The beneficiary of the organization himself, Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain proclaimed the month of February 2017 Toastmasters Month in the city.
During the regular council session of Feb. 6, and with numerous Toastmasters club members in attendance for the meeting, the mayor made the proclamation, with all members of council passing the proclamation alongside him.
“I was a member of Toastmasters in 2010 actually, when I first moved back to the community after university and I helped revive it at that time. Then it went back down and now it's great to see that Toastmasters has become much more of a full-fledged organization with a lot of members,” Brain said.
“It's something that's very beneficial to the community and it's helped me a lot with public speaking.”
The current club was chartered in 2015, and a news release from the club states that more than 100 individuals have participated in meetings to better their public speaking and leadership skills. A former group was active in Rupert for years prior.
“We are proud and enthusiastic about the influence of Toastmasters in Prince Rupert,” stated Michal Sluka, club president. “Successful people recognize that leadership and public speaking skills grow when they're being used. Whether you're a seasoned leader or a nervous first-time presenter, Toastmasters is the perfect place to improve your technique and acquire valuable experience.”
The club is also active with the Chamber of Commerce's Rising Stars program, with business mentors and students both taking part in workshops.
“The ability to speak clearly and effectively is a powerful and important skill that can help individuals overcome barriers to effective performance in virtually every endeavour and line of work,” Brain added.
The Rupert club is one of just 15,400 clubs in 135 countries that make up Toastmasters International.
Interested residents can attend regular meetings of Prince Rupert Toastmasters on Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. at Northwest Community College.