The Bermuda Toastmasters Club is reaching out to young people through its new Gavel Club programme.

The group, which aims to help people improve their public-speaking skills through impromptu talks, is also moving into schools to help students develop abilities that will give them an advantage in college and the workplace.

The club said: “Teenagers are often more comfortable communicating electronically than speaking face to face.

“Yet many events in teenagers’ lives require interpersonal communication skills to be resolved successfully.

“Now more than ever, they need guidance in developing their communication and leadership skills.”

The Gavel Club is designed to help teenagers overcome nervousness, organise and present their ideas, listen to the ideas of others, participate in, or lead, group meetings and offer advice to others to help improve their speaking and leadership skills.

“All these skills are necessary for earning a living in today’s competitive job market, but are also essential for maintaining healthy personal relationships and achieving academic goals in middle and high school, as well as college,” the club said.

“We are looking at taking the Toastmasters programme into two schools this coming school year. We will be establishing a Gavel Club in a middle and a high school.

“The process has already begun and they are as anxious to have us as we are to join them. In addition, we want to take the programme to the community by teaching the Elements of Public Speaking through the Community Education Programme during the fall term this year.

“Toastmaster is gaining strides in Bermuda and in short order we will be up to four clubs on Island. We are excited about this new prospect, and already have plans to incorporate the other clubs into our programmes.

“We are looking at a speech contest in which we will ask the other clubs to participate and also an awards banquet next year to culminate an eventful Toastmaster year.”

According to the president of the Bermuda Toastmasters Club, Corville Hylton, the Gavel Club is set to start at the Whitney Institute, with organisers keen to bring it to CedarBridge later this year.

“At Whitney they already have a student council of about 20 students, which is the exact amount we need to start,” he said. “We will start with those students because they are already in a leadership position where it will be particularly useful, and from there we will find other suitable, interested students.”

Bermuda Toastmasters will have its first meeting on Tuesday at 5.30pm, at the Chamber of Commerce next to the Hamilton ferry terminal.