Everything parents ask us.

A weekly gathering where children practise speaking in front of a small, friendly audience — and get kind, structured feedback. Think of it like a sports club, but the skill being trained is communication. There are no marks, no tests and no comparison between children.

The club is a programme of the NextGen Rising Stars Foundation, founded by DTM Saro Velrajan, a distinguished public speaker who built this platform to pass those skills to the next generation. Adult coordinators organise and mentor — but the meetings themselves are run by the children: they host, time, judge and close every session.

No, but it follows the same proven club format used worldwide: rotating meeting roles, prepared speeches, impromptu rounds and structured evaluation — adapted for children aged 7 to 17.

Ages 7 to 17, boys and girls. Children take on roles that match their level, so a 7-year-old and a 16-year-old both get a meaningful turn in the same meeting.

Meetings run primarily in English. We also hold special Tamil events like our Tamil Pattimandram, which you can watch on our YouTube channel.

Yes, and we recommend it. Sit in on one full meeting as a guest — free, no commitment. Fill in the enrollment form or WhatsApp us and we will share the next meeting details.

Whichever fits your week. We run six sessions every Sunday — in person at Medavakkam, Pallikaranai and Vanagaram, plus three online sessions. Members are welcome at any of them, and you can switch any time.

Please WhatsApp Kavitha (86103 38291) or Suresh (96009 42336) for current details. Your first visit as a guest is always free.

Almost every member started with zero experience. The very first speech in our curriculum is “All About Me” — introducing yourself — and even that comes after a few weeks of smaller, scripted turns.

Never. Shy children begin with a one-minute scripted role like Timer or Quote of the Day, where the words are already written. They move to bigger turns only when they are ready. Many of our most confident speakers started as the quietest child in the room.

About 90 minutes, run to a printed agenda: a child opens the meeting; short turns present the club mission, a new word and a quote; prepared speeches follow; then impromptu rounds like Magic Minute and Rapid Fire; fun segments like quizzes and riddles; and finally evaluation and a vote of thanks. Every part is presented by a child.

Every child has at least one role every meeting — anywhere from a one-minute scripted turn to a five-minute prepared speech. Nobody just sits and watches, and nobody is overloaded either.

Parents are welcome to stay and watch, and many do — the applause matters! Guests and parents are formally welcomed at the start of every meeting.

No penalty. Roles rotate, so your child simply picks up a role at the next meeting they attend. You can also join any of the other five sessions that week.

Same format, over video call — the link is shared on registration. Children take the same roles and give the same speeches; there is a dedicated online emcee script. Online is a good starting point for children nervous about a physical stage.

Yes — Speech Mastery for Juniors, the club's own ten-project manual. Each project has a goal, ten idea questions, a three-part speech map and one stagecraft skill (posture, vocal variety, eye contact, storytelling, and so on). Completing five projects earns the Level 1 certificate; all ten earn Level 2.

Only the prepared speech needs practice — roughly 20 minutes with the manual's speech map. Everything else in the meeting is impromptu, so there is nothing to prepare and nothing to fail.

Every meeting role has a full written script on our Meeting Roles page, and every speech project comes with ten idea questions. A blank page is never the starting point.

Twenty-one of them — from Timer and Word of the Day through Speaker, Evaluator, Quiz Master and Storyteller, up to Emcee, who hosts the entire meeting. Roles rotate weekly so over a term every child tries every seat. See all roles and scripts →

Yes. Certificates for completing curriculum levels, plus club contests with resources to prepare. Children who enjoy the competitive side can go further; children who don't are never pushed into it.

Most parents notice the change within the first two months — usually in small things first: a louder “present ma'am” at school, a hand going up in class, an opinion offered at the dinner table. The stage confidence follows.

Feedback follows a strict formula, in this order: Praise (what did I like?), Suggest (one thing to try next time), Encourage (why the speaker should keep going). Evaluators — who are children themselves — are trained with a worksheet. We comment on the technique, never on the child. See exactly how evaluation works →

Meetings are recorded and published on our YouTube channel so families can watch again and children can see their own progress. If you would prefer your child not appear, tell us before the meeting and we will accommodate that.

Adult coordinators are present at every session, and parents are welcome to stay. The children run the meeting; the adults run the room.