District Council Meeting 2
In Toastmasters, there are layers of groupings outside clubs. They are areas, divisions, districts, and regions. Important among these are the districts. Districts have their own budget and make different decisions for the members and clubs.
The district Shin-Osaka Leaders belongs to is called District 76, and on Sun., May 14, District 76 held its second District Council Meeting online, where elections for district leaders for the next program year were conducted. One of our member, Hideo, ran for the position of Division C Director, who will be responsible for 25 clubs in the Kansai region as well as Tottori and Fukui prefectures. As he was the sole candidate, his election was almost guaranteed but he delivered his two-minute election speech talking about the importance of pursuing each club's own "ideal meetings" and publicizing the club vigorously to the world outside.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of the clubs are suffering from lower membership. For a club to be sustainable, it is preferable to have at least 20 members so that it can keep meetings in a stable manner. In the current Division F, which is to be renamed Division C in the next term, more than half the clubs have fewer than 20 members.
Shin-Osaka Leaders, too, has suffered from a decline in membership. Now it has 20 members, but we could have another handful of members. Though we saw a total of 14 members leave the club over the last 10 months, we have welcomed 10 members in the same period, which is the largest number welcomed by a club in the entire district, which encompasses the entire country of Japan. Simply put, Shin-Osaka Leaders has been doing significantly well in pursuing its own meetings and publicizing itself.
With his expertise and help from his friends in the club, he wants to support other clubs in finding their own ideal meetings and publicizing themselves so that they can also attract many new members.
With his election to Division Director, he will have a lot more on his plate elsewhere, making it harder for him to be as committed to managing the club as he has been. Yet, with the incoming club officers so committed to their role, Shin-Osaka Leaders is sure to see another year of success.