Public-speaking and communication coaching for young people and working adults, in Vancouver and online. Founded by Shakeel and Fauzia Gaya.
Who we are
We support the development of communication skills of those who dare to change the world by changing themselves. A young person who can stand up, look at a room and say what they mean will be heard: at university, in an interview, at work. That is what we teach. Not tricks. The habit of speaking clearly, listening properly and saying what you actually think.
The challenge
Most of our students were never asked to speak in front of a room until the day it counted. These are the moments they tell us about.
School never asked for a speech. First term does, in front of forty strangers, and it is graded.
You know the answer. The words arrive thirty seconds after the question, in the corridor outside.
Networking, a wedding speech, a parents’ meeting. Standing at the edge holding a plate, waiting for it to end.
A video call flattens a voice. Students abroad learn to hold attention with a camera, a laptop and no room to read.
A bright child who goes quiet outside the house. Love does not teach public speaking. Practice, in a safe room, does.
What we teach
Small groups, peer evaluation, and a real speech at the end. The same approach that Toastmasters has used for a century, taught by someone who reached its highest award.
Eight sessions that build verbal communication and active listening in a supportive, peer-evaluated setting. For teenagers and young adults about to meet university, work and public life.
For the presentation, the report, the interview and the negotiation. Built for people whose work now depends on how they come across.
A professional speaker who brings clarity to a corporate message and energy to a room. Book him for the day that needs both.
Fauzia Gaya is developing communication-skills programmes for women and young people, drawing on her ESL and BC teaching background. Ask to be told when they open.
How it works
Call, text or write. Tell us who will be speaking, to whom, and what is getting in the way. Twenty minutes is usually enough.
You or your child speak. We listen, and then we tell you plainly what will change and how long it will take.
Eight sessions for young speakers; adult units sized to the goal. Small groups, so every person speaks every time, and every speech is evaluated by peers as well as by us.
A real speech to a real audience: a class, a family gathering, a team meeting. That is the day the room changes for you.
Groups are kept small on purpose. Nobody hides at the back for eight weeks.
Students in Malaysia follow the same sessions as students in Metro Vancouver.
Both founders are certified ESL teachers and ran an English academy in Tunisia. Accent is not the problem; silence is.
Fees depend on the programme and the group size. Ask, and you get a straight answer in the first conversation.
A story we are proud of
Their father wrote that they arrived shy and left able to speak clearly and persuasively in any setting. He recommends the academy to any parent who wants the same for their children. His words are below, in full.
Shakeel attends the Upjohn International Trainers Training Program in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Training and Business Development Manager for South Asia at a multinational pharmaceutical company.
Territory Supervisor for Metro Vancouver and regions of British Columbia.
Shakeel and Fauzia establish an English academy in Tunisia and design its ESL curriculum.
Toastmasters International’s highest award, for a completed path of speeches, leadership roles and mentoring.
Division Director of Toastmasters District 21 in 2022–23, then its Club Growth Director in 2023–24, one of the three officers who run the district.
The Young Speakers Forum, run with the White Rock Muslim Association in 2024, adult programmes, keynotes, and articles in the local press.
The founders
Founder and CEO
Began in pharmaceutical training and business development across South Asia and British Columbia, then turned to teaching. A certified ESL teacher, founder of an English academy in Tunisia, a Distinguished Toastmaster, and a regular writer for local media.
Director
Co-founded the Tunisia academy with Shakeel. Licensed to teach in British Columbia since 1999, ESL certified in Canada, teaching English online, and currently homeschooling their grandchildren while developing communication programmes for women and youth.
Watch Shakeel
Everything of Shakeel on camera that is public today, newest first. More arrives as students, parents and event hosts send their recordings.
One month into running club growth for Toastmasters across British Columbia, Shakeel introduces himself to the district on camera.
Open on YouTubeA long conversation with host Jaymes on what Shakeel has learned, in person and online, from people of widely different backgrounds and beliefs: most failures are failures of listening, and you do not have to agree with someone to hear them.
Open on YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyA short interview in which Shakeel sets out what he stands for and how he speaks to a room: plainly, in full sentences, without notes.
Open on YouTubeEvery candidate had sixty seconds. Shakeel is among the council candidates, speaking to a room of voters with no slides and no notes.
Open on YouTubeHave a recording of Shakeel speaking, or of a student’s final speech? Send it and it goes here. Search YouTube for more
In their words
By participating in the Young Speakers Forum, I have learned how to structure, prepare, and present a speech with confidence.
Participating in the Young Speakers Forum enabled me to earn an A grade on my high school presentation.
As a father of two young girls, I’m incredibly grateful for the impact the public speaking courses at the S GAYA academy have had on my daughters. Under the expert guidance of the teachers, they have transformed from shy individuals into confident speakers. The courses were engaging and tailored to each student’s needs. The founder’s dedication and skills truly shone through, providing invaluable feedback and encouragement. My daughters now possess the confidence and skills to speak clearly and persuasively in any setting. I highly recommend this academy to any parent looking to empower their children with public speaking abilities.
Why S GAYA
The DTM is earned, not bought: a full path of speeches, evaluations and leadership roles. Shakeel teaches the method he completed.
Shakeel and Fauzia are both ESL certified; Fauzia is licensed to teach in BC. Second-language speakers are the rule in our rooms, not the exception.
Every speech gets feedback from the group as well as the teacher. Students learn to listen as carefully as they speak.
The Young Speakers Forum exists because the hardest speech is the first one. Families see the change; three of them say so on this page.
Getting started
You do not need a speech ready, a reason, or a level of English. You need to be willing to stand up in a room of people who are there for the same reason.
Tell us whether this is for you, your child, your team or your event.
Youth forum, adult programme, or a speaking booking. In person in Vancouver or online.
That is the whole method. It starts on day one.
Contact
A parent, a student, a manager, an event organiser. Write in English, Urdu or Arabic. We reply from Vancouver.
