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Gavel Clubs will be commenced in several Colleges and High Schools in the Western Bay of Plenty in early 2009 for Years in Education 12 &13. Included in qualifications to be a Gavel Club Member are any age under 18 or unemployed over 18.
Advice of the Clubs being formed at Tauranga will be on this website as soon as the Clubs are registered with Toastmasters International. We are waiting for the Colleges to have their established procedures re-working before commencing these Clubs.
Alan suggests that new Gavel Clubs be formed on petition from Students with prior consent from both their Head of English and the Principal of the College or High School. An unelected Counsellor is named on the list of Club Officers sent to Toastmasters International. Usually this person has Toastmasters experience.
The resource of persons available to be Counsellors of Gavel Clubs with Toastmasters experience is thought to be very limited at present in Tauranga. Please surprise! Volunteers are asked to email Alan Northcote, DTM at alltax@xtra.co.nz or telephone (07) 544-2234, fax (07) 544-6634 or initiate directly with newclubs@toastmasters.org to obtain a new Gavel Club kit.
Although Gavel Clubs are registered directly with Toastmasters International with no formal Area, Division, District structure, Alan anticipates that at Tauranga there will be inter-Club prepared debates and other activities such as exchange of ideas and group interactive learning opportunities, particuarly in the matter of Leadership. Gaveliers may advance to Gavelier equivalents of ACG and ALB with cross-credits to Toastmasters Awards when they join a Toastmasters Club. It is for this reason that Alan is encouraging Membership of Gavel Clubs be delayed until Year 12: the Toastmaster journey should not be "all achieved" by 18 years of age. Otherwise we might work us out of potential Toastmasters! Younger people are invited to search www.youngspeakers.org (Auckland based) from which programs of Communications and Leadership are being developed for younger students.
Young Speakers Clubs are being formed in the Western Bay of Plenty. The first Club has chartered at Bureta, the second will charter soon at Welcome Bay , both in Tauranga. The third Club commences at Te Puke on 3rd October 2008. A fourth is likely to form at Bethlehem or it may go to Papamoa. It is intended that a three Area Division be established by the third or fourth term of 2009 with about 12 Clubs involving 150 plus Young People and 50 or so Parents, Guardians, and Grand Parents.
Parents of Young Speakers are being recruited into an Adult Encouragers Toastmasters (proposed) Club to meet in central Tauranga monthly, simultaneously (but in in another room) with the the monthly Area and Division meetings of Young Speakers. Young Speakers Clubs are meeting weekly near their homes, mostly within 7..00 pm to 8.30 pm time frames with guest Parents able to participate by invitation.
Toastmasters and past Toastmasters are using their skills in a most positive way by assisting the separate Young Speakers organisation to prosper in groups of Families.
The Founder's Club meetings at Bureta are now arranged and chaired by the Young People - as young as 7 years of age. Parents and Toastmasters observe in awe as the personal growth of the Young Speakers rockets away.
The Young Speakers are so positively supportive of each other.They start and conclude their meetings with high energy soft ball play in the main hall, girls and boys together, before rejoining their parents. At Welcome Bay the meetings commence with mentally and socially stimulating games.
"Synergy" between the Toastmasters and Young Speakers organisations is the name of the game. With follow on to Gavel Clubs for some, or, by graduation directly to Toastmasters Clubs, Young People will be recruited into Toastmasters Clubs in a way that may not have happened to any significant degree.
For Toastmasters, a whole new market has been opened from and with the Family Communication and Leadership Groups: about two Clubs worth of Toastmasters in the narrow view, plus many more benefits by enhanced Family life, some "screen free" time and fuel efficient activity. Dads are coming with their children, too.
Formation kits for Gavel Clubs may be obtained from newclubs@toastmasters.org
The cost is minimal:
(1) $50 for the papers and for a box of 20 kits exactly the same as new Toastmasters Clubs receive.
(2) $48 per annum paid by the Club purchases Memberships as Gaveliers for all Members of the Gavel Club.
Alan Northcote, DTM
23 September 2008
The Educators take it one step further.
Thursday 9th November 2006 was the end of a great year of communication and growth for a group of students from South Auckland.
It all began on 10th May 2006, when a group of students joined up with Toastmasters from "The Speechcraft Club" to start a project that we all believed would make some huge changes in the South Auckland school. Little did we know at the beginning just what those changes would be. Eight weeks later 12 students and their teacher had not only worked through a specially prepared program but they had chartered the first Gavel Club in New Zealand.
Toasties: Toastmasters of tomorrow.
Graduation Fun!
The students decided that a club within their school would benefit everyone. Permission was obtained from the school board, principal and ERO before the project could be advanced. When permission was obtained the students carried out elections in true Toastmaster’s style. Everyone was given the chance to speak and then elections took place. The students also democratically decided on a club name and discussed succession planning for the coming year.
Challenges along the way The initial course sessions were at 3.30 in the afternoon, making it difficult for many Auckland toastmasters to attend. This was made even more challenging when once chartered the club decided to meet at 7.30am. Despite reservations of teenagers and early mornings, the club has flourished and at year end boasted a membership of 25 students with a waiting list of around 200 students from years 11 through 13.
The best parts were: the presentations to family, friends, supporting staff and skeptics of the staff and family variety; the students prepared the entire evening arranging invites, catering and venue; the enthusiasm and support from students and their friends.
A special thank you to all the Toastmasters who made up this very special team so that the students could achieve their goals and demonstrate some moving and very emotive speeches.
This project has reinforced how important speaking skills are for our students and how the extra boost of confidence can make the next step in life so much easier.
For comments or discussion, please contact Claire Read email claire.r@ihug.co.nz or call 09 5800904 and look out for more Youth Initiatives http://www.youngspeakers.org/news
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