JEDDAH — Some 30 youth leaders aged between 12 and 16 years displayed their excellent communication skills in the grand finale of a speech contest at the culmination of an eight-week-long Toastmasters International Youth Leadership Program (YLP). The contest was organized under the aegis of HOPE Toastmasters Club, Jeddah, and Legacy, a Jeddah-based communication and leadership training group. The function was attended by about 150 people, including the youth leaders and their families. The contest consisted of impromptu speeches, speech evaluations and prepared speeches. Azhar Kenji, CEO of Takween Industries, graced the daylong ceremony as the chief guest. He lauded the efforts of the students and coordinators alike in promoting soft-skills development. He pointed out the importance and impact of non-verbal communication in one's daily life. YLP trainers and coordinators TM Muthappan and TM Iftekhar Ahmed explained the role played by Toastmasters and Legacy in helping children and the community at large. Toastmasters International, with its presence in more than 126 countries and 90 years of successful history, is dedicated to developing communication and leadership skills. The Youth Leadership Program is one of Toastmasters' community outreach programs. The grand finale cum graduation ceremony began with a welcome address by Zainab Rafeek followed by senior Toastmasters Mohan Kumar, Mohideen and Rajachandran conducting impromptu speech, speech evaluation and prepared speech contests respectively. Legacite Raksha Ramkumar presented a dazzling speech as the target speaker. The speeches were judged by an eminent panel of judges consisting of Toastmasters Seeni Ali (Area 37 Governor), Ibrahim Maricar (Area 35 Governor), Najeeb Mullaveettil, (Asst. Division-H Governor, Education and Training), Shafiqur Rahman, Kavita Senapathy and Rabia Mohideen. Afraah Afzal, Ananthu Sajith and Syed Husnain bagged the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes respectively in the impromptu speech category, while Syed Husnain, Ashwin Ramachandran and Salwa Fathima grabbed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes in speech evaluation. In the prepared speech contest, the winner was Jeevanandam while Afraah Afzal and Ashwin Ramachandran were declared the 1st and 2nd runners-up respectively. Azhar Kenji distributed the recognition awards, gold medals and certificates to the faculty, winners and participants of the program. Legacy Faculty Farrah Masood, Kalyani, TMs Shanti Lakshman, Muthappan, Mohideen, Raja Chandran, Dr. Lakshman Sockalingam and the YLP coordinator TM Iftekhar Ahmed were honored at the function. Distinguished Toastmaster Dr. Lakshman Sockalingam, English professor at King Abdulaziz University, was the master of ceremony. — SG
