The majority of Americans suffer from glossophobia, better known as a fear of public speaking. In fact, this phobia is ranked as the number one fear of our society’s population. The only real way to overcome it is to face it head-on and practice speaking in public. The younger a person is when they do this, the more confident they will be not only when speaking, but in many other aspects of their lives as well. Stacy Venteicher, director of the RSVP Program in Carroll says her group has volunteers in an intergenerational program geared toward fifth-grade students called the Speak Up Program. They are beginning their 18th year in Carroll County.
Venteicher said they are looking for a few volunteers who would be interested in going into the classrooms to help students.
There is a student that acts as a master of ceremonies, there is one that times the speeches with the help of a volunteer, there is a student that counts the ahs and ums and reports back to the speaker and then there is a student in the back of the room that holds up signs telling the presenter to slow down or speak louder. Venteicher said they hold a six week session in the fall and a six-week session in the spring.
Volunteers are asked to dedicate about two hours per week for each six-week session. They need volunteers and leaders at Kuemper and a leader at IKM-Manning. Training will be provided. She said IKM-Manning does it a little differently than the six-week format, however, because of their block scheduling, volunteers would be able to get it done in a two-week schedule. More information is available by contacting RSVP at 792-4212 or 877-797-4212.
