Year in Review: A Year of Practice, Progress, and Preserving Our Story

A Toastmasters year is usually measured in speeches delivered, evaluations given, contests organized, and meetings attended. But behind every number is a small experiment in self-improvement: someone trying a new role, someone attempting a harder speech, someone learning how to give better feedback, or someone discovering that speaking for five minutes can somehow feel longer than a full workday.

The 2025/2026 Toastmasters year at Blue Nile was built around these small moments.

Throughout the year, the club held 25 sessions, including special formats, educational sessions, an online introduction session, a joint session with Radisson ACCA, and four contests. Membership grew from 14 to 21 active members, while the club welcomed more than 89 first-time guests. The year also ended with Blue Nile achieving President’s Distinguished status after meeting 9 out of 10 Distinguished Club Program goals. Numbers tell part of the story. The rest can be found in the experiences behind them.

A member joining a meeting for the first time may not immediately see leadership development happening. It might simply look like choosing a speech topic, volunteering as Toastmaster of the Day, or standing in front of a room trying to remember a sentence that was perfectly clear in their notes five minutes earlier.

This year also highlighted the importance of recognizing the people behind the progress. Through member and leadership recognitions, Blue Nile celebrated individuals who contributed through consistency, service, participation, and commitment to the club’s development. From completing educational pathways to taking on leadership responsibilities, these moments reflected a simple idea: a stronger club is built by members who actively invest in their own growth while supporting the growth of others.

Beyond club sessions, this year was also a year of expanding Blue Nile’s presence beyond the meeting room. Through social media and LEAD Magazine, the club continued documenting activities, recognizing members, and sharing ideas with a wider audience. LinkedIn alone generated more than 121,000 impressions and added 984 organic followers during the reporting period. LEAD Magazine also continued growing, with Issue 03 reaching 237 active readers. However, perhaps one of the most interesting projects emerging from this year is not about what happened recently, but about what happened before.

The Blue Nile Story Legacy Project is an ongoing effort to collect the memories, experiences, and stories of past and present members. Through interviews, podcast-style conversations, and documentation, the project aims to capture the history behind the club — the people, moments, and lessons that shaped Blue Nile over the years.

After the introduction of the project in Issue 03, this issue’s feature on Eva offers a glimpse into what these stories can reveal: that a club’s identity is not only built through meetings and achievements, but also through the experiences of the people who passed through it.

There are likely many stories still waiting to be uncovered. The speech that changed someone’s confidence. The mentor who influenced another member’s leadership style. The unexpected friendship that started because someone decided to attend one meeting.

The work of preserving these stories is only beginning.

Looking back at this year, Blue Nile’s progress was not defined only by awards, attendance, or visibility. It was reflected in the habits built by members: showing up, practicing, learning, and helping others improve.

A notable progress by our members throughout the year was made by our president-elect TM Nuhamin; she had been attending Blue Nile as a guest for several months before she officially joined as a member 10 months ago. Since then she has been serving in the VPPR team, served as deputy editor for one of LEAD magazine Issue and contributor for various Issues, conducted our first ever interview published on YouTube, and rose to the ranks of acting-VPE, in addition to progressing to PM2 in her public speaking endeavors. Her dedication, self initiative is exemplary for the Toastmasters community.