Bahrain: Karnataka Club Toastmasters Mould Young Leaders

By Ronald D’Souza and Joe Andrade for Daijiworld Media Network

Mangalore, Mar 16: Karnataka Club Toastmasters, Bahrain,  conducted a Youth Leadership Program  for children aged between 12 and 18 for the children of  Karnataka Social Club members, to mould them as future leaders at its premises, during the months of  January and February, 2008, as per the guidelines of Toastmasters Int’l  Inc.    20 teenagers took interest and registered for the program in their quest to become Young Leaders to develop Leadership and public speaking skills.

The Chief Co-ordinator of the program was TM Rufus Pinto, VP-Public Relations of the Club.     TM Rufus Pinto along with TMs Philomena D’Souza, Collin Joseph and Joe Andrade, taught the Young Leaders the basics in organizing a general meeting, the concepts of parliamentary procedures when organizing a meeting and all aspects of public speaking the Toastmasters way!

Many of the Young Leaders got the opportunity to take up Officers posts and all the participant Youth Leaders the chance to deliver speeches, evaluate the speeches and speak impromptu on various table topics and conducting meetings.

Youth Leadership Program is a terrific way to help younger members of society begin learning more effective communication and leadership skills at a young age. Infact this is an effective way for them to acquire the skills of  listening, thinking, speaking and evaluating -- skills that are extremely important in today's world.

The enthusiastic Coordinators conducted the program in eight sessions of two hours each on Fridays from 4pm to 6pm in the months of January and February.

 
Over the course of these sessions, participants learnt the following skills:

• Effective public speaking, 
• Leadership and memorization skills 
• How to prepare and organize ideas - beginning, middle and end 
• Improve self-confidence 
• Teamwork  
• How to evaluate others. 
• Be more comfortable in front of people

Finaly, these youngsters were given an opportunity to display their communication skills in a speech  and table topics contest in which all participated.   A panel of judges selected the best among them.     The Speech Contest winners will contest for laurels in the best of students and youth leaders contest to be held in Bahrain in May at the Bahrain Toastmasters Annual Conference.

Here are some excerpts in pictures of some of these Young Leaders in action.

(With inputs from TM Rufus Pinto and photographs courtesy TM Vijay Naik)