Careers expo recap

On June 17 and 18, Toastmasters had a stand at the Wellington careers expo. Around 25 local members generously volunteered their time to explain the benefits of Toastmasters to high school students, their parents, teachers - and other stallholders.

Sarah Hewitt (Island Bay Toastmasters) and Margaret Austin (Capital Breakfast Toastmasters) at the Wellington careers expo.

Friday was the most intense day with busloads of students arriving constantly from local high schools. The scavenger hunt activity at our stand proved popular, especially with a candy prize on offer! During the morning we were very pleased to receive a visit from Wadestown School's youth leadership course. Guided by Rob Julian of Capital Toastmasters, the students presented some rousing Table Topics from the expo stage, attracting a lot of attention and interest in Toastmasters.

Students search through information at our stand for answers to the scavenger hunt questions.

Photo: Ed Atienza (Te Aro Toastmasters)

On Saturday things were quieter and there was a chance for our volunteers to wander around the expo and speak to other stallholders. That proved to be quite successful, with several staff members asking for information about club meetings near them. As well as Wellington clubs, we fielded queries about clubs in Dannevirke, Christchurch and Dunedin. Just as well we had lots of flyers with the national club finder address!

All in all the expo was a success and very enjoyable for everyone involved. Look out for recent high school graduates visiting your club in the near future.