DIVISIONS

Most importantly, this experience has taught menottolimitmyselfbasedonwhatIassume tobea“dull”or“uninteresting”job,andtotry it at least once; commit to it for a period beforedecidingthatitwon’tworkout.

The lessons I’ve experienced will guide me through my upcoming journeys in life, whether that be within Toastmasters or elsewhere. I’m certain that for many, this is the true essence of Toastmasters. A community dedicated on motivating each other to grow, plant their dreams as seeds, water them with motivation and opportunity, to eventually witness them bloom to their full potential.

All I have left to say to any budding designers outthere,

Repeat until that spark in you catches the eye of someone who believes in you. And when they do, give it your all. Be Creative, Keep Dreaming,andNeverGiveUp.

Andremember, Everyoneneedsaresteveryonceinawhile. Don’tletthatsparkfizzleout.

Goodluck!

AREEJAREEJAREEJ JAAFAR,JAAFAR,JAAFAR,

D D DTMTMTM PQDPQDPQD DESIGNERDESIGNERDESIGNER

Something deep inside me felt that my life will changeforever“HeyAllen!!!It’shot!Youokay?!” … and I was right .. because what he said next … changed my whole life“Areej .. I was appointed tobetheDistrict20PRM…whatdoyouthink?!” I replied, ”Wow Allen that’s great! You will do an amazing job I believe in you … start preparing yourteam” he said ”yes and I want you to be part ofmyteam,canyoubeadesignerwithme”

I was jumping from Happiness… but I said …. ”mm let me think about it .. ” well It was the longest 10 seconds in my life … until I sent him a messageandsaid”YESIWILLBEWITHYOU”

I made a lot of mistakes during that period but one of the biggest mistakes that I made is when Allen told me he wanted to assign TM Suraiya to work with DTM Khalid Abdulla as PQD designer. I told him, Suraiya is still young … she won’t know how to work with Khalid .. I worked with him last year at Active Minds & I know !!! & this was my mistake-DTMAllenthoughtIwantedtoworkwith Khalid soheassignedmetohisteam.

This term I have learned lots of things … working withbothDTMAllen&DTMKhalidAbdullaatboth PQD team & PR team, made me realize how great leaderswehavearoundus!

AREEJ JAAFAR, DTM

ItwasFridayeveningwhenmyphonerang …. Trrrrn Trrrrn …. I answered and to my surprise, it was DTM Allen Paul! “Heeey AreejhowistheweatherinKuwait?”

DTM Allen Paul: his ways and attitude was super amazing. He always wants to give you the credit of inventing new ideas and always appreciate the team efforts and we never felt that we have a PR Manager with us but he was always like one of us, as a team member, who is ready to speak on our behalf and be always there to support us, I called him my best best best best friend ever and I will always call him now just best best best friend butmyyoungestbrothertoo.

DTM Khalid Abdulla: He is this leader who will always listen to you and understand you, he is a person with lots of dreams and visions and because of his sweet smile and great personality you can’t do anything but work hard so as to make his dreams comes true!! Even if you will have to stay up till 4 am in the morning to finish the work he wants you to finish. He is a person who will always be there for you and treat you as one of his brothers or sisters,buttobemorespecific,formehewas likeamom ��

WorkingwiththePRteammademerealizeonefact- that(WearenotaTEAMbecausewework together,WeareaTEAMbecauseweRESPECT,TRUST&CAREforeachother) AndthishowitwasourrelationshipatthePRteam…eachoneofthemembersmadeaspecial placeinmyheartandIhavelearnedfromeachoneofthemalotofdifferentthings.

TMTawfik(Ilearnedfromhimhowtobepositiveregardlessofthetoughsituationsandhowto keepsmiling),TMSuraiya(Ilearnedfromherhowtogiveyourbestandyoureffortswillalways be shown at the end), TM Sana Fathima (I learned from her to respect the values of toastmasters and keep always ourselves up to date and follow instruction but in a sweet and lovely way),TM Prabodha (I will always call him the super hero .. He was there for me when I went through a crisis and he puts all his efforts to help both the PQD & PR teams. Hats off to this amazing gem ), TMPriyadarshan (what can I say about him … a man who knows how to run the show smoothly from behind the scenes and not waiting for anything in return. I have learned from him how to be calm and enjoy all moments), TM Alaa Alateiqi (I learned from her that working in tough situations is possible, all you need is a big smile at the end that will give everyone a positive push to move forward), DTM Asha Rani, TM Vishal, TM June & TM Sairam (Ididn’tworkmuchwiththemthistermbutIknowhowmuchhardworktheygavetotheteam & to our PRM .. even if it was from behind the scenes, I have still learned from them to be a greatteammemberwithoutanyexpectations)

AndjusttoaddtoallwhatIsaidpreviously-Workingin District 20 PR Team was a great learning experience, it helped me to understand others points of view and learn how it is important to deliver the work in a specific time, & accept all the feedback I received from everyoneasithelpedmetomoveforward.

Thank you to all the members of the PR team for being an amazing family to me during this term and Thank you so much District 20 PRM DTM Allen Paul for giving me this opportunity to work with you and because of you I wanted to continue what you have started to keep up with your hard work and be the next District

AREEJ JAAFAR, DTM

AREEJ JAAFAR

PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER 2022-23 ﺔﻣﺎﻌﻟا تﺎﻗﻼﻌﻟا ﺮﻳﺪﻣ

D E S I G N T E A M

Iampassionateaboutcreativeand innovativeideasonPostersthatpromote communitymembers.

IstartedmyjourneyasaToastmasterwith LeadersWorldwideDistrict57servingassub committeeofVPPR,thenbecameVPPR,My friendandmentorpartofDistrict57& District20wasworkingwithPQDquality/ marketingandheofferedtheopportunityto bepartofPQDawardcompilationteamand becomememberofBahrainITProfessionals ToastmastersClubterm2021-2022serving asVPPR. Everyone feels that when you have a leadership role, you are on top of the mountain. I was feeling the same until I myselfworethoseshoes. Last year had the opportunity to work with PQD DTM Alifiya Lakdawala, and prepared all PQD awards, with respective categories, summarising them, and recognising the memberswiththeirawards. Somehow, I didn’t know it would put me in the big league and I'd be made the PR Head oftheCGDOffice.Itwasachallengingrole. I was pushed into a totally new environment, didn’t know the people, including my own club member DTM Khalid Jalal (CGD), and District 20 Public Relations Team. Working with deadlines, Membership MarketingDrivecampaigns.

TAWFIQTAWFIQTAWFIQ KADER,KADER,KADER,

TMTMTM CGDCGDCGD DESIGNERDESIGNERDESIGNER

It looks exciting to begin with, but if not used to it, it’s gets tougher. Somehow I have this personal experience which helped me, when the going gets tougher, the tougher gets it going.

When I had to start from zero, I was lost to begin with, but then had to ask for support and the District 20 PR team lead by TM Sana Fathima, DTM Areej Jaffar and DPRM DTM Allen Paul, came to my rescue. They were the guiding force in ensuring I would have the amazing posters / flyers / at the same time have brand compliance in place. Beauty lies insimplicityandglamourtoo.

During the membership campaign, for the CGD office I got to know an amazing dignified personality, DTM Khalid Rashid Moh’d Jalal, averyhumbleandgemofapersonwholoves tooffercoffeeanytime.

With Club Officer Trainings, met lots of District Leaders, DTM Khalid Abdulla, DTM Mona Aloqab, DTM Yasser Al Qasher, DTM Roshan Lewis (mentoring me with assigned roles) and it was an awesome and interesting experience working with them all, in understandinghowthingscanbekeptsimple andyetlookamazing.

I enjoyed this amazing term (2021-2022) with lots of passionate work with sheer dedication, filled with enthusiasm and the mentor who was the first person to push me as a Toastmaster in District 20 (TM MohammedViqaruddin)

Thankyouallinhelpingme,inshiningbright, doingthingsdifferentlyandbrilliantly. Being your true servant leader, would you liketojointhisleadershipjourneytoo?

D E S I G N T E A M

Throughout this year, I have perhaps played the Brand Police, by advising and persuadingVPPRstomouldtheirdesigns in accordance with the Brand Toastmasters. Here’s my chance to defendmyself �� It is imperative that we understand Branding as an integral to the Toastmastersidentity.

Most of us take the role of a VPPR to tickle our creative bone, to learn designing or simply to try out a new role! But when we dive into the waves, we see this unforeseen hindrance called “Branding” . We perceive branding as an unnecessary censorship to our creative freedom. Why only few colors? Why fewer fonts? Why can’t I use the images of my choice? This might be you, when you come across the Brand and you are not alone. I would like to make an attempt to address a few of thequestionsnaggingyouforlong.

We define Brand as a Promise, an Identity that we create for our beautiful organization. The stuff we design has an impression on the world about Toastmasters. So the impression needs to bepositive,inspiringandengaging. Most of us are amateurs, not professional designers. Hence, it becomes all the more necessary to stick to the principles. The brand color palette is the first thing that is noticedaboutabrandandhence,wehavea mix of colors that are both attractive and pleasant to the eye. It’s true that colors light upthedesigns,butwhenyouoverdoit,they are capable of creating chaos! On the other hand, the uniformity that the Palette brings about, invokes a sense of identity and belonging quickly bringing your design undertheshadeofToastmasters.

SANASANASANAFATIMA,FATIMA,FATIMA, TMTMTM BRANDBRANDBRANDCONSULTANTCONSULTANTCONSULTANT

The typography of Toastmasters is characterized by fonts that are clear and readable. It might not look fancy but we prioritize clarity and readability over decoration, ain’t it? In words of the leading brand designer, Lindon Leader: “ A great design is born out of two things, simplicity andclarity. ”Let’sleaveitatthat.

My most favorite queries would be concerning the use of images. I once had a designer question me that her meeting theme was “Time to take off” and she would like to use the image of an airplane in the design. How else could she depict this theme?Soundslegit?Myanswerwas, “When a prospective member sees this design, what impression would he get? Are we discussing airplanes in this meeting? Are we travel advisors?” We are Toastmasters and we focus on communication and leadership. Our meetings are all about public speaking and empowering individuals through personal and professional growth. We need tocreatethatveryimpressionwitheachand everydesignofoursandnothingelse.That’s theBrandpromise. I can name numerous VPPRs who have surpassed their creative boundaries and have designed such marvelous PR materials staying under the umbrella of Toastmasters brand. Kudos to each one of them! The District PR team this year has gone 100% brand compliant thanks to the diligent efforts of our PRM, DTM Allen Paul and each PR team member to understand and uphold the brand identity. What more, we have nonchalantly and consistently advised each club to make their designs inline with the Brand. It’s time to challenge yourself by capturing the essence of Toastmasters, by invoking your creativity and sticking to the brand. Everything you design, look at it again. This time as a person unaware of Toastmasters and ask yourself, “ Is this what Toastmasters is? Is this what you have for her in store?” If theanswerisyes,goforit!

FARIAHFARIAHFARIAH FATIMA,FATIMA,FATIMA, TMTMTM WRITERWRITERWRITER

Being part of the District 20 PR team was one suchpaththatIchosetotake.Itwassomething that was offered to me on a silver platter by none other than the DPRM DTM Allen Paul. He offered to appoint me as the writer for the team. Since I always had that itch to write but was never able to get down to it, when this opportunity arose, I didn’t hesitate to accept it. The other reason for accepting this challenge was of course, DTM Allen. This is one relationship I cherish the most from the Toastmasters family and if a brother like him asks me to do something for him, there was no way I would have said no. Being part of the PR team has been a once in a lifetime kind of experience this year. The team was a trove of extremely talented members that there was no way I would have returned empty handed. My learning curve kept going up throughout the year. As you move through life, there are some paths that you cross out of compulsion, there is no other way around it. You have to, so you will. On the other hand, there are those that you go through just due to your sheer passion and love. You go through them to quench your artistic or creative thirst. You do it voluntarily and not due to any obligation or coercion. These are the paths that truly help you to see your true selfandworth.

Fariah is able to paint a picture with her words I express my thoughts to her, and she crafts them into a beautiful writeup If I were to write a book, I would ask Fariah to write it for me

To be honest though, as compared to all the work done by the District PR team, I felt my tasks were the easiest.Everythingdonebytheentireteamtheentire year has been incredible and an eye opener for me. Apart from my own tasks of writing the writeups for important events and posters, I was privy to the internal workings of the PR team. The creative bursts ofideasandtheirimplementationswaslikewatching a roller coaster ride. It was full of excitement, with highs and lows, some thrills and lulls but never a momentthatIfeltwasawasteoftime.

Apart from the PR team, I would say I was one of the first few fortunate people who had 1st class seats to peep into the windows of many of the great Toastmasters of our district. This opportunity came by when we were preparing to publish our newsletters. All articles submitted by all members went through me for proofreading and this gave me anopportunitythatveryfewpeopleget.Imayormay nothavereadeachandeveryarticleofthenewsletter if I were just another Toastmaster. But being part of this team, my task as a proofreader gave me this exclusive chance to read every precious word written byamazingToastmastersandmyknowledgeaboutit expandedexponentially.

As a person who aspires to be a writer someday, seeing the title of “Writer” in the posters of the PR team next to my picture has brought me immense happiness. Even though this might seem like a tiny step in that direction, it is a step. How many can boastthattheyhavebeenawriter?My thoughtscan be clearly summarized by Robert Frost’s last lines from the poem “The Road Not Taken” - I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.

S O C I A L M E D I A

It was a very great year working with you Allen, our PR manager and it was a successful year. We had a very hardworking and perfect team. The team was almostlikeasecondfamilyforme.

ALAAALAAALAAALATEEQI,ALATEEQI,ALATEEQI, TMTMTM MEDIAMEDIAMEDIACOORDINATORCOORDINATORCOORDINATOR

We shared everything together. We shared our happiness; we shared our birthday wishes and everything about our life just as you would with your own family. Everybody helped everyone. Even if I was not able to complete a task before the deadline, I always had someone who would follow up with me and completed theworkinsteadofme.

So, I loved working with the PR group of the year 2021-2022 and I'm thankful to have this special team in District 20. In my opinion, in the 4 years that I have been in Toastmasters,Ihaven’tseenanyPRgroup like the one we had this year. It's a very successful and a helpful group and I'm gratefultoallitsmembers. They were very hardworking and understood each other. We laughed together. We cried together, we shared everything together. I think I wouldn’t have foundanythingbetterthanthis.Itwasavery happyyearforme,andeveryonewasalways veryunderstanding.Ifacednoproblems. I am thankful to all the members, and I am so happy that I was chosen to be a part of this team. You were always there for me and have helped me in difficult situations and understood me. Even if I tried to escape a few times, you have been always there for metokeepmestrong.

Thankyouverymuch.