DeMolay International (originally known as the Order of DeMolay), founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1919, is an international youth fraternity for young men. DeMolay derives its name from Jacques DeMolay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. It is a Masonic youth organization for boys ages 12-21, and no relation to a Mason is required in order to join. DeMolay was incorporated in the 1990s and is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3).
DeMolay is open for membership to young men between the ages of 12 to 21, and currently has about 18,000 members in North America. It uses a model of mentoring; adult men and women, often fathers and mothers of DeMolay members, and past DeMolay members, referred to as Senior DeMolays, mentor active Demolay members. The mentoring focuses on the development of civic awareness, leadership skills and personal responsibility.
As a member of the Masonic family of service organizations, DeMolay is closely modeled after Freemasonry, and like Freemasonry, members are initiated into DeMolay through ritual and an allegorical program. Though not directly connected to Freemasonry, DeMolay is considered an appendant body to it; every DeMolay chapter is sponsored by a Masonic Lodge or other Masonic body. DeMolay is also considered to be part of the Masonic Family along with other youth groups like Job's Daughters, and the Rainbow Girls. Unlike in Job's Daughters, a young man does not need to have a family tie or sponsor in a Masonic organization to join DeMolay.