Lions Club
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| Lions Clubs International | |
|---|---|
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| legal form | NGO |
| founding | 1917 |
| founder | Melvin Jones |
| Seat | Oak Brook, Illinois, USA |
| motto | "We Serve" |
| Action space | Worldwide |
| Members | 1.4 million (2020) |
| Website | www.lionsclubs.org |
Lions Clubs International is the umbrella organization of the service clubs that call themselves Lions clubs . Its headquarters are in Oak Brook , Illinois . With over 1.4 million members in 48,386 clubs from over 200 countries and territories, the internationally active institution is the service club organization with the largest number of members in the world. For comparison: in 1982 around 1,371,000 members from 156 countries were organized in over 36,000 clubs around the world, which generated an estimated donation of around DM 3 billion.
On June 1, 2018, the 1573 German Lions clubs had 52,370 members, who are divided into 19 independent districts.
General
The Lions Club was initially founded as an organization with all-male clubs. The Lions Club "Buten un binnen" in Bremen was the first club in Germany to accept women in 1989. Of the 1,540 Lions clubs in Germany, 100 are all women clubs and 567 are mixed clubs. The club's rationale is similar to that of Rotary International in that each club is designed to have many different professional groups.
The main activities of the clubs are - mostly non-public - lecture events and discussion groups. Lions clubs appear in public primarily in connection with fundraising, which is not uncommon in the USA, for example, in contrast to Germany, for the work of a charity.
The association's official motto is “We serve” or “We serve”. The acronym LIONS also stands for Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nations' Safety.
history
Melvin Jones (born January 13, 1879 in Fort Thomas , Arizona , USA; † June 1, 1961), a Chicago insurance salesman and secretary of "The Business Circle", founded Lions Clubs International . June 7, 1917, the date of the unification assembly convened by him, is the official date of foundation.
1945 he represented Lions International at the United Nations in San Francisco ( California ). His philosophy of life was: "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else" ("You don't get very far until you start doing something for others"), Melvin Jones was also a member of the Garden City Lodge No. 141 the Masons in Chicago.
The first European Lions clubs were founded in Sweden and Switzerland (Geneva and Zurich) in 1948 . The first Lions Club in Germany was founded on December 5th, 1951 in Düsseldorf .
In 1976 Lions International had around 29,000 clubs with a total of more than one million members, in Germany there were over 500 clubs with a total of 15,000 members.
In 1982 there were around 20,600 members in the Federal Republic of Germany; they achieved an estimated donation volume of 35 million DM.
In the European states under Soviet rule - including the GDR - the clubs were banned because of their international relations primarily with the USA and Western countries.
In Europe, on July 1, 2014, there were 260,046 members in 9,615 clubs (646 of which were women’s clubs, 20.65% women).
structure
Organizational levels
All clubs belong to a specific zone, which consists of four to eight clubs. Each zone is headed by the so-called zone chairperson. This takes on consulting activities and supervises the establishment of new clubs. Zones are grouped into a district, which is headed by a district governor. A district must have at least 35 clubs and 1,250 members. Districts are grouped into a multiple or multiple district. These basically coincide with the national borders. In each continent, the districts are numbered in the order in which they were founded. Sweden has the number 101, Switzerland / Liechtenstein 102, France 103, Germany 111 and Austria 114. The secretariat of the German district is located in Wiesbaden . District meetings (DV) and conferences are held annually where Lions members share experiences and elect officers.
A constituent general district assembly (GDV) takes place at the multiple district level every year. Every year representatives of the European Lions meet in European forums to exchange ideas. The first European forums took place in Venice and Lucerne in 1958. Every year around 20-30,000 delegates from all over the world meet in a different country for the so-called "International Convention"; the first annual world convention in Europe took place in France in 1962. In 2013 - for the first time after 96 years of founding the Lions community - an "International Convention" took place in Germany, namely in Hamburg. Lions Clubs International is divided into seven constitutional areas:
- USA , Bermuda and Bahamas
- Canada
- South America , Central America , Mexico and Caribbean Islands
- Europe plus Israel
- Orient , Philippines and Southeast Asia
- Middle East and Africa
- Australia , New Zealand , and the South Pacific Islands
International presidents
The presidents at the international level come mainly from the USA and other industrialized countries. In 2009, Eberhard J. Wirfs became the first German President.
List of international presidents since 2000:
- 2000–2001 Jean Behar / France
- 2001–2002 J. Frank Moore / USA
- 2002–2003 Kay Fukushima / Japan
- 2003-2004 Tae-Sup Lee / Korea
- 2004–2005 Clement F. Kusiak / USA
- 2005–2006 Ashok Mehta / India
- 2006–2007 Jimmy M. Ross / USA
- 2007-2008 Mahendra Amarasuriya / Ceylon
- 2008–2009 Albert F. Brandel / USA
- 2009–2010 Eberhard J. Wirfs / Germany
- 2010–2011 Sid L. Scruggs / USA
- 2011–2012 Wing-Kun Tam / Hong Kong
- 2012–2013 Wayne A. Madden / USA
- 2013–2014 Barry J. Palmer / Australia
- 2014–2015 Joeph Preston / USA
- 2015–2016 Jitsuhiro Yamada / Japan
- 2016–2017 Robert E. Corlew / USA
- 2017–2018 Naresh Aggarwal / India
- 2018–2019 Gudrun Yngvadottir / Iceland
- 2019–2020 Jung-Yul Choi / Korea
Public officials
Each club has the following officers, who serve from July 1 to June 30 of the following year, according to a worldwide Lions year:
- president
- Vice-President (and possibly 2nd Vice-President)
- last year's president (past president)
- secretary
- Treasurer
- Club master
Various club officers (e.g. for activities, membership issues, youth and leos , public relations, webmasters, youth, youth exchange, Lions Quest officers, Class 2000 officers, kindergarten plus, seniors, Sight First, drugs, International relations, member recruitment, environmental protection, lectures). The management positions (president, governor, international president) of the other organizational levels are also only filled for one year.
Club forms
Traditional Lions clubs
Most Lions clubs meet at their club premises on a regular basis. The members mostly come from the region, so the club works primarily on site.
E-Lions clubs
There are now E-Lions Clubs (or: Cyber Lions Clubs ) that hold their regular meetings online. They are on an equal footing with the traditional clubs. This form was chosen not only to integrate regional members into the club, but also to bring members together nationally or worldwide into a single club.
New Century Lions Clubs
New Century Lions clubs receive a special emblem that appears on the charter application, Lions pins, membership certificates, and other club documents. Only women and men up to and including 35 years of age are permitted to become members within the first seven years after the club was founded. Members who exceed the age of 35 during their membership can still remain members of the club. Members have the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities as any other approved Lions member.
The New Century Lions Club must meet the following charter requirements:
- Admission of 20 members
- Approval from a sponsoring club, the zone, region, or district cabinet, or the district committee
- Approval from the district governor
- any other requirements for forming a Lions club
The first New Century Lions Club Germany is the New Century Lions Club Dresden, which was officially founded on February 22nd, 2005 and chartered on May 13th, 2005. The New Century Club Berlin-Victoria became the second German club of its kind. After its founding in 2010, no further New Century Lions Club was founded in Germany.
University clubs
University clubs are aimed at students, professors as well as employees and people close to the university / college. Thus, this type of club naturally forms a bridge between Leos and Lions, as many Leos switch to a university club when they start studying. The work of these clubs is naturally limited to the campus and the surroundings of the educational institution. Members typically have access to in-depth leadership training so they can learn how to manage a project, how to lead a meeting, and what opportunities there are for community advancement. University clubs bring the students belonging to a university together to face current problems and to have a positive impact on life in the university environment and in the surrounding urban community. The wide range of service options can include drug control programs, support for disabled students, mentoring and participation in Habitat for Humanity projects.
There are currently 125 university clubs worldwide with around 2,500 members. Pure university clubs are hardly represented in Germany. There is a Lions Campus Club in Heidelberg , Garching near Munich and in Neu-Ulm . In 2012 the first university club was founded at a German university in Neu-Ulm.
membership
A Lions club usually meets twice a month on set times at its club location. During the club evenings, lectures on current topics are given and social activities are planned. Active participation is expected from the members and, if possible, they should be present at at least half of all meetings (mandatory attendance).
admission
In most clubs, only those who have received an explicit invitation ( co-optation ) from the club can become members. The procedures may vary slightly from club to club.
The candidate should be of good repute and character and should be committed to the Lions' goals. Furthermore, he or she should have proven themselves professionally and usually have their place of residence or work in the catchment area of the club. All Lions clubs aim to do good in a friendly atmosphere. Therefore, emphasis is placed on an altruistic , cosmopolitan attitude. Political convictions, religion or origin play just as little role in the selection of the candidate as they do in club life.
The Lions clubs try to achieve a balanced mix of professions in the club. In contrast to business clubs, the focus should not be on the personal success of the members to be accepted, but rather on the commitment to the common good. Use of the Lions network for business purposes is therefore undesirable.
Membership Types
There are the following membership types:
- Honorary membership
- active membership (as a rule)
- passive membership
- affiliated membership
- associated membership
- privileged membership
- Lifetime membership
As a rule, all members of a club should be active members. In certain exceptional cases, other types of membership are also permitted, subject to certain requirements.
Awards
Lions Club International awards various awards for special merits.
Lions Club
Lions Club International gives awards at various levels to Lions and non-Lions who have excelled in their work and promote the goals of the service club .
Medal of Merit
The Medal of Merit (MM) is Lions Club International's highest award for non-members. It is awarded for outstanding service to Lions Club International and its goals.
District Governor Award
The District Governor Award (DGA) is one of Lions Club International's highest honors for members. It is given for exceptional service to Lions.
President's Appreciation Award
The President's Appreciation Award (PAA) is the highest honor a club can bestow. The prerequisites are excellent service to the club.
Further awards
There are also other awards at district and club level for members who have performed particularly well and have done excellent work.
Lions Club Foundation ( Foundation )
The international foundation of Lions Club International also gives awards. The Lions Club Foundation was founded in 1986 in the USA with the aim of promoting and financing international humanitarian projects. It is now one of the largest foundations in the world.
Melvin Jones Fellow
The Melvin Jones Fellow (MJF) is the Lions Club International Foundation's highest recognition for individuals who have made a contribution to the foundation's social goals. The award can be given to both Lions and non-Lions.
Projects
- SightFirst-Activity: global program to combat preventable blindness.
- Kindergarten Plus: Program to promote the personality of kindergarten children.
- Class 2000 : Primary school child health promotion program.
- Lions-Quest -Activity: Program to promote the personal development of young people.
- International youth camps and youth exchanges.
- SODIS : a method of solar drinking water disinfection promoted by Lions Clubs International.
- Peace poster competition: annual international competition for children from 11 to 13 years on the subject of peace in the world .
- Music competition: international promotion of talented young people.
- League for the elderly: lobbies and develops models for support through care and for delaying age dependency.
- Lions Young Ambassador: Lions Youth Ambassador Competition. Promotion of young people who volunteer for others
- Foundation of the German Lions: Funding of charitable projects of the clubs, etc. a. about the foundation award (2014: projects for the integration of fellow citizens with a migration background)
- Aid organization of the German Lions e. V .: Organization and implementation of international aid projects (until 2013: houses and water filters for earthquake victims in Haiti , from 2014: together with the RTL donation marathon "Lichtblicke für Kinder in Afrika", here in Zambia)
In addition, there are the individual activities of over 46,000 clubs worldwide (e.g. help for people in need, projects for the disabled, health promotion, promotion of youth and upbringing, promotion and maintenance of culture, etc.).
According to a 2007 study by the Financial Times , Dalberg Global Development Advisers and the United Nations Global Compact, Lions International Foundation, Lions International Foundation, was rated the best non-governmental organization (NGO) among 34 global organizations . The quality of the project execution, communication, local adaptability and accountability were decisive here.
Lions and the United Nations
Lions Club International is globally committed and works for international understanding. According to its own information, the organization also participated in the NGO charter of the United Nations in 1945. In 2008, Lion signed the UN Global Compact to help meet the UN Millennium Development Goals .
The international cooperation will be continued. Lions representatives are represented in the following locations:
- United Nations offices in New York, Vienna and Geneva
- UNICEF offices in New York, Geneva and Nairobi (Kenya)
- United Nations Press and Information Division in New York
- United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York
- United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) in Paris
- United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi (Kenya)
- UN World Food Organization (FAO) in Rome
- CO NGO Committee on Narcotics and Substance Abuse in New York
- World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva
- Council of Europe
publication
The organization publishes the magazine "LION" worldwide, the German edition appears eleven times a year in the editor of the multiple district 111-Germany (MD-111) with 48,863 copies (as of April 2014).
See also
- Leo Club - Youth organization run by Lions Clubs International
literature
- Biedermann, Edwin A. (2004): Lodges, clubs and brotherhoods , Droste-Verlag Düsseldorf. 352 pages, ISBN 978-3-7700-1184-1 (2nd edition, 2007).
- Gradinger, Sebastian (2007): Service Clubs for the Institutionalization of Solidarity and Social Capital . VDM publishing house Saarbrücken. (PDF file; 1.4 MB) .
- Gradinger, Sebastian (2006): Service Clubs: “Quality counts more than vitamin B” , in: Manager Magazin , November 16, 2006.
Web links
- Lions Clubs International
- Lions Clubs Europe
- Lions Clubs Germany
- Lions Clubs Austria
- Lions Clubs Switzerland
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.lionsclubs.org/en
- ^ Lions Portal - Who are the Lions. Retrieved December 4, 2019 .
- ^ Association Name and Symbol ( Memento from September 24, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Ulrich Stoltenberg and Marie-Sophie Emrich-Seng: The first 100 years. In: LION. March 2017, accessed July 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Melvin Jones Lions Motto. Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon; accessed on May 15, 2020
- ^ Membership Directory , published by Lions International All District 111, as of June 1, 1976.
- ↑ https://www.lions.de/ueber-lions
- ↑ https://www.lionsclubs.org/de/discover-our-clubs/our-leaders/past-international-presidents
- ↑ https://www.lions.de/districts
- ↑ Homepage Lions Clubs International ( Memento of the original from December 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Model statutes of the MD Germany, § 19 ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Model statutes of the MD Germany, § 4 Paragraph 2 ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Model statutes of the MD Germany, § 7 ( Memento of the original dated February 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Model statutes of the MD Germany, § 8 ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Awards - Lions Club International, homepage of the multiple district 111 Germany ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Detlef Erlenbruch: The Deutsche LIONS Foundation is growing rapidly . In: LION, April 2014 edition, pp. 23–26 (here p. 25).
- ^ Marie-Sophie Emrich-Seng: Great Lions Aid in Haiti has been successfully completed : In: LION, April 2014 edition, pp. 17–18.
- ^ Lions Clubs International Ranking Best NGO . In: Lions Clubs International Foundation . July 5, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ↑ Homepage Lions Clubs International ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Homepage Lions Clubs International ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Homepage of the Lions Clubs Germany
- ↑ LION, April 2014 edition, imprint (p. 99).
- ^ Lion . In: Lions Clubs International . January 1, 2015. Accessed September 16, 2015.
