BEYOND THE HORIZON
International Program 2018-2019
We Serve the world and our local communities with pride, compassion, and kindness.
But there’s a world of service yet to be reached. One that lives within our collective aspirations. Once discovered, it will open a level of humanitarian good the world has never seen. It’s out there, somewhere Beyond the Horizon.
To reach beyond our limits, we must reach within our clubs, communities and selves”- International President, Gudrun Yngvadottir.
If you go to Iceland, there’s a phrase you’ll hear often. Its meaning is both simple and inspirational, and it sums up the Icelandic capacity to achieve the seemingly impossible.
“THETTA REDDAST”—it means that everything will work out, somehow, no matter how large a problem may be, through hard work, trust and community.
With this attitude guiding their way, the people of Iceland have been a shining example to the world of how to live harmoniously with their neighbors and the planet.
Being a Lion is a unique experience. And an incredible honor. Our communities depend on us to meet needs that would otherwise go unmet. They entrust us with the care of some of our most vulnerable neighbors—lives and futures that can be forever altered by an act of kindness.
We are men and women who realize that giving back changes lives. Including our own. There is a spark when people come together to serve. When we unite to make our communities better, we become better. And closer to the people we serve.
With an eye toward the future, president Yngvadottir will help Lions discover more impactful service projects as well as greater service outcomes. She is a resilient advocate of LCI Forward and believes in promoting the core abilities and benefits of Lions as a way of reaching the goal of serving 200 million people per year by 2021.
This year’s focus is a challenge for all Lions to move beyond their service barriers. If a horizon is viewed not as an unreachable limit, but rather as an evolving destination that can be reached through kindness and compassion, then together Lions can provide more good to more people than we ever thought possible.
We can achieve this if we focus on maximizing four important areas of Lions:

–  Moving membership forward.Women can be the difference. To reach our true potential, we need to invite more women to join us. This will bring new perspectives, a renewed ability to serve and create clubs that reflect the diversity of our communities.
–  Increasing leadership development. Every Lion is a leader. By providing members with leadership skills, and increasing leadership opportunities for women, we can help all Lions reach their potential.
– Promoting the fellowship of Lions. Friendship is a key component of Lions. The relationships we develop are lifelong and create the ties that make our service so strong. Let’s make sure this shines through in every member’s club experience.

– Sharing our stories. Storytelling is powerful. When we share our life-changing service stories, our communities will understand who we are and what we do. Social media and marketing can help us get our message out and invite others to join us in making a difference.

We can reach a new world of service that lies beyond the horizon by Harnessing the Power of 1.4m Lions
Pursuing a new course is never easy. This means developing new resources, renewed motivation and a clearly defined strategy. Lions Clubs International and Lions Clubs International Foundation have developed programs and tools to help along the way. This includes a global support structure, grants to increase your impact, and new global service causes that are uniting Lions around urgent humanitarian needs. By utilizing programs and initiatives aimed at increasing clubs’ and individuals’ ability to serve, we will all be able to deliver greater good to people everywhere.
The Programs that Will Carry Us to Greater Service

– Our Global Causes -Lions are supporting new global causes to define our second century of service and meet emerging needs. Lions are serving vision, hunger, the environment, childhood cancer and our new global service focus, diabetes. Our goal is to serve 200 million people per year by 2021.

– Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) – This year marks LCIF’s 50th anniversary. In the last 50 years, LCIF has awarded more than US$1 billion in grants, lending a helping hand to millions of people around the world. As the needs of this world continue to change, LCIF continues to change, as well. At the beginning of this Lions’ year, LCIF has launched a three-year US$300 million capital campaign in order to support the new initiatives on the horizon. As Lions continue to create positive change in communities around the world, LCIF will be there in support. When Lions and LCIF work together, service activities reach more people and make a bigger impact.

The Global Action Team. – This team brings together the power of the Global Leadership Team (GLT), the Global Membership Team (GMT) and the Global Service (GST). By combining the resources and expertise of these three important segments, the Global Action Team aims to increase global membership to 1.7 million by 2021. With increased membership, Lions will be able to do more good for more people around the world than ever before.

– Balanced Membership. – For Lions to truly be the global leader in service, we need a balanced membership of caring men and women. We will work closely with the Global Action Team to develop new strategies, programs and partnerships that can help us increase the number of women members and leaders.
It Takes Lofty Ambitions to Achieve Lofty Goals.

As the largest service organization in the world, we are a force for good. And today, it’s up to Lions more than ever to lead the way and set an example that others can follow. Lions have proven what a community focused on humanitarian service can achieve. We’ve been the agents of good for over 100 years. Now, as we move further into our second century of service, we must take the opportunity to exceed all expectations—including our own—and prove that we can continue our upward trajectory of service into and beyond the foreseeable future.

Every club has a project they’ve only dreamed about. A project they haven’t completed because of the obstacles in the way. Now is the time to revive that project, or identify a new one, and move forward. It’s a simple formula with incredible results. Adding one new project per year within each club would mean47 thousand new horizons discovered and 11 million more people servedtoward the LCI Forward goalof serving 200 million by 2021
Navigate with purpose
Be strategic and comprehensive
Be flexible to the need to change
Be honest about your limitations
Make your service goal a reality
THE HORIZON IS YOURS
Go and get it. You’re a Lion