Both were created to give younger adults the opportunity to lead, as leadership positions in established service clubs at that time were dominated by older men.

[3] The National Offices of Active International have been located in Aberdeen, Tacoma, Raymond and Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Paul W. Claiborne was just twenty years of age when he conceived the idea of forming a service club whose members would consist of young men.

Nathan approved of his plan and appointed a committee to foster the formation of a club whose activities would aid the growth and advancement of young men.

"Sandy" Foale, chairman; Charles Hansen, Clinton Harbor, Joseph Quire, and Mrs. Alva Archer.

A meeting was held in the Chamber of Commerce building on Tuesday, December 12, 1922, with Judge Peter J. Shields as the speaker.

A meeting between Sacramento and Stockton was held on March 5, 1925, and they created the 20-30 Club Executive Council to help with expansion to other cities.

Active clubs soon spread through Washington, Oregon, California and Montana in the United States and the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta in Canada.

It was widely believed that the chartering of the Juarez Club on February 16, 1944, so started the movement of 20–30 in Mexico and Latin America.

It was a result of the Juarez charter and that of other Mexican clubs that the name of the association was changed to 20-30 International at the 1946 Victory Convention.

John Armenia, Joe Crowe and Arnie Scheldt of Active and Dr. James Vernetti, Henry Heyl, and Ray Fletcher of 20-30 were among those who fostered the World Council movement up to its formal beginning in 1945.

[11] At the 20-30 International Convention held in Santa Cruz, CA in 1960,[14] the delegates unanimously adopted the merger proposal and the Constitution.

[14] The first convention of Active 20-30 International was held in Tucson, AZ, July 10–14, 1961,[15] where the Constitution and By-Laws were officially adopted.

Its presence became so large, that the State of California and Governor Ronald Reagan declared February 20–26, 1967 "Active 20-30 Week" [2] The original Active International and 20-30 International clubs started as a result of younger members of other service organizations finding that most leadership positions in those organizations were held and reserved for, the older and more senior members.

Since Aberdeen was a lumber center and sawmills with humming saw blades were in evidence everywhere, it was only logical that the founders of Active chose the buzz saw for their emblem.

The buzz saw represents the usefulness of intense activity and the abundant energy of responsible youth means power, strength, and progress.

The mission statement is "Providing young adults with an opportunity for personal growth, friendship, and leadership development while improving the quality of life for the underserved children in our community."

Current active clubs in the Latin America include: Armenia, Barrancabermeja, Bogotá, Cali, Manizales, Pereira San Jose, Limón, Tilarán, Tres Ríos, Metropoli.