One of the more difficult badges for young scouts to earn is their Communication Merit Badge. Greg Pariana, who is currently serving as the Area 11 Governor, offered his help and a Youth Leadership Program was started for Boy Scout Troop 245 at Highland Catholic Elementary School. This also helped Greg meet some of the qualifications for earning his Advanced Communicator Gold award. He was able to get his home club (King Boreas #208) interested in helping as his son Justin had been a guest at some of their club meetings. Members of the club served as sponsors of the Scout group’s Youth Leadership Program, meeting twice a month from September through December.

As the Scouts progressed through the program, it was clear they were learning more and more about both communication and leadership. When the group first began meeting, the Senior Patrol Leader was voted in as the Chairman; however during the second half of the program, the youngest Scout stepped up and took on the role. A couple parents commented that that their son was still nervous about speaking, but anxious looking forward to the "Court of Honor" because of the confidence he gained by participating in the program. One mother was amazed at her son’s level of maturity when during one of the class exercises he formally introduced her and asked her questions he had never asked of her before. King Boreas member Owen Nelson visited one of the training sessions and took part in the exercises. He too was amazed how already accomplished the boys were. They truly worked together as a team.

For the program finale and Court of Honor, some of the boys were a little concerned beforehand, not knowing who might show up to support them. However when the night came, they saw that not only their parents were there, but also the Sponsoring Club President Thomas Devo, Eastern Division Governor Gretchen Coons, and District 6 Governor Joan Watson, and of course Area 11 Governor Greg Pariana. When they saw all of these folks there to support them, they knew it was a big deal.

The Toastmasters International Youth Leadership Program (YLP) is designed as an experiential workshop that provides the opportunity for youth participants to develop and practice communication and leadership skills. The YLP consists of 6 to 8 sessions, and can be tailored to serve any school age child, as long as the program design is modified to reflect the capacity and interests of the specific group of participants.

The Youth Leadership Program largely mirrors the basic adult Toastmasters program, except the youth program is designed to be a limited in duration consisting of six to eight sessions, and has a scaled-down learning agenda. Typically, a Youth Leadership Program meets weekly or bi-weekly, with each session running 1 to 2 hours in length. The number of youth participants may typically range from six to twenty youth participants. For more information on the Youth Leadership Program, contact the YLP Chair Jean Keating via the Contact Form.