About Us

Our brief history

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Southern Lights was chartered in 1980 and was an offshoot from another club called the Northern Lights. This club had grown to over forty members and there were limited opportunities for individual members to speak – so Southern Lights was established, and the club has met regularly for over 40-years. During COVID, the club continued with weekly Zoom meetings, followed by hybrid meetings up until September 2023, when they were discontinued. In-person meetings only are now held weekly from September to June. Recently, the club has experienced significant growth, and as of April 2024 has over thirty members.   

   

What can Southern Lights offer you?

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Club members learn to speak effectively and efficiently by participating in the weekly meetings. Each week, meeting roles are changed, and this provides members with different speaking opportunities – some that are basic and others requiring additional preparation. Other speaking opportunities are provided in the Table Topics session and in the Prepared Speech section. Regardless of one’s speaking ability, members learn at their own pace, and we focus on giving support and encouragement through balanced evaluations to all participants throughout the meeting. You can attend as a guest for up to four meetings.

Please note that club membership is currently at full capacity and if you are interested in joining, you may be placed on a waitlist.

   

What does a membership cost?

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When compared to short-term stand-alone speaker training, joining Southern Lights is a very cost-effective program, plus there is the benefit of social events and making life-long friends. There are two fees; one we pay to Toastmasters International and one to the club to cover our annual expenses, such as meeting room rental and printed material. Fees are pro-rated and depend on the week you join, so please talk to the Club’s VP Membership or the Treasurer when you visit us.