-wide activities
For some years now there has been the “Leo.Lions.Action Day” in Austria, which takes place every year on the first Saturday in May across Austria. Exclusively in all MERKUR stores throughout Austria, the Austrian LEO and LIONS Clubs ask customers to buy and donate at least one more product - either long-lasting staple foods or hygiene items. These products are passed on by the LEO and LIONS clubs to those in need in the respective region. The campaign was initiated by the LEO clubs a few years ago and is very well received. In 2009 the Austrian LEO clubs collected for the first time together with the LIONS clubs across Austria and were able to help many people in need due to the great success. Through this campaign, around 150,000 products are collected and around 6,000 families in need can be supplied for one week.
Switzerland-wide activities
The Swiss Leo clubs hold various events every year. A joint social activity, the LEO National Activity (LENA), has been carried out since 2010 . In 2010 and 2011 Leo accompanied blind and visually impaired people to an open-air concert. In 2012 and 2013 Leo accompanied children from a children's home to Europapark. Another national meeting is the annual National Convention, at which all clubs jointly determine the officers in the cabinet and make important decisions. To toast the New Year, 30 to 40 Swiss Leo meet for the traditional New Year's dinner on the second Saturday in January in Bern. The LEO Ski Weekend takes place every February in Klosters .
From October 5 to 7, 2012, the SwissLi Weekend was an international Leo meeting in Switzerland, attended by around 110 Leo from 14 countries. As is usual for a Leo event, the program included sightseeing, parties and a social activity.
Members
There are no special requirements for membership in Leo clubs. Leo clubs are therefore (unlike Lions clubs) basically open to everyone who belongs to the age group and would like to volunteer.
The membership structure is generally very mixed, with each individual club often having a certain focus. In some clubs this focus is on pupils, students (especially in university towns) or young professionals or trainees; other clubs are rather heterogeneous.
structure
Like the Lions clubs, the Leo organization is divided into districts. As of July 1, 2007, there were 102 districts and 18 multiple districts worldwide, 5,620 Leo clubs in 137 countries and 140,500 members.
Germany
In Germany, the Leo clubs belong to the multi-district 111 (MD 111), which meets once a year in May at the so-called multi-district assembly (MDV). In addition to the MDV, there is another annual meeting in Germany with the multi-district seminar, which takes place regularly in November. In Germany the clubs are divided into 18 districts.
Austria
Austria forms the multi-district (MD 114) and consists of 3 districts:
- East (Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland)
- Middle (Upper Austria, Styria)
- West (Salzburg, Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg)
In Austria there were 30 clubs with around 400 members in the 2013/14 club year.
Leo clubs exist in Vienna, Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Hall in Tirol, Innsbruck, Gmunden, Steyr, Wels, Baden near Vienna, Stockerau, St. Pölten, Fürstenfeld, St. Veit an der Glan, Klagenfurt, Eisenstadt, Gänserndorf , Linz and Mureck.
The individual LEO clubs in Austria, the multiple district board team and the LIONS clubs are closely related to each other.
Every year, the LEO clubs elect their multiple district board, which then acts on the Austrian level and, among other things, represents the interests of the LIONS Clubs Austria and creates a common basis for communication.
The Leo District President also has a permanent place in the Govornorrat, Austria's highest Lions body. The three LEO district representatives exchange ideas with the LIONS friends in the respective cabinet of the East, Central and West districts. At club level, the interface between the LIONS and LEO clubs is with the respective Leo (for the Lions club) or Lions (for the Leo club) officer.
Communication between the multiple district executive board and the individual Leo clubs is primarily carried out via the three district representatives, who also visit most of the LEO clubs at their club evenings and exchange information.
Switzerland
Switzerland forms the MD 102. In Switzerland there are 11 clubs (Alvier, Baden, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Lugano, Neuchâtel, Rapperswil, Winterthur, Central Switzerland and Zurich), which form the district 102L. Further clubs are currently in the founding phase. There are around 190 active Leo clubs across Switzerland. The Swiss Leo meet annually at the National Convention, New Year's Dinner, the Ski Weekend and the Leo National Activity (LENA). LENA was first carried out in 2010 and has been an integral part of the annual program ever since.
Leos are also strongly represented in other European countries, particularly in Italy and Finland.
Technical articles
- Service clubs: Quality counts more than vitamin B. Simon Hage in conversation with Dr. Sebastian Gradinger In: manager-magazin.de, November 16, 2006. (online)
- Achieve a lot with little effort. Interview on BusinessNews.com (online)
literature
- Sebastian Gradinger: Service Clubs - for the institutionalization of solidarity and social capital. VDM Verlag, 2007. (online)
Web links
- official website of the Leo Clubs Germany
- official website of the Leo Clubs Austria
- official website of the Swiss Leo Clubs
- German language website of Lions-Clubs International about the Leo program
- all service clubs at a glance
Individual evidence
- ^ Membership Directory , published by Lions International All District 111, as of June 1, 1976
- ↑ Leo Lions Action Day (Austria)
- ↑ List of all Leo clubs in Austria
- ^ Structure of the Leo clubs in Austria