Linda Martin: Confidence booster

As part of the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation and its EAGLE Scholars college readiness program, Linda Martin works with middle school students to instill confidence in ther public speaking and leadership abilities. 

Vickery Meadow is a predominantly refugee and immigrant neighborhood with more than 51 languages spoken at the local high school, which presents unique challenges in public speaking abilities, said Janet Morrison-Lane, volunteer supervisor at the Youth Development Foundation. 

"Linda came to us over three years ago by way of her Toastmasters Club," Lane said. Toastmasters is a nonprofit organization that develops public speaking and leadership skills through local clubs.

"She volunteered one summer to help our program implement a summer Toastmasters Club, and after struggling without her the second year, I went back to her and asked for her help," Lane said. "Not only did we implement a summer Toastmasters program, Linda helped us create a much larger program."

EAGLE Scholars works with teachers at Tasby Middle School to choose students at the end of their sixth grade year to be in the program. Because many of them are refugees, they may have been in the country for as little as six months to a year. Many students have taught themselves English, however, most of are very intimidated by speaking in public, Lane said.

Gavel Club isn’t easy. Students either sign up to speak and back out at the last minute, leaving no one prepared for that night or they are too scared to sign up to speak, Lane said. 

"Linda continues to amaze me by working to find different strategies to help them overcome that fear and lack of preparation," Lane said. "Not only does Linda meet with them once a week, she has built relationships with them so that she can come back a few times during the month and meet with the next month’s speakers to help them think through, write, and practice their speech."

The EAGLE Scholars program is now an official off-shoot of Toastmasters, called Gavel Club - the version for young students who don't or can't pay dues. 

"After her second summer of helping us, Linda started coming once a month on a Saturday to conduct a Gavel Club," Lane said. "The struggling Club had maybe 3-5 members each meeting. The kids often weren’t prepared, but Linda pushed on. They invited a few more of their friends and we grew a little." 

The next year the Gavel Club moved into evening programming and still meets once a month during the school year. Students convene once a week during the summer.

"I truly can’t say enough about how dedicated Linda has been to our EAGLE Scholars," Lane said. "Many of our students come back and say their confidence and involvement in school is due to their initial involvement in the Gavel Club. If anyone deserves the accolades, I believe it is Linda."