Youth Takes the Stage

Teens often wonder if anyone is listening to them. That wasn’t a concern for nine young South Floridians who earned enthusiastic cheers and applause after speaking from the stage last October at TEDxMiramar Youth in Miramar, Florida.

Spearheaded by CeCe Espeut, DTM, who brought together nine other Toastmasters to serve as coaches, and held in collaboration with the TEDx speaking program, the event highlighted the voices of speakers ages 12–18.

Members were able to apply their Pathways mentoring and coaching skills outside of their clubs, while strengthening their leadership abilities.

TEDxMiramar Youth is not a Youth Leadership Program (YLP), and Toastmasters was not formally involved in the approval process. However, the two entities’ purpose and process are similar, says Espeut, executive director of TEDxMiramar Youth and its adult counterpart TEDxMiramar.

“The YLP is designed to help young people develop communication and leadership skills through hands-on speaking experience and mentoring from Toastmasters members,” Espeut explains. “Our collaboration applies those same principles in a real-world setting.”

The Miramar youths worked one-on-one with Toastmasters coaches to research, organize, and deliver their talks (similar to how YLP participants work with their coordinators). Participants learned how to give and receive evaluations, manage time, and support one another as a team.

“TEDx talks are not speeches in the traditional Toastmasters sense,” says Espeut, who has presented from the TEDx stage several times. “They are idea-driven presentations with storytelling and authenticity at the center.”

True to TED’s motto, the speakers’ ideas included a variety of thought-provoking takes on topics, such as mindfulness, motivation, self-growth, and living one’s passion.

“Our goal was to empower young people to find and share their voices,” Espeut says. “We wanted them to learn how to take an idea that matters to them, develop it into a well-structured message, and deliver it with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

“Ultimately, we aim to build confident communicators and ethical leaders who understand the power of their words to influence and inspire,” she adds.

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