Youth Leadership Program
About Teen Connect Gavel Club
Teen Connect is a gavel club (an affiliate of Toastmasters International) located on the Northern Beaches of Sydney which gives teenagers the opportunity to experience the benefits of Toastmasters. Toastmasters International is a non-profit organisation, founded in 1924, committed
to developing communication and leadership skills of all members. To be a member of Toastmasters you must be an adult.
A gavel club offers the benefits of Toastmasters to children and youth under the age of 18. The environment in a gavel club is friendly, respectful and supportive. Everyone at a Teen Connect Gavel Club meeting feels welcome and valued – complete beginners to advanced speakers. By joining a gavel club you can:
- Improve leadership skills
- Develop communication skills
- Practice public speaking
- Enhance listening skills
- Gain confidence in front of others
- Make new friends
- Have fun!
- Teen Connect Gavel Club membership looks good on a CV and can help with getting a job!
A Teen Connect Gavel Club meeting is similar to an adult Toastmasters meeting except that it has been modified to make it more fun for young people. Prepared speeches are practised along with brief impromptu presentations, known as Table Topics. Positive and constructive evaluations are central to the Toastmasters philosophy. So, each time you give a speech at a gavel club, an evaluator will point out the strengths you already have as a speaker, as well as suggesting improvements you can make. Giving and receiving positive feedback is a fantastic learning experience.
What We Do
We meet every first and third Saturday of the month from 4pm to 6pm, excluding school holidays. Please see here for upcoming meeting and event details. To get a behind the scenes look into one of our meetings, see an example of a typical meeting agenda here.
Youth Speechcraft & Leadership Program:
Our Youth Speechcraft runs for eight sessions and is designed to provide an intensive program for improving public speaking and leadership skills of participants. These programs include education from experienced Toastmasters, numerous opportunities to practice speaking and leadership and one session also provides the opportunity to attend a mock job interview!
We have run two Youth Speechcraft/Leadership Programs to date and will be conducting the next on commencing February 20, 2016. To find out more, click here on our link to Toastmasters District Youth Speechcraft.
Awards:
- Toastmaster of the Year
- Best Leader
- Best Speaker
- Best Evaluator
- Best Table Topics
- Annual Speech Contest Winner
Each year, Teen Connect Gavel Club Co-ordinators award a perpetual trophy to a member they feel has great communication and leadership skills and has been the most supportive and dedicated throughout the year. This award is called the Toastmaster of the Year.
We also recognise achievements in leading, speaking, evaluating and Table Topics and the annual Speech Contest winner represents Teen Connect Gavel Club in the Youth Showcase at the annual Toastmasters District 90 conference.