Visiting other clubs is a great way to share your excitement and enthusiasm with another club and to let them show you theirs. You can also learn a great deal from a different club as each one does things slightly differently. The Traveling Gavel program is an interesting way to see more of District 64, both in-person and online.

Objectives

•    Encourage joint Toastmaster Club meetings
•    Share talents and knowledge of communication and leadership
•    Extend the fellowship of Toastmasters

Process

  1. Four (4) or more members of the capturing club visit and participate in the meeting of the target club, the club in possession of the traveling gavel. As a courtesy, call/email ahead to announce your intent to visit and offer to help with the program.
  2. Download the Traveling Gavel Capturing Zoom background to use when you are going to capture the gavel from an online club.
  3. The club surrendering the gavel will react with joy at the opportunity to have guests and graciously surrender the gavel.
  4. The visiting Toastmasters capture the Traveling Gavel at the end of the meeting and take it back to their club to display at each subsequent club meeting, until it is captured by visiting Toastmasters from another club, bestowed upon another club, or returned to a District meeting.
  5. As soon as the Traveling Gavel is captured, the visiting Toastmasters must inform the Gavel Guardian of the gavel’s new place of residence. In-person captures, take a photo of your group visiting the club and capturing the gavel. For online captures, take a screenshot (or picture) of the members in attendance (everyone must have their camera’s on). Email the photo, names of capturing members, and new location of the gavel to Gavel@district64.ca.
  6. If the Traveling Gavel is captured during an online meeting, the capturing club will receive a special Traveling Gavel Captured Zoom background to display during their meetings.

Rules

  1. Toastmasters capturing the gavel cannot also be members of the target club.
  2. Should more than one club be present to capture the gavel, the club with the most members present will be successful in capturing it. If each club has an equal number of members, a tie will be declared, and the gavel will stay at the current club unless one club wishes to forfeit it.
  3. If the gavel is not captured within four (4) weeks, the gavel must be bestowed upon another club or returned to the next District meeting to become available for capture by the club with the most members present at the district meeting. (If there is a club meeting between the end of the four weeks and the next District meeting, then the gavel is still available for capture.)
  4. All clubs are eligible to capture the gavel. If a monthly club captures the gavel, then they can hold it for one meeting. If the gavel is not captured at that meeting, then the gavel must be bestowed upon another club or returned to the next District meeting.
  5. If the Travelling Gavel is returned to a District meeting, it will be captured by the club with the greatest number of members in attendance for the meeting.
  6. Clubs may capture the gavel more than once, but a club may not capture the gavel right back from the club that captured it from them.
  7. A club returning the gavel to a District meeting shall not re-capture the gavel at that same District meeting.
  8. Clubs may capture the gavel from the district meeting only once per year.

 

The actual traveling gavel and journal booklet