A Journey Through the Youth Leadership Program

We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Imagine a future with confident, engaged, and well-spoken youth. The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) provides a platform for youth to stretch the skills they have, learn new skills, and take those skills on the road. As a facilitator of the eight-week program, I felt inspired, hopeful, and young every single week.

The YLP is not just a pitstop on your route to Distinguished Toastmaster. In fact, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I began my journey with little to no Toastmasters youth leadership experience. However, I brought life experience, toastmaster-ability, enthusiasm, and creativity. Moreover, my club and toastmasters friends fully supported me—not in a ‘have a safe trip’ way, but in a side-by-side, ‘we’ve got your back’ way. I had twelve different volunteers over the eight weeks, some who had never participated in a YLP before.

With more than one way to every destination, you can map your own journey. Here is what I found on my route:

• Start before you feel fully ready. I learned so much by preparing and just getting on the road.
• Attend someone else’s YLP as a supporter. Check in with YLP Chair, Mary Schoendorfer.
• Utilize the facilitator training video on the D42 website, found under ‘Programs’ – ‘Youth Leadership Program’.
• Find a toastmaster who has taken the trip before. Will they be a mentor? A resource? Share documents with you?
• Recruit program supporters. The facilitator is not meant to plan and navigate the route alone.

The facilitator role and commitment to eight weeks with a group of enthusiastic adolescents may not be possible, or even desirable, for everyone. Maybe your journey overlaps with the group for a week or two: to take on a meeting role, provide support, or deliver a speech. Delivering a speech at YLP can take you further on your Pathway.

The eight weeks of the program contained some of the most joyous experiences I’ve had in my Toastmasters journey, but also in life. I kid you not! Showing up motivated, curious, and open to the participants in the room, created an atmosphere of safety and tremendous fun. When people are having fun, they will take more risks. This journey provided personal growth, connections, and experiences I could not have mapped on my own.

Wendy Ireland