Sunshine Coast Helps Kids Change the World
Sunshine Toastmasters is a small club but you would never know it with the size of its impact.
A reserved estimate of over 500 students have taken part and completed the Youth Leadership Program in schools along the Sunshine Coast.
Maureen McBeath, DTM, has been leading the YLP on the Sunshine Coast for the past 12+ years. As a retired teacher in the district, she was able to work with the secondary schools in Sechelt introducing the program to the Senior Leadership Classes. She has continued to educate, inspire and give voice to students for 8 years prior to covid and 2 years after.
The success of the YL program caught on and Gibsons secondary school wanted in on helping their students become better speakers. Maureen helped 2 of the Gibsons Toastmaster club members to teach the YLP with success as it has been running every year since (other than through covid).
The Air Cadets caught wind of the program and knew they had to have it as part of influencing successful habits in the young. Toastmasters has been working with the cadets for over 7 years now. One young man from Sechelt went on to win the Gold Medal at the National Speaking Finals out of 52,000 Air Cadets across Canada.
Word spread, the Sr. Girl Guides have also requested the program every few years for their older girls helping them use their voice to connect with fellow guides at events across Canada and Europe.
The newest venture has been with STEM, a youth career program. Johanna Rzepa has been the lead on that venture the past 2 years with the kids confidently speaking at Regional competitions.
This year was our 2nd invitation to present the YLP at Pender Harbour Secondary. Natalie Findlay ran the 1st program a few years ago and we were excited that they wanted to run it again. Johanna Rzepa and Laurel Sukkau ran it this past January.
"Speak for someone and they will never know their true voice. Teach a person to speak with confidence and they will understand their own power."
The students experience the same fears we all do. But once they realize how it good it feels to be able to speak, share, inform and inspire their fellow class mates with some easy lessons from Toastmasters; they start to blossom and get excited about their new found skill and confidence.
Many of the students over the years have told us how much it helped them with successfully job interviews. Another said it made her look forward to giving her graduation speech in front of her class instead of dread it. And another, while so completely scared during the class, said how impactful the class was and they are much more confident speaking in front of others.
Some years as many as 75 students on the Sunshine Coast have participated in YLP.
At least eight Toastmasters from the Sunshine Coast have been involved in delivering the program along with teachers and principals. It not only brings the skills of public speaking to the students, it keeps Toastmasters in the public eye and highlights how impactful it is to have basic speaking skills in our youth as they mature into confident adults.
The Youth can change the world we just need to give them the right tools. The Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program and Sunshine Toastmasters Club are working on doing just that.