The Pathways Champions Programme is a network of volunteer Toastmasters, led by the Program Quality Director, with three things in common:

• They see how Pathways has benefitted them
• They believe it can benefit others
• They want to share that knowledge

What a Pathways Champion is NOT is an “expert” on Pathways – with the program only fully active from July 2020,  there are very few “experts” as yet – we are all learning. Pathways Champions are committed to helping you find answers, and learning themselves as they do.

If you need to know something as a member, email the Pathways Help Desk. Remember – there is no such thing as a daft question.

If you need help for your club or your Base Camp Managers team, you can see who your local Champions are on this page. To contact the Champions group, please email champions@d112tm.org.nz.

Ultimately, the vision for the programme is that every Toastmaster will have access to one or more Pathways Champions. A question asked of any Champion is asked of all – not everyone has all the answers. For the current list of Champions, please visit the Champions page.

As a start, all those who have completed the Pathways Mentoring Program, or are a District Officer, are invited to join the Champions group. It doesn’t stop there; anyone who enjoys learning from Pathways, and enjoys spreading knowledge, would make an ideal member. 

If you’d like to be added to the list, please email pathwayshelp@d112tm.org.nz and tell us who you’d like to represent. No experience necessary as you’re not expected to know everything – but  a little exposure to Pathways, maybe a project or two, would help. The intention is that we learn from each other.

Outside face to face sessions, we will be using the Zoom video conferencing product. We realise that some may need help with setting up and getting started with Zoom; if you need help, including arranging a personal Zoom training session, please contact zoomhelp@d112tm.org.nz or visit our Zoom page.

The idea behind the programme is to help members engage with Pathways by showing, member by member if need be, how it can benefit them. Its vision is these outcomes:

• That Pathways Champions are seen as “go-to” mentors who help members in adopting and getting the best out of the Pathways programme
• That Champions are comfortable in hosting, and members in attending, online sessions
• That Champions are capable of conducting both training and informational (one to one) sessions directly with members
• That Champions are seen as having figured out why they have adopted Pathways well enough to take up their role
• That Champions are seen as being better listeners than talkers
• That a report of club progress by member become an input for each official Area Director visit (see attachment) to allow Champions to spot issues with uptake
• That all Club Officers are Pathways enrolled
• That the average Pathways enrolment (choosing a path) time for new members is within a month by June 2022

The mission of a Pathways Champion is

• District support to ensure Champions are supported by a mentoring network, that they enjoy learning to tell stories, and that they are able to draw out and overcome objections by active listening
• Ensure that new members understand the basic benefits of Pathways as part of their familiarisation process

Because you are involved with events, you can use that involvement to advance through the higher levels of Pathways. 

Some members have difficulty in starting levels 4 and 5. Often additional activities are needed or speech times are longer than can be fitted to a club meeting. However, many of these fit an online format.

If you need help organising a meeting or want to discuss possible projects, please contact your local Champion (via the Champions Group) or the Pathways help desk.

You can expect to see Pathways related events, either in-person or online. They might be workshops, question and answer sessions, or one to one “bring your own device” events. These are open to everyone: they will be advertised on the D112 website as blog posts and on the District 112 Calendar (on the website, under the Calendar Quick Link). Other media, such as the D112 Facebook page and District Newsletter, may also be used for promotion. A list of events and any resources such as session recordings will be published on the Events page