Saudi Gazette ‘Ours is the only organization I know that is dedicated to an individual. We work together to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply our skills to help others.”-Ralph Smedley, founder of the Toastmasters International. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization has more than 270,000 members in more than 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more efficient and confident in front of an audience. Recently formed, The Gavel Club, also known as The Young Orators club, under The Toastmasters International is a club initially formed for kids below the age of 14. It has provided them with a perfect platform at an age where they can easily become young and efficient orators. In many ways, Gavel clubs operate in the same way ordinary Toastmasters clubs do. They have the same club officer titles, use the same communication track manuals and follow similar club meeting protocols. Gavel club members are not, however, referred to as Toastmasters; they are called “Gaveliers.” Vaheeda Narvel, a member of the Toastmasters and one of the coordinators for the club speaks about the club and how the kids are trained here. “The Gavel Club (TGC) initially began for kids below the age of 14. Working under the same guidelines of The Toastmasters, this club is a great opportunity for a younger age group to learn communication-based skills. Training a younger group is not an easy task. Nowadays, most kids are interested in computer and video games, so it's harder to train them. We have to train them to prepare their speeches, using the internet for research and learning new things that will help them, instead of the time they spend in playing games,” said Narvel. The club so far consists of 20-25 kids following the similar agenda however it is set for a younger level. The sessions are conducted on weekend afternoons; sessions are made interactive with presentations, videos, open discussions and workshops. A typical agenda includes - calling the meeting to order, speaking about the theme of the day, introducing a new word every session, table topics, prepared speakers deliver their speech, evaluations, role play and other interesting activities. The general motto of the club is, ‘We Learn By Doing'. The Motto speaks for itself, the students are trained to showcase and reinforce their abilities and they learn by performing their roles, preparing their own speeches, evaluating their fellow members, and so on. They learn by doing. Youth leadership program The Youth leadership Program is an informal course in the art of communication and leadership. This program is offered to students 14 and above in different schools by assigned toastmaster members who coordinate their sessions every alternate week. Apart from enhancing speaking skills, it also seeks to build and promote leadership qualities. Narvel is also the coordinator of the YLP for the past three years, and it is currently being run in Al-Waha International School and Al-Falah International School. It is very soon expected to commence in Manarat as well. “The program helps students build up their confidence and leadership qualities, especially because a lot of times the shy and less spoken students are never given a chance to speak up in school , rather the best speakers are given a better chance when it's actually the students who can't speak who need it the most,” explains Narvel. It works under the same guideline of the Toastmasters International where every student is handed a manual that acts as a workbook and a guide to a set of eight sessions. Each session aims at the set of objectives outlined followed by a prepared agenda of prepared speakers delivering their speeches, evaluators comments, grammarian, ah-counter, timer, table-topic speakers, etc. Each session is based on a theme prepared by the students along with help provided by the coordinators if needed. Some of the covered themes include ‘Believe in Yourself', ‘Unity', ‘Never Give Up' and ‘Teamwork', topics that inspire young students and at the same time broaden their perspectives on such topics. Narvel also said, “The sessions are made more interactive by adding audio-visuals, interview sessions, group discussions, etc.” The best part about these sessions is that they are done by students entirely with coordinators just around to help them, which indeed lets the students attain more than just learning how to speak, but are also trained to work together in a team. With this, students are definitely being benefitted in the way they speak out and stand in front of an audience with added confidence. “I can say that this program's been helping me a lot. It has helped me speak up, exchange ideas and perspectives with the rest of the students in a better manner. In fact, in a recent Biology class seminar, I was confident enough when I had to speak in front of my class unlike earlier, when I would get nervous even front of my own classmates,” said Areeba Ather, a student of Al-Waha International School (AWIS). “These sessions so far have really helped me and all of us open up in front people from what we used to be,” said Ayesha Rahman, another student of AWIS. TGC and the YLP are indeed great efforts toward encouraging junior students to speak - and mold them into better individuals by the way they talk, stand up, and react to peoples views as training at such a stage will definitely ensure them a bright future. __
