Think for a momment about the successful leaders you know. Chances are they all have one quality in common — the ability to express their ideas, the ability to communicate effectively.

It is important for people to develop effective communication skills early in life, so that they may meet the challenges of adulthood and leadership successfully. That is why Toastmasters International has developed the Youth Leadership Program. The Youth Leadership Program is sponsored and conducted by Toastmasters International and its local clubs. It is a tuition-free eight-week workshop in which young people practice and polish their communication skills.

They present their ideas to an audience of their peers, and share ways to connect and be understood by other people. Through mini performance presentations, the participants try out and sharpen techniques for making themselves more effective in touching the hearts and minds of other human beings. Working through public speaking exercises, they build their power to connect, to be heard, and be understood.

Purpose of the program

The Youth Leadership Program is based on the belief that every young person has the potential to become a good communicator and leader. Toastmasters is committed to developing this potential through practical “hands on” experience.

The program is not in competition with school programs or courses, or other established youth projects. Instead, it is a supplement to these programs, providing emphasis on specialized skills and individual needs. Participants learn speaking and leadership skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. They learn to:

• Overcome the nervousness everyone feels when asked to speak before an audience.
• Organize and present their ideas logically and convincingly.
• Listen carefully to other’s ideas.
• Offer feedback that will help others improve their speaking and leadership skills.
• Participate in - and also lead - group discussion or meetings.
• Grow in self-confidence from successful accomplishments

The Participants

A Youth Leadership Program group approximates 15 to 20 people. This allows each participant to receive individual attention and several performance opportunities. The program is not an “award” to honor those who already have become leaders inside and outside of school. It is for the much larger group of young people whose options will expand because of their increased ability to express themselves effectively. Participants are selected for what they can become, not for what they have already done.

The Sponsors

Each program is sponsored by a local Toastmasters club, which supplies the experienced people needed to present the program. The adult with overall responsibility is referred to as the “coordinator.” He or she works closely with the leader of the youth group, conducting most of the training and counseling of the participants. Often the coordinator has an assistant, which offers additional input and support.

How It Works

The program is presented in eight workshop sessions, during or after school, or on weekends. Each session lasts one to two hours. There is no cost to participants for tuition or for the materials, which are provided by local clubs and produced by Toastmasters International.

Each session is conducted in a format similar to a Toastmasters meeting, not a class. Participants, working from a handbook, select officers who preside over the meetings. The remaining class members are assigned other duties on a rotating basis, so everyone is involved. There is an announced agenda for each session. Members of the group deliver short impromptu speeches and prepared speeches. Everyone draws together to stretch their listening, thinking, and speaking skills.

How To Start A Program

Youth Leadership Programs may be conducted for public and private school classes, as part of their language arts or forensic programs, for coaching Academic Decathlon candidates, for expanding opportunities for church youth groups, 4-H Clubs, scout troops, County Department of Youth Services, drug prevention programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, after school programs, and other community organizations for young people.

Contact Ed Vaughn, Youth Leadership Chair, (951) 897-2994

thislifeilove@yahoo.com