Earlier this month the first ever Toastmasters bilingual club was chartered in Hawaii, and it’s Chinese.

The Hawaii Mainland Chinese Overseas Association Bilingual Toastmaster Club has nearly 25 members. While the majority of participants are bilingual in English and Chinese, some members speak very limited English.

“We are pleased to welcome Hawaii’s first bilingual club and hope this is the beginning for more bilingual clubs to be formed,” said Rose Kirland, director of District 49 Toastmasters.

Toastmasters is a communication and leadership development organization. There are 345,000 members internationally, with 15,900 clubs in 142 countries. In Hawaii the membership is at nearly 1,400 with 74 clubs.

During Toastmasters meetings, each member has the opportunity to give speeches, gain feedback, lead teams and guide others to achieve their goals.

“Toastmasters are from all walks of life, sharing with each other their personal passion, dedication and conviction,” Kirland said.

According to Helen Dora Hyden, club growth director for District 49 Toastmasters, the majority of the meeting is done in English, but Chinese speaking can be scheduled.

“It’s really working out well because people who want to practice their Chinese language can come to the meetings,” Hyden said. “For a lot of the members, English is not their first language, so they would attend the meetings to improve their English speaking and communications skills.”

Wen He, the main sponsor for the club and a native of China, said the club is open to everyone even if they don’t speak Chinese.

Barbara Leung, president of the club, said it offers more than just language learning. “The members learn how to better themselves in time management and leadership,” she said.

For more information, contact Kirland at 276-5093.