Salute to Whitby Community Organizations Th.e Whitby Toastmistres s Club EDITOR'S NOTE: The Whitby Free Press presents its latest article lin our series a "Salute to Whitby Community Organizations." This week, we hear from the Whitby Toast- mistress Club. This ls not a service club in the usual sense of the term, but ls rather a self-help, self-educating organization designed to improve the communication skills of its mémbers. The purpose of our "Salute to Whitby Comm- unity -Organizations," as we have said in previous weeks, is to provide a forum whereby the many groups, organizations and clubs working in the Town of Whitby can introduce themselves to the public at large. Far too often, the good work undertaken by these organizations goes unnoticed or unreport- ed ln the public press. This is an attempt to correct this situation. The Whitby Toastmistress Club is active and involved in the life of our community and the Whitby Free Press is honored to tell their story. By BETTY DUBOWSKI Whitby Toastmistress "The objective of Toastmistress training is the development of speech and listening skills that enable members to become better communicators." Communication, development of leadership skils and general self-improvement - these are the basic goals òf the Toastrmistress organiza- tion. The Whitby Toastmistress Club is a member of International Toastmistress Clubs, which is a worldwide non-profit, educational training program. The founder and first president of In- ternational Toastmistress Clubs was a woman named Ernestine White. She felt that women could and should play an active role in public life, but she also felt that women were not pre- pared for this role because they felt inadequate. In order to remedy this she organized the first Toastmistress Club in California in 1929. The organization was incorporated in 1938 in Cali- fornia and the policy established by the by-laws was to "foster free and open discussion which shall be without bias on all subjects, whether political, social, economic, racial or religious". Publication of Toastmistress magazine, bearing the copyright, was implemented with the first issue in December 1938. This organization expanded rapidly withthe first Canadian club being chartered in 1946. The first convention conducted outside the United States was held in Calgary in 1968. Soon, clubs were chartered in several parts of the world in- cluding Scotland, Japan, Great Britain and Aus- tralia. Today, the organization is represented by 20 countries with a membership of over 25,000. The organization is open to any adult regardless of sex, race, nationality or religion. There are four levels of structure within the organization - club, council, region and inter- national. The club level is the most important, for it is here that a member receives her training. A club is composedof a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 30 members. This number allows maximum opportunity for individual par- ticipation. Executive officers are elected; otiher officers are appointed for standing committees. Most clubs meet bi-monthly, including this club. The Whitby Club meets every first and third Tuesday of the month for a dinner meeting. Meetings are specifically planned to provide each member with training in communication and development of leadership skilfs. Periods of each meeting are devoted to business, improm- ptu speaking, extemporaneous speaking and evaluation of performance. This helps a mem- ber to: - sharpen speaking skills; - become a better listener; - learn how to conduct a meeting; - understand the importance of communica- tion; -study and apply organizational techniques; - develop hidden talent; and, - enhance the quality of her performance in ac- tivities outside the club. The basic toastmistress training method is education, participation and etaluation. Educa- tional features include: Protocol: this is the observance of accepted practices established. Parliamentary Procedure: this is basic parli- amentary knowledge for members such as ad- dressing the presiding officer, how to present a motion, etc. Communication: this includes assignments in impromptu and extemporaneous speaking. Evaluation: this is an assessment of any indi- vidual's contribuition to the meeting. Lexicology: this is an educational lesson on words. First assignments at club level are designed to make a new member feel relaxed and comfort- able and are usually in the form of simple tasks such as hostessing, saying grace before dinner or presenting a closing thought at the end of the meeting. Toastmistress clubs around the world cele- brate Founder's Month during October. The first International Toastmistress Week.was observed October 25 to 31, 1970, but in 1972 it was expanded to a full month. Special events of the organization include council meetings, international conventions, one-day seminars and regional conferences. The first international convention took place in San Jose, California in 1939. The next international convention is scheduled for July, 1982 and will be held in Sydney, Australia. This organization.has come a long way! A very special event is the voluntary speech contest. This originates at club level and win- ners progress from club to coùncil, regional and international levels. This club is planning. its speech contest during March 1982 and at present four members bave indicated their willingness to compete. Wherever possible, clubs are attached to a council, which in turn is assigned to a region. The Whitby Club is part of Council 2 of the Great Lakes Region. This Council has 12 clubs within its boundaries of Mississauga, Oshawa and Nor- th Bay. Council meetings are held four times a year and are hosted by toastmistress clubs in any of these areas. The Whitby Club will be two years old.officially on February 14, 1982, and has an active member- ship of 15 at present. The fée for a new member is $38 for the first year, $5 of which includes a subsc'iption to the Toastmistress magazine and payment for the Toastmistress Handbook. Thereafter, the annual fee is $33. The cost of dinner at the present time for each meeting is $7 at this club. This corporation is not a service club in the usual sense and funds are used only for the main- tenance of its own organization. This course is recognized as an educational training program by the governmént and certain expenses may be tax deductible. The organization will provide members for cornmunity services such as: - speakers at various community and club acti- vities; - organizing seminars in leadership training, communication and parliamentary law; - helping to organize and co-ordinate meetings; - chairing meetings; - providing educationà l workshops; - providing speech contest judges; - acting as panel moderators and participating ini group discussions; and, - commentators at fashion shows. In summary, here is a quotation wbich says it all: "Better communication equals greater understanding throughout the world. Toastmistress can help lead the way.' I a WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY,- FEBRUARY 10, 1982, PAGE 19 Police tackle suspect M stopping the suspect. The constable then told the man that he was under arrest, took hold -of his arm at which point the suspect ran off Mullen gave chase and tackled him in the middle of the intersec- tion. A struggle ensued and the suspect was taken into custody after an off-duty member of the Metropolitan Toron- to Police Force caie ta' Mullen's aid. David Hill, 20, of 1721 Brock Street South, Whitby has been charged with possession, of a narcotic for the pur- pose of trafficking and assault to resist arrest. He will appear in Oshawa provincial court tomorrow. SIMPLE The simple solution to cleaning storge problems In the attie and garage ls a.. 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According to a depart- ment spokesman, P.C. Dan Mullen saw a man put a package under his jacket at about 9:45 p.nl., February 2, at the intersection of Simcoe and Kin Streets. Mulle found a bag which was believed to contain marijuana after