Mission

• Bring young people together to study and observe the United Nations.

• Provide a forum for exchanging views on education, politics, and global relations.

• Offer participants tours of historic locations in the United States and Canada.

• Promote good citizenship by encouraging community involvement.

• Create an opportunity to build lasting friendships.

• Broaden the educational experience of participants.

• Underwrite a portion of the cost of the United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth program to ensure its continuance.

• Provide a means whereby corporations and individuals may contribute funds that are tax deductible.

• Promote public awareness of the program’s availability to high school students, 16 or 17 years of age, with a minimum of one year of high school remaining.

• Increase participation 10% annually.

• Establish a funding base to perpetuate the United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth program and expand the educational opportunity afforded each participant.

• The current goal is $1 million.

• Contributions are deductible for United States Federal Income Tax purposes.

The corporation ( Independent Order of Odd Fellows United Nations Educational Pilgrimage for Youth, Inc.) is wholly owned by The Sovereign Grand Lodge Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It is governed by a nine member Board of Directors. The Board is made up of six members (3 men and 3 women) appointed to three year staggered terms and three members who are elective officers of The Sovereign Grand Lodge and the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies (the Sovereign Grand Master, the Deputy Sovereign Grand Master, and the IARA President.) The Chairman and Secretary of the Board are elected from the appointed members of the Board by the entire Board.

The operation of the program (Odd Fellows and Rebekahs United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth) is administered by the Executive Director who is an employee of the Corporation. The whole operation is under the supervision of the corporate Board of Directors.