District Program Quality Director Patti Walter, DTM, is pleased to announce trainings for interested persons who would like to help facilitate the Club Officer Training sessions during the June to August 2023 training season — Train the Trainers!
The Train the Trainers sessions, for people willing to be facilitators for the Club Officer Trainings in June, July and August 2023, will take place on:
May 25, 2023 at 6:30 pm (Zoom link below)
May 30, 2023 at 6:30 pm (Zoom link below)
Facilitators…
give keynote addressess
lead conversations on officer roles in the club
facilitate sharing between people new to roles and old hands
guide and direct new club officers in their duties
help draw wisdom and experience from those who’ve done this role before
The skills you learn as a facilitator include…
Giving a presentation from an outline and script you did not create;
learning to make a canned presentation your own
managing time in an hour-long presentation
managing an audience which isn’t just your club’s members
As a facilitator, or a facilitator-in-training, you also…
make contacts beyond your own club
learn to hear from a diversity of voices
learn to summarize and synthesize a range of opinions quickly
learn your own role in the club from other Toastmasters in different situations
Join an upcoming Train the Trainer session, and contribute to your club, Area, Division and District’s success!
Topic: Train the Trainer Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
Conference Chair David Freedman, DTM, walks us through the amazing offerings at this year’s District 53 Annual Conference in Springfield, Massachusetts.
District 53 Toastmasters is part of Region 9, a collection of Toastmasters Districts in the northeast US, Quebec, Ontario, and maritime Canada. Join Region 9’s Advisor Patricia O’Reilly for a great day of leadership training, inspirational messages and powerful exercises to help you become a better leader.
Past International President Ted Corcoran presents Skills of Servant Leadership — Learn how high levels of emotional intelligence and servant leadership go hand in hand. Learn how to get our team members on our bus, and going to the same destination.
Past International President Jim Kokocki presents Situational Leadership — Learn how to enable leaders to assess team member readiness and support them appropriately for their specific needs. Learn how to respond to a member’s “task maturity” to enable them to perform better.
Past International Director Monique Levesque-Pharoah presents Manage Conflict Before It Manages You — Learn how to facilitate honest and respectful discussion to resolve conflict and improve working relationships using the Interaction Model tool. Learn how to become more aware of the background biography and context of others on your team or overseeing your leadership.
Join Amazing Leaders!
Region 9 Advisor Patricia O’Reilly invites you to join her for an amazing afternoon of leadership training with prominent Toastmasters from around the world. Join her and
Past International President Ted Corcoran
Past International President Jim Kocoki
Past International Director Monique Levesque-Pharaoh
with presentations on the Skills of Servant Leadership, the values of Situational Leadership, and the importance of Managing Conflict Before It Manages You!
Presentations will run from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm ET / 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm GMT + 1 on Saturday, May 13, 2023.
The 2023 District 53 Communication and Leadership (C&L) committee is pleased to announce that Patricia Nicolari has been chosen as the recipient for this year’s District 53 Communication and Leadership award which will be to be presented at the C&L Luncheon during our annual District Conference on May 6, 2023 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Patricia Nicolari (she/her) is the Founder/Executive Director of PROUD Academy, Inc. PROUD Academy has been Patty’s vision for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies after working with youth in education and nonprofits throughout her 40-year career. Patty has four degrees from Southern Connecticut State University – a BS in Physical Education, an MS in Community Health, a Sixth Year in Educational Foundations, and another Sixth Year in Administration/Supervision, and presently holds an 092 certificate in Educational Leadership.
Patty has always been actively/progressively involved in her community and that passion escalated after coming out publicly as a teacher in 1997, alongside the brave move of Ellen DeGeneres. She was featured in the New Haven Register article, “Ellen is Out and so is Ms. Nic.” Patty even received a call from Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, then a host of 20/20, for consideration to be featured on the TV show as an “out” teacher. The freedom to be authentic became the catalyst for Patty to create change in the educational environment for LGBTQ+ students, teachers, and staff. The most powerful part of coming out as a teacher was the outpouring of students who now felt safe enough to disclose their own sexual orientation/gender identity (SOGI) or that of a relative.
As a result of coming out, Patty started her high school’s first Genders and Sexualities Alliances and organized the first Day of Silence. She joined the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network Board of Directors, became a Stonewall Speaker, facilitated support groups for youth and closeted teachers at the New Haven Pride Center, presented workshops across the country in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, and CT, on the topic of “How to Create a Safe School for all Students Regardless of SOGI”. Additionally, Patty presented a workshop for actor Hill Harper’s nonprofit, “Manifest Your Destiny”, for 8th graders in LA on the topic, “Academic Success Strategies”.
Patty was interviewed by Faith Middleton on NPR, was a recipient of a Dorothy Award for her LGBTQ+ community involvement, and had her story published with other LGBTQ educators in Kevin Jennings’ book, “One Teacher in 10.”
Patty’s experience as an educator ranges from working with marginalized youth as a teacher in an Alternative to Incarceration program in Bridgeport, an administrator of an alternative school for grades 7-12, to higher education as an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University. In 2004, Patty was named Teacher of the Year in Ansonia.
Patty’s nonprofit work includes being the director of a mentoring program for youth involved with juvenile probation and State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families foster care. Patty was also a foster parent. She has volunteered on the Governor’s Prevention Partnership LGBTQ+ Advisory Board and presently serves on the New Haven/Hamden Juvenile Review Board.
Patty’s lived experience, “in and out” of the LGBTQ+ family, coupled with her careers in education and nonprofits, have led her to this moment in time.
Join us at the Toastmasters District 53 2023 Conference on May 6, 2023, at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place in Springfield, MA and hear Patty’s lunchtime remarks.
The Division E Public Relations Team is excited to announce that we are hosting a seminar on how to use AmericanTowns.com and NextDoor.com to publicize your Toastmasters Club and help gain new members. Lisa Morahan, of the Saratoga Turf Talkers Toastmasters Club will demonstrate how to use AmericanTowns.com to share press releases with local media outlets (such as the Times Union, Saratogian, etc) and how to get the word out about your club on NextDoor.com! Expected duration of the seminar is approximately 45 minutes. Zoom meeting information is below.
The District Conference “Springboard into Action” has announced the line-up of presenters and workshop sessions for the District 53 Annual Conference on May 6, 2023. The full line-up and schedule can be viewed here.
These are “at a glance” business meeting minutes. The draft of the formal minutes will be presented as part of the meeting package for the May 2023 District 53 Business Meeting, and if approved will become formal minutes.
You can attend a Club Officer Training in another Toastmasters District. If you do, be sure to post your training date and the District attended at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AlternateCOT. We will reach out to the other district to validate your training attendance. We can’t guarantee your club will get training credit unless you post your attendance in this AlternateCOT log.
Listed below are several opportunities that we selected because they are all online and have a format similar to what we use in District 53. All times listed have been adjusted to EST.