Young Orators' Club was founded in 1969 by then-student of Osmania University, Mohammed Waheed, to create a free and accessible platform for young people like themselves to practice and better their oratory skills.
One of the first members of YOCs from its founding days, Srivats Iyengar, also founded K-Circle - one of India's oldest quizzing clubs.
Over the years, hundreds of students, youngsters, working professionals, and people that love public-speaking in general have spent their time attending weekly sessions at YOCs.
YOCs is many things. But most importantly, it is a:
YOCs is a tight-knit community of people from various backgrounds and walks of life with one thing in common among them - passion to learn, speak, and exchange ideas. At the Club, guests and members foster friendships and bonds that last a lifetime.
Fundamental to YOCs is its focus on learning how to think critically, exploring and examining all ideas, and speaking freely and fervently. The only way to get better at all the aforementioned is regular practice, introspection, and constructive criticism. At YOCS, we provide a platform for everyone - regardless of whether they are an experienced public speaker, seasoned debater, publicly acclaimed intellectual, or just a novice beginning their journey in critical thinking and public speaking - to practice, learn, receive feedback, and get better.
At YOCs, there are no restrictions on the kind of ideas you can explore and speak about. The Club is founded on the bedrock of principles of free speech and freedom of thought and conscience as enshrined in the Indian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The only limitation we impose on speech within the Club is related to the parliamentary nature of the diction of the speaker.
Not all public spaces are welcoming to everyone. We are aware of the discrimination and unequal treatment that people belonging to marginalised groups face regularly in various forms and in different parts of our society.
We at YOCs have a zero tolerance policy against any and all such discrimination and unequal treatment . We treat and value all guests and members equally and ensure that their time at the Club is fun, edifying, and wholesome. Our Club is a safe space where everyone can feel safe and at home among peers that care.