It’s time for a relaunch as we #StriveForProgress.
I have noticed that “in times of rapid change, it is the learners who inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” Here we are embracing the new 2020/2021 Toastmasters year. What better way to start it, than with the debut edition of Achieving Excellence, a relaunch of the formerly On A Point newsletter. You won’t find any new year’s resolutions inside, but the many exciting angles the newsletter is going to take.
The one constant in the word ‘excellence’, which is one of our Toastmasters values, is that it pushes limits to a positive extreme and in the end, it can inspire exceptional quality.
This edition is dedicated to the incoming District Team who are featured on the cover page. Inside, each new leader will be answering this important question: “What are you looking forward to most in your new role?”
Nine diverse Southern African countries are covered by this newsletter and going forward, the content is going to reflect that fact. The newsletter’s mission is to help members and clubs inclusively to grow and achieve excellence. Think of diversity as being similar to selecting people who have different musical backgrounds, vocal ranges and abilities for a chorus. Inclusion means ensuring that those different voices are heard and valued as they contribute to the overall performance. Inclusive engagement is key to growing the Toastmasters brand and keeping our readers returning for more.
In the next Achieving Excellence editions, a platform has been created where you can be heard, discover great minds alike and get connected with other leaders through some new columns. The New Member Moment is where a new member sends in their photo captioned with what they are looking forward to the most as a Toastmaster. In the Mentor / Mentee Relations column, mentees get to appreciate their mentors and let others know what they have learnt from these relations. Visit another club, take up a role, capture the moment, send the captioned picture to me and stand a chance to be profiled under the Emissaries column, encouraging others to visit other clubs as well. In the Social Pages, captioned club pictures of events will be featured. In all these columns, the caption must not exceed 100 words.
Please submit your high quality images in jpeg/png format and articles in a format that can be read by Microsoft Word, addressed to the Editor at; excellence@toastmasters74.org
Meanwhile, please continue taking all the necessary precautions to help curb the corona virus spread. I would love to hear from you regarding Achieving Excellence’s diversity and inclusion activities. Please email me with your comments and ideas!
Martha Mpakula
Achieving Excellence Editor