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COVER STORY

THE HEALING POWER OF TOASTMASTERS

Jim Robison

District 7 Director, 2023-24

One hundred and a score years ago, Dr. Ralph them for who they are now. There are people who
Smedley began creating the meetings which would you might think deserve to be in prison, and you
become Toastmasters International. His purpose? are probably right. Even many members I have met
To help young people (only young men at the time) and gotten to know will say that they deserved to
to build their presentation and communication be locked up.
skills so that they could interview well for jobs and
perform well in the workforce. He wanted to help But as I get to know the members now, a common
young people improve their lives. phrase recurs. “You are not the worst thing you ever
did.” Many of the individuals I have met were sent
Thirty-four years ago, I entered my first Toastmas- to prison because of actions they took under the
ters meeting and quickly realized it could help me influence of drugs and alcohol. Others often men-
greatly improve my skills in ways that would help tion that they had grown to depend on violence as
me build my business and have an impact on my their main method of communication. Regardless
community. of what led them to the actions that sent them to
prison, they are not the same person they were
Eight years ago, I entered a prison for the first time, before. If you believe people can never change, you
to participate in an Area Contest held at the Colum- should visit a Toastmasters club in prison for an-
bia River Correctional Institution, hosted by Rose other perspective. I have met convicted murderers
City Toasters, and I saw how profoundly Toastmas- who today I would put my full trust in.
ters can change people’s lives.
My conclusion about the changes people undergo
Since then, I have actively participated in support- is not that Toastmasters somehow changes people
ing the members of Toastmasters who are in prison, in and of itself, but that Toastmasters is the tool that
helping ensure they can hold meetings, get officer people who want to change can use to make that
training, complete educational progress, and, in change. Those people who go into Toastmasters
short, improve their lives. When I see the prog- with the attitude that they want to learn, grow, and
ress of members in prison clubs, I see the original change, can undergo those changes because the
purpose of Toastmasters expressed clearly. People tools are there.
drastically changing their lives for the better. I have
met individuals who have committed horrible I’ve heard about or seen studies conducted in
crimes. One day when I visited a prison club, as vari- Hawaii, Louisiana and Texas that match our experi-
ous individuals were being introduced by name, ence in Oregon that those people who participate
I heard one member’s name and started thinking in Toastmasters while in prison, and continue in
to myself “Huh, that guy has the same name as a Toastmasters after prison, never return to prison.
famous villain, someone I remember hearing about
who had committed a horrific murder.” Then it This year we are building two new clubs that can
dawned on me, “Oh, that IS him.” When you know help even more people succeed. Capital Toast-
someone’s past, it can be very difficult to clearly see masters in Oregon State Penitentiary has been so

6 ONE COMMUNITY