Think for a moment about the successful leaders you know. Chances are they all have one quality in common -- the ability to communicate effectively.

It is important that people develop this ability early in life so they may meet the challenges of adulthood and leadership successfully. That is why Toastmasters International has developed the Youth Leadership Program. Youth Leadership, sponsored and conducted by Toastmasters International and its local clubs, helps young people develop their communication and leadership skills so they may become tomorrow's leaders in business, industry and the community.

Youth Leadership is based on the belief that every young person has the potential to become a good communicator and leader, but this potential needs to be developed. The program's unique eight-session, workshop style design enables participants to develop this potential through practical 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 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 others' ideas
• Offer advice that will help others improve their speaking and leadership skills
• Participate in - and even lead - group discussion or meetings
• Participants increase their self-confidence as they learn. They also make new friends and have fun, verifying the fact that Toastmasters is an enjoyable learning experience

Each Youth Leadership Program group is limited to 15 to 20 people, with a maximum of 25 in case of attrition. This allows each participant to receive individual attention and to have the opportunity to get practical experience. 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 who have not yet developed the ability to express themselves. Participants are selected for what they can become, not for what they already have done.

A local Toastmasters club serves as sponsor for the program and supplies the experienced people needed to present the program. These adults are patient and understanding since they too have had experiences similar to those of the participants. The adult with overall responsibility for the program is the coordinator. He or she works closely with any cooperating organization and attends each meeting, conducting most of the training and counseling participants. The coordinator has an assistant, who conducts discussions and substitutes for the coordinator should he or she be unable to attend a meeting.

Participants for the program are selected by the sponsoring Toastmasters club or by a cooperating organization. The program is presented in eight sessions during or after school, or on weekends. Each session usually lasts one to two hours. There usually is no cost to participants for tuition or materials. The materials used in the program are produced by Toastmasters International and are provided by the sponsoring Toastmasters club. Each session is conducted as a 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 actively involved. Generally, meetings follow a format similar to that of a Toastmasters club meeting. There is an announced agenda and participants learn and practice parliamentary procedure during each meeting. Lecturing is minimal, but discussion is held during each session. Participants also deliver short impromptu and prepared speeches. In every meeting, participants learn to apply the principles of listening, thinking and speaking.

Youth Leadership Programs may be conducted for scout troops, 4-H clubs, church youth groups and many other organizations, and for young people in the community. However, all programs must be presented by a Toastmasters club, following the guidelines in the Coordinator's Guide (Catalog No. 802). Clubs may order Coordinator's Guides and Particpant's Notebooks (Catalog No. 805) from World Headquarters.

• Evaluation of present speaking ability
• Discussion of chairmanship principles

• Presentation of speeches
• Group evaluation

• Impromptu talks
• Presentation and evaluation of speeches
• Review of group discussion principles

• Impromptu talks
• Presentation and evaluation of speeches
• Discussion of speech organization

• Impromptu talks
• Presentation and evaluation of speeches
• Discussion and practice in listening

• Impromptu talks
• Presentation and evaluation of speeches
• Discussion of gestures in speaking
• Exercise in chairmanship

• Impromptu talks
• Presentation and evaluation of speeches
• Discussion of voice and vocabulary
• Planning for Session Eight
• Review of progress

• Presentation of special program