Recently Bendigo Toastmasters came to YO Bendigo to provide some public speaking training to our Youth Councillors.
The training was over a two-session period, the first session was held on the 1st of April and consisted of an introduction to public speaking at a foundation level. Some of the topics that they looked at in this session were what makes a good public speaker, speaking with your voice, speaking with your body, impromptu speaking. Youth Councillors also learnt how to build a speech for their next session. This foundational session provided a supportive environment where Youth Councillors could begin to develop their speaking skills and gain confidence in their abilities.
The second session, held on May 6th, focused on applying the skills learned in the first session through the delivery of prepared speeches. The session began with a brief recap of the concepts covered in session 1, followed by the main event—participants presenting their own speeches. Their speeches were then evaluated by Toastmasters, and lastly all participants were awarded certificates of completion.
The participants and the titles of their speeches were as follows:
• Youth Mayor Levity Camilleri: Third world problems in a first world country.
• Deputy Youth Mayor Bailey Dolan: The cultural significance of the Minecraft movie.
• Deputy Youth Mayor Alyssa Beaton: Appreciating the underappreciated.
• Youth Councillor Ella Filsell: Feminism Throughout the Ages.
• Youth Councillor Leila Bennett: Fast Fashion.
• Youth Councillor Freiya O'Connor: Are chickens prehistoric creatures.
• Youth Councillor Heather Bell: Speaking of Speaking.
• Youth Councillor Rohan Tyler: The problems of car dependency.
• Youth Councillor Lucas Thredgold: Poverty by Design.
This training with Bendigo Toastmasters was a valuable experience for our Youth Councillors, equipping them with lifelong skills. There was a lot of positive feedback from Youth Councillors such as Youth Mayor Levity Camilleri who said "I found the experience incredibly rewarding, especially being able to get feedback directly following my speech. The critiques were practical but insightful and I'm certain I'll be incorporating them into all future public speaking opportunities." Youth Councillor Ella Filsell also gave positive feedback stating “This workshop with Toastmasters was such an incredible chance to improve and showcase our skills in public speaking. I found listening to everyone’s personal speeches to be an amazing way of bonding with my fellow Youth Councillors.”
Each Youth Councillor walked away with greater confidence and a stronger voice after this session due to the supportive environment that helped them grow. As Deputy Youth Mayor Alyssa Beaton said, "The Toastmasters workshop offered a safe, welcoming place to grow public speaking abilities without judgement."
We are incredibly proud of all the Youth Councillors who took part and grateful to Bendigo Toastmasters for their mentorship. This training provided a strong foundation for our young leaders to continue growing and making their voices heard in the community.
