High School clubs, are student-based school organizations, consisting of administration-approved organizations functioning with myriads of tasks, varying on the specific purpose of each respective club. Clubs composed of students, with adults as advising figures to maintain the functionality of clubs. Clubs primarily focus on four aspects: fundraising

Fundraising

Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...

, community service

Community service

Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....

, career interest

Career

Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....

, and interpersonal dynamics (also known as group dynamics

Group dynamics

Group dynamics refers to a system of behaviors and psychological processes that occur within a social group , or between social groups...

). In general, clubs are broken down into two main categories: State and/or Nation Wide organizations, and local clubs. Within major, nation-wide club organizations, each individual charter within each school is referred to as a "chapter". Clubs are started by either corporations, counterpart adult organizations, or campus students looking to satisfy a need or demand. High school clubs are predominantly located in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 though many clubs exist in Europe as well.

History of clubs

The first high school student-based organization chartered in Sacramento High School

Sacramento High School

Sacramento Charter High School is an independent public charter high school located in the Alhambra Triangle, adjacent to the Oak Park neighborhood in Sacramento, California. Its charter was approved by the Sacramento City Unified School District's Board of Trustees on July 21, 2003...

 in California, in May of 1925. The concept of instilling an organized, separate entity separate from the school itself came from Albert Olney, and Frank Vincent. They were school administrators and Kiwanis Club members who were looking to form a junior service club in the school. This organization later became known as Key Club

Key Club

Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...

. Key Club now stands today as the largest student-based organization in the world, though not the largest high school organization in the world.

Tracking down precise history of high school organizations is difficult as several thousand types of clubs exist. Prominent clubs include high school subdivisions of Red Cross, Make-A-Wish Foundation

Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...

, National Honor Society

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

, National Beta Club

National Beta Club

The National Beta Club is an organization for 5th-12th graders in the United States, recognizing academic achievement, leadership, character and service....

, Junior State of America

Junior State of America

The Junior State of America is an American non-partisan student-run youth organization. It is also the largest high school student-run organization in the country...

, Interact, Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda

FBLA-PBL

The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, or FBLA-PBL, is an American career and technical student organization that has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia...

, among many other organizations. Each club has their own timeline, with hallmark internal achievements only known by members of each respective club.

Reasons why people join clubs

Students join clubs for various reasons, leading to a diverse pool to choose from in most schools. Most active club members generally consist of freshman and sophomores, looking to find their respective niche in school dynamics. Student-based high school organizations offer teenagers a special element in that every person within the club share a common desire, ability, and/or personality. This type of connection leads to the existence of clubs in the vast majority of high schools.

There are no extraordinary physical and mental requirements to join a club. This special aspect distinguishes club organizations apart from Sports (requiring intense athletic prowess) and Drama (requiring physiological control and memorization). Most clubs only require a minimal membership fee (varying anywhere from $3–$30) depending on the organization. This openness allows greater opportunity for creating a tight knit community within the club. This idealist vision appeals to many of the underclassmen.

Types of clubs

There are four main club categories: fundraising, community service, career interest, and interpersonal dynamics. Many clubs offer a combination of each element.

Fundraising

Many people polarize toward fundraising for a major organization or movement. Fundraising appeals to people as high school students make a direct impact on international affairs

International relations

International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...

, such as funding cancer research

Cancer research

Cancer research is basic research into cancer in order to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatments and cure....

 or environmental preservation.

Community service

Many schools require that students perform a certain community service quota. To obtain such a threshold, many people turn to community service organizations such as Exchange Clubs, Key club, Interact, Lion's Club, Red Cross

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...

, and local clubs. In doing so, many teenagers experience more camaraderie while performing community service. Other individuals just enjoy helping the local community around them.

Career interest

Many teenagers join clubs that revolve around their career interest. Many clubs, such as Junior State of America and Future Scientist and Engineers of America focus on specific career fields and help students understand them better. Many competitions, awards, and conventions are held to give club members advantages in these fields by exposing them to new opportunities. In addition, members of career interest clubs network with other students who will enter similar fields.

Interpersonal dynamics

Many teenagers join clubs that offer no academic, organizational, or community benefit. These clubs tend to focus around culture, social dynamics, and self-interest. These clubs look to satisfy the needs and demands of teenagers in each school, based on environment, tradition, and culture.