How to win a Nobel Prize?

How to win a Nobel Prize?

So many interesting folks join this great organization they call Toastmasters, for so many different reasons!

This story really started in October 2003. DTM ( Distinguished Toastmaster) Sanford Sabel asked me if I would present at his wife's school, for the  'Great American Teach-in'?

It was that day and that 16 year old boy in the front row ( the class clown ) flash back to me! It was then after being a Toastmaster a whole 3 months, I realized why I become a Toastmaster.

When you're thrown out of school in the 9th grade and sixteen, it's real cool, then!

So there I am no job, no education and no money, hangin out, cool huh?

It's when you realize ( that day, that boy) this Toastmaster thing is real important! To take your message to these young adults ( don't quit  school ) is a real big deal. It changed my life.

I know I am rambling here, but i'm a speaker, not a writer, hehe.

Toastmasters, and those who wish you were, you have the ability to change lives, or at least influence these young skulls full of mush.  

Just imagine at age ten, overcoming the fear of public speaking, learning how to prepare for job interviews. Knowing you can present before your class or even an auditorium full.  Your whole world changes in just 8 weeks while presenting  this Toastmaster Youth Leadership Program.

What if it was your child being introduced to the world of Toastmasters?

What if you committed to giving up the approximate 60 hrs of your life to change other lives?

What if you understood that learning to speak in public is a real big deal?

What if at age 10 you learned this speaking thing is just not that hard?

What if one of your students, became the CEO of a major corporation, a great speaker or even President, would you be proud? Maybe they just aced that first big job interview, what If?

Do you have about 60 hours to lend? This lending ' mentoring ' is a big deal and you will be amazed that giving your time FREE may be the best, most important part of your life.

It could even become a big part of your life. Grab it, you will become a better person!

See what the students think.

Twice a year  I experience some of the greatest moments in my young life, hehe. At Pasadena Fundamental Elementary, in the past two years we have graduated around 100, 5th graders. The Toastmaster Youth Leadership Program was my guide. After 12 weeks the success, the quality, the poise, the confidence of these students is something you should experience.

       My Noble Prize

THE LETTERS

Mr. York,You are so very funny and give very good speeches. You have helped me so much. I will never forget this class and it will help me later when I am an adult because I am not as scared to speak in front of a crowd anymore. I have become a better speech writer and speaker. Thank You Mr. York.

Sincerely

Olivia

…..................................

Dear Mr. York,“ As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.” ( Irish Blessing) And hopefully you will not fall off until the end. And at the end, may you land softly on your feet. ( Ending by Connor)

Sincerely

Connor

….......................................

Mr. York,You are the best. No other speeches are better than yours. Toastmasters is soooo fun and you're right, Go Giants! You are so funny and awesome. Thank You so much

From,

Davis

…...............................................

Mr. York,You are a great teacher. I now know how to speak in front of a crowd. I have also learned how to write speeches. Thank you a lot. I have grown as a speaker and writer .Sincerely  

Chyna

…..............................................

Dear Mr. York,

I think you are fun. This was one of the best things that I've done all school year. I had a great time because you were there. You helped me learn to speak in public. Thank You.

Sincerely

Eoin

…..............................

Dear Mr. York,

You always have funny or sad stories to share with us each day you come in. You are the best Toastmaster in my opinion. Every time you come in everybody cheers up instantly. You are one of the funniest people I know!

Best Wishes

Hana

…........................

Mr. York,

What I learned from Toastmasters is that if you stand up and take a stand, you can change the world...but you have to be prepare and memorize your speech. It is also very good to use gestures in speeches. Now we are prepared to change the world. Thank You Mr. York!

Sincerely,

Connor

…....................................

Mr. York,

Thank you for Toastmasters. Whenever I think of the word 'Toastmasters' I think of toasted marshmallows. Yum. Anyways, people are always telling me Toastmasters will be a great learning experience. I thought writing a speech was like writing a story. But you taught me it's not. Thank you for teaching me. The career I want includes being an entertainer or a writer. Thank you.

Best Wishes,

Savannah

…................................

.Mr. York,

Thank You for Toastmasters! I had a blast. You were the best Toastmasters teacher I've ever had. I will never forget you. I love everything about Toastmasters. It was an awesome experience.

Best Wishes,

Jada

….....................................

Dear Mr. York,

I really liked Toastmasters. I now have the courage to stand up and speak. Thank you for teaching me how to speak correctly. Toastmasters was fun. I will use these skills.

Sincerely,

Madison

….....................................

.Dear Mr. York,

You taught me how to be a better writer/speech giver. I thank you because now I can put more of me in my writing. I really think that you did a great job. And I think you are really funny.

Thank you,

Katie

…..............................

.Dear Mr. York,

Thank you so much for helping me and teaching me how to speak in front of people. Also, for teaching me how to write speeches. The Liz Murry speech helped me with grades because thinking that she got good grades makes me get good grades. And the nicest thing you did was giving me the Toastmasters book.

Your friend

Juliana…..............................

Dear Mr. York,

Thank you so much for helping me speak up. I have always had a fear of speaking in front of people, but after Toastmaster, I'm not as freaked out! Toastmasters  has been a great experience for me and my classmates. Even though Toastmaster is ending, I hope to see you again. Remember when I saw you at  Panera? Hopefully, I will be able to enter the speech competition.Best Wishes,

Hailey

…......................................

Dear Mr. York,Thank you for teaching us the main points of Toastmasters. I really enjoyed improving my speaking skills. I think you did a great job! Say “no” to 'ums' and 'ahhs'!

Thanks!

Erin

…....................................

.Dear Mr. York,

Thank you for taking your time to teach us how to speak clearly and professionally. I really enjoyed your time and so did all my other classmates. I hope that next year in middle school we can have Toastmasters again. I learned a lot inToastmasters.

Sincerely,

Charlee

….......................................

Dear My York

,Thank you for teaching us how to do public speaking. I had a great time. I hope you did too. I think Toastmasters has helped me in the way I speak. It was pretty fun to write all of those speeches and table topic questions.

Thanks,

Madison

…...................................

Mr. York,

I really liked Toastmasters. Every week was very exciting. I felt like I could express myself with words and props when I shared. I got suggestions every week to help fix my speeches and I came back with better ones each week. I'm so happy I did Toastmasters class.

Thank you.

Sincerely,Grace

…...................................Mr. York,Thank you for teaching me about Toastmasters. The one thing I really learned about was how to write a good speech, speak loud and strong, and not to say 'um' and 'uh' as much.

Thank you Mr. York.

Sincerely,

Marlee

…....................................

To a awesome mentor,Thank you for making us all better speakers. I enjoyed making all of my speeches; from my “All about Me” to my “ Persuasive”. I also enjoyed evaluating speeches and answering Table Topics. I loved talking about the X-Factor.

Sincerely,

Skylar

…................................

Dear Mr. York,Thank you so much for coming to our classroom! I learned a lot and I have not said 'uh' or 'um' in a long time. I really enjoyed having you as a guest teacher! You really taught me how to stretch out my speaking.

Thanks,

Jansen

….....................................

Dear Mr. York,

You helped me so much with speeches and talking in public! You made me a better person. I really think you are a hilarious person. Thank you for taking your free time and teaching us about Toastmasters. Thank you so much.

Your friend,

Dahlia

…......................................

.Mr. York,I have learned a lot in Toastmasters. Without you I would still have my stage fright. But you helped me through it. You probably are the most funny and knowledgeable Toastmaster I have ever meet.

Your Friend,

Bryson

…....................................

Mr. York,I thank you for helping me with “public speaking”. I really needed help because I'm shy when it comes to standing in front of a group and giving a speech. But made speaking fun and easy. I will keep practicing and I will become a great speaker. Thank you for everything you have done. Go Giants!

Sincerely,

Janson

…..................................

.........................

Mr. York,Toastmasters is awesome and you're awesome. Thank you for teaching us about speeches and table topics. You taught me a lot of weird facts about random things. Thank you for all you taught us.

Sincerely,

Alex

…...................................

Dear Mr. York,

Thank you so much for teaching us to write speeches, be a respectful audience, and write unique questions. You are an inspiring person who has a big sense of humor. I love how that “Yoooo” because it sounds like a mixture of 'booing and saying 'yo what's up'. I hope you have a good rest of the year.

Sincerely,

Hannah

….......................................................

Dear Mr. York,

Mr. York

By: Lauren B.

I love Toastmasters thanks to one special person. Mr. York. Over the past several weeks, our class has had the honor of the mentoring of Mr. York Somerville in Toastmasters youth leadership program. Mr. York as we called him, always came to our class with a positive attitude. It was almost like he enjoyed working with us! :) Something not many people would do. Mr. York taught us many things; like organization, organizing our speeches, being good listeners, voice project, and use of gestures. We learned how to give and receive constructive criticism through our evaluation guide. Most importantly, he taught us speaking in front of people is not our number one fear, number two being death according to many studies. At this time we would like to show our appreciation of Mr. York with a few memorable gifts. Mr. York please join me at the lectern. First a shirt. You are now officially part of the Pasadena family!!!! Second, a stopwatch. That way you no longer need to endanger your fancy phone. And third, a photo album so you never forget us.. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said this about public speaking, “Be sincere, be brief, and be seated.” As will I.

There are youth speakers everywhere, tell them about ‘The Big Show’ http://goo.gl/kYtLkR

10,000 hours of practice, have you started?

"Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations."

~Earl Nightingale

Darren LaCroix,
World Champion of Public Speaking

P.S. Who do you know that could use a daily dose of inspiration?
Send them to: www.365InspirationalQuotes.com

In Malcolm Gladwell's book 'The Outliers'

Outliers: The Story of Success is a non-fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell and published by Little, Brown and Company on November 18, 2008. In Outliers, Gladwell examines the factors that contribute to high levels of success. To support his thesis, he examines the causes of why the majority of Canadian ice hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year, how Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates achieved his extreme wealth, how The Beatles became one of the most successful musical acts in human history, how Joseph Flom built Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom into one of the most successful law firms in the world, how cultural differences play a large part in perceived intelligence and rational decision making, and how two people with exceptional intelligence, Christopher Langan and J. Robert Oppenheimer, end up with such vastly different fortunes. Throughout the publication, Gladwell repeatedly mentions the "10,000-Hour Rule", claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours. Wikipedia

YSTA- is about learning to present yourself to any audience, from Big Bird, to your Grandmother.

Have you started your 10,000 hours? Have you had the opportunity to mentor our future? Sadly our world is in upheaval, it's run by liars, crooks and murders! Did anyone besides me ever wonder is that 'Ruler' treated his people like he would like to be treated? I am not sure if there is such a model?

YSTA - is about opening minds, to the ethic of hard work ( the 10,000 hours ).

Friends please help me " Change the world one child at a time "

Find a teacher, a Toastmaster, a parent, a grandparent. Help mentor these future leaders?

Make 'The Big Show' the next great experience in their lives. As so many mentioned in 'The Outliers' start their 10,000 hours now.

York

See Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-Speaking-to-America/323269824355038

Change the world one child at a time, How?

Parents, teachers, Toastmasters, everyone who cares, what do we expect from our young adults? Do we require them to read, to study, to get good grades, we hope.

Do we require them to become confident speakers? Not so much. Do schools teach public speaking in elementary schools, not so much.

My experience the last 7 years has opened my mind. You see in these 
'Vision Boards' these 10 year old's are paying attention. As I remember back to age 10, I had no idea what MIT or Harvard were. Friends the door to the future can be opened, just open it. I believe most of these students would not elect to join the Toastmaster Youth Leadership Program if asked? So that is why this program works best in the classroom. They then can't escape. But then they find out they love this Toastmaster thing! See my Facebook page: http://goo.gl/Tpxp0z.

I am trying to reach the world as American Idol has, as a Toastmaster International Speech Contest has. Each program is special, they open doors. Yes only a few make the final cut.  But each child will have a very special experience.

Youth Speaking to America, is just that chance to find yourself.  

Friends, the future is in our hands, we guide it, please help me find these future leaders. It could be your child who leads the world, becomes the next Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa or a Toastmaster World Champion!

So you ask, how do we find these children? Where do we start?

We start with schools, Toastmaster clubs, hiding in their rooms. There are speech programs everywhere.

Talk with a teacher about starting a Youth Leadership Program. Go to www.toastmasters.org and find a club. Contact me: york.ysta@gmail.com

Toastmaster clubs invite youth speakers to fill your agenda's, every club has speech openings.

Mentor them for 'The Big Show'.

York
york.ysta@gmail.com

"YSTA- is about learning to present yourself to any audience, from Big Bird, to your Grandmother"

Friends, why am I qualified to improve your childs life?

York Somerville, lifetime entrepreneur

Owner of Youth Speaking to America

York Landscape LLC

Winner of 4 City of St. Petersburg City Beautification Awards in landscape maintenance

Creator of the Florida State Mountain-bike Championship Series in 1991-1994

Creator of The Next Generation off-road Series ‘ Heaven & Hell’ 1997

Race director of the Mad Beach Mad Dog Triathlon 1999-2003

Event director St. Pete Mad Dog Triathlon club 1999-2003

Joined Tampa Toastmasters 2003, currently a member of Speakeasy Toastmasters, Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg Toastmasters

Speaker at The Great American Teach-in

Presenter at Toastmaster Leadership Institutes Training and District Conferences

Creator of Youth Speaking to America (YSTA)

Present of 10 Toastmaster Youth Leadership Programs

Believes in training the mind and body, thru diet, exercise and good reading.

Current project: YSTA - American Youth Speech Championships- June 2014

Who is Mr. York

Mr. York

By: Lauren B.

I love Toastmasters thanks to one special person. Mr. York. Over the past several weeks, our class has had the honor of the mentoring of Mr. York Somerville in Toastmasters youth leadership program. Mr. York as we called him, always came to our class with a positive attitude. It was almost like he enjoyed working with us! :) Something not many people would do. Mr. York taught us many things; like organization, organizing our speeches, being good listeners, voice project, and use of gestures. We learned how to give and receive constructive criticism through our evaluation guide. Most importantly, he taught us speaking in front of people is not our number one fear, number two being death according to many studies. At this time we would like to show our appreciation of Mr. York with a few memorable gifts. Mr. York please join me at the lectern. First a shirt. You are now officially part of the Pasadena family!!!! Second, a stopwatch. That way you no longer need to endanger your fancy phone. And third, a photo album so you never forget us.. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said this about public speaking, “Be sincere, be brief, and be seated.” As will I.

My Story

I hope what drives me will impact you and help you not to make the same stupid mistakes I did!  As young people, we are not always interested in the thoughts and rules parents bestow upon us.  As you grow older you may understand what Mark Twain said “ When I was fourteen, I just could not believe how dumb my old man was;  but by the time I turned twenty-one, I was amazed how much he had learned.”

 Believe me I grew up not listening to my father; after all what did he know?  I will fast  track to age sixteen, when they threw me out of the ninth grade.  Why? because I was such a good student.

 There I was, no school, no job, and very little education.  Pretty cool, huh?

 Lets go back to age twelve.  I started delivering Newsday ( a Long Island newspaper ) on the waterfront of Freeport, N.Y.  No kid at twelve could have had a better learning experience.  I delivered to restaurants, bars, shipyards and some homes.  This is where I learned to become a salesman, a businessman.  In those days we made about $.08 a paper, big money, but the good money was selling papers at bars, great tips.  It's so hard to remember back then, but maybe I made about $12 bucks a week.  That's big money at twelve, back then!

 I became such a good salesman, I continually won trips ( selling newspaper subscriptions ), with other boys to places like Coney Island, and baseball games.  Coney Island was a fun place for kids, great wooden roller coasters, rides, games, a world famous amusement park.  Of course we had great baseball teams, like the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and the New York Yankees.  Many of the baseball greats played there.  If you liked baseball there was no greater baseball town.

 At fourteen I still had the newspaper route, and also washed dishes part time at a seafood restaurant.  In all I delivered newspapers for four years. Little did I know the impact these jobs would have on my life.  They taught me salesmanship, and work ethic, among many lessons.

 Back to sixteen, out of school, no job, no education, hanging out at the soda shop, how cool was I?  So cool, my father said it's time to pay rent, $25 a week.  Well sometimes you get lucky and I did, I met Bob Riley!  The owner of the soda shop told me the owner's son of the lawnmower shop nearby was looking for someone to mow lawns. Maybe one time hanging out at the soda shop paid off.  Bob Riley became my boss and my mentor, I owe him big time.  Thanks Bob!

 When you get the chance, get a mentor. A mentor can guide you and teach you.  It's worth more than words; it could be worth your life!  I know, and that's exactly why I created Youth Speaking to America ( YSTA ).

 The amazing story was Bob Riley was only eighteen, but mature beyond his years.  He taught me the Landscaping business.  Bob built a huge landscaping business, covering many of Long Islands plush estates, as I cut my teeth, Bob trained me to become a pro just like him.  He trained me well, as later I went on to win four City of St. Petersburg, City Beautification Awards,  Thanx Bob.

 Lets skip forward to 1988, after racing Motocross for over twenty years, I started riding mountain bikes, since I already had all the off-road skills, I just needed the endurance.   I learned quickly that I was much better at mountain biking than motocross. In 1990 my close friend Dave Robichaux and I decided to travel to Durango, Colorado to the first official World Mountain Bike Championships, and compete.

 Dave's skills as a bike builder and designer were unparalleled then.  Frankly, he never received credit for all the innovations in bicycles he inspired.  Dave built the first full suspension mountain bike, designed and built a time trial bicycle with aero tubing, years before anyone else.  All this in the middle to late 80's.  Dave's experience  at motocross and motorcycle road racing, along with bicycles, lead to his innovative bicycle ideas.  His welding was the best that could be done with a human hand. Dave was my hero.  He was a brilliant man and a free spirit. He died in a ultra-lite flying accident.

  On my way back from the World Mountain Bike Championships, I wondered why mountain biking was not successful in Florida?  It was not because there were no mountains, but because there were no promoters.  With over twenty years of motocross racing, I felt qualified to be a race promoter. So I spent the next 12 years promoting, mountain bike, off-road duathlons and triathlon events, while managing my landscaping business, promoting over 100 events.

  Well I built the largest State Mountain Bike Championship Series in the country, with over $30,000 in prizes each year, with the help of Dave and Terry Berger ( Gone Riding ).   

 In 2003 as a three month old Toastmaster I was invited to speak at The Great American Teach-in. This is a program held in Florida Public Schools every Oct.

For my one hour program at Alonzo High School, Tampa Fl. , I decided on a motivational talk.

 It was that 16 year boy sitting in the front row who caught my attention, he reminded me of that boy ( the class clown ) who was thrown out of school at 16! Flash back, the boy no one understood.

I knew exactly how to engage him in my program, as i did. That day I realized why I had become a Toastmaster; take my message DON’T QUIT SCHOOL to the youth of America.

My commonsense approach to teaching is from years of hard work, a lifetime as a entrepreneur, success and failure. Hundreds of Toastmaster meeting’s, contests and youth programs. Thousands of hours of listening and reading and speaking to help prepare them, our future, our children!

My commonsense approach to teaching, is to entertain, to challenge and even sometimes add some discipline.

That is exactly why Youth Speaking to America was born!

Please help spread the word about 'The Big Show', it's about their future.

Every youth program I have presented on been paid by me. Now I hope we deserve the support of Corporate America.

York