IPM toastmasters, a club with a passion to invest in future leaders

Friday, 17 April 2015 04:36 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The IPM Toastmasters Club initiated a Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) for the children of members of the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM), Sri Lanka and the programme concluded with a grand award ceremony which was held on 21 March. The Chief Guest was the second Vice President of Toastmasters International, Distinguish Toastmaster Arunasalam Balraj and the Lieutenant Governor Marketing, District 82, Distinguish Toastmaster Sudash Liyanage and President of IPM, Rohitha Amarapala, graced the occasion as the Guests of Honour. The Chief Judge was Toastmaster Punsirimewan Kamburawela, the Division Governor of Division E. The council members of IPM, members of IPM and parents were also present to witness the award ceremony.

The Youth Leadership Award Ceremony was a glamorous event with a combination of talent from the Youth Leadership members. The whole event was conducted by the youngsters and the IPM Best Speaker Contest was held for the first time in IPM History. The IPM Youth Best Speaker Contest’s first prize went to Rovinya Peiris, while second place was won by Hasara Amarapala and the third place was secured by Kulasi Gannile. Balraj said that he witnessed future international level speakers during the contest. Addressing the gathering he stated: “The YLP is a program that will help youngsters overcome their fears at a young age and eventually will build a platform for the children to explore their future at a faster pace. We were not lucky to have such a program when we were young and therefore we had to learn the hard way when facing public speaking.”

He went on to commended the contribution made by the IPM Toastmasters Club and encouraged the club to continue its good work. “To speak or not to speak was the fear all these youth members had on the first day. But today when we look at them, it is a joy to see them grow so fast within a two-month period,” said the Youth Leadership Coordinator, Toastmaster Dilrukshi Rajapakse. “The Youth Leadership Programme is an unprecedented program that brings out the best in our future generation. We are happy today as IPM Toastmasters Club was able to deposit self-confidence, boost communication skills, build a platform to break barriers of fear and enhance leadership qualities among these youth members,” she told the gathering. IPM Toastmasters Club was chartered in 2009 and the Charter President Rohitha Amarapala is the current President of the Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka. A member of IPM and also a Toastmaster, T.M. Dilrukshi Rajapakse initiated and conducted the Youth Leadership Programme. She was also the Charter Secretary, the Immediate Past President and the current Secretary of Division E of District 82. IPM Toastmasters Club is an open club and all the stakeholders of IPM can join it. The meetings are scheduled on every second and fourth Thursdays at IPM. A diverse group of professionals from many sectors including HR, IT, Marketing, Engineering, Finance, Education and Aviation had made the meetings more interesting and colourful. The Inauguration Ceremony was held in January 2015 at IPM Members Lounge and addressing the gathering; the President of IPM, Mr. Rohitha Amarapala stated that “It is the 1st ever initiative by an HR Professional Body that had extended its hand to develop the children of its members” and further stated that IPM will take unlock this opportunity to all stakeholders of IPM. The Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka, the Leading HR Authority in Sri Lanka has made many significant contributions to the development and nurturing of the Human Resource Management profession in Sri Lanka and across the world. IPM continues to offer the best for their members! The Nation’s Leaders in HRM is now leading in investing in the next generation. The Trend Setter in HRM across the nation and believes that this investment would generate long term benefits for the members as well as to the nation!