Abbreviation ESU Type Educational charity Location London | Formation 1918 Headquarters Dartmouth House Region served International | |
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The English-Speaking Union (ESU) is an international educational charity which was founded by the journalist Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1918 that aims to bring together and empower people of different languages and cultures, by building skills and confidence in communication, such that individuals realise their potential. With 35 branches in the United Kingdom and over 50 international ESUs in countries around the world, the ESU promotes a variety of activities such as debating, public speaking and student exchange programmes, runs conferences and seminars, and offers scholarships, to encourage the effective use of the English language around the globe.
Contents
- Governance
- Directors general
- Debating and public speaking
- Secondary School Exchange Programme
- The USUK Debate Tour Exchange
- International ESUs
- Music scholarships
- Lindemann Trust Fellowship
- Parliamentary exchange programmes
- References
The Aims of the English-Speaking Union (as stated on its website) are as follows:
The Union promotes:
1. The mutual advancement of education of the English-speaking peoples of the world, in particular respecting their heritage, traditions and aspirations, the events and issues of the day affecting them, their inter-relationships and
2. The use of English as a shared language and means of international communication of knowledge and understanding:
provided always that these are at all times pursued in a non-political and non-sectarian manner.
These aims are taken from the ESU's Royal Charter
Governance
The ESU was established in 1918 through the efforts of Sir Evelyn Wrench. In 1957 it received a Royal Charter, with Queen Elizabeth II as the royal patron. Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, has been President since 2013, having taken over from her father Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who served from 1952 to 2012. Headquartered at Dartmouth House, Mayfair, London, its many activities are coordinated by the Director-General. The seventeen-member Board of Governors meets three times a year.
Directors-general
Debating and public speaking
In many circles the ESU is best known for its major educational activity, the promotion of debate as an educational tool. The English-Speaking Union's Education Department runs the national championships in debating for schools (the ESU Schools Mace, the largest and oldest competition of its kind in the world) and universities (the John Smith Memorial Mace, named after the former Labour party leader John Smith who was a member of the winning team of the competition in 1962 and died in 1994). Other winners of the universities mace include the late Charles Kennedy, former leader of the Liberal Democrats.
The Public Speaking Competition for Schools was started in 1960 by the Brighton and Hove branch of the ESU. It has evolved to become an illustrious national competition which provides a forum for the promotion of effective spoken English. Unlike the ESU Schools Mace, this is not a debating competition. The format of the Public Speaking Competition is non-confrontational in nature. The role of the chairperson is to introduce the speaker and his or her topic, call on the questioner and the audience members to put questions to the speaker and summarise the overall presentation as part of his or her conclusion. The role of the questioner is to ask probing questions with a view eliciting more information from the speaker and expanding the discussion as a whole. Former winners include Cheltenham Ladies College and Magdalen College School, Oxford. The 2013 National Champions are Blundell's School.
The Centre teaches debate through outreach programmes, teacher training and the provision of resources. It offers teaching support to overseas ESUs and also selects and trains the England Schools Debating Team which competes in the World Schools Debating Championships each year. The ESU hosted that tournament in London in 1999.
Secondary School Exchange Programme
British students, having completed their A-Levels, can spend two or three terms at a private prep school in the United States or Canada during their gap year. In return American students come to British schools. Originally known as the British and American Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Exchange, the programme was created in 1928. Former British ESU student exchange scholars include:
American ESU student exchange scholars include:
The US–UK Debate Tour Exchange
Two outstanding British student debaters are chosen each year to tour approximately 30 states over three months. The ESU USA Tour is one of the most prestigious awards in University debating. In return two American debaters visit universities and institutions in the UK. The programme was established in 1922. Alumni of the British team include:
as well as a significant number of MPs, QCs and other notable figures.
International ESUs
The ESU's International Headquarters is located in London, however there are over 50 national ESUs around the world.
Music scholarships
The ESU offers funding for places at top conservatoires for music students. Alumni include Tasmin Little and Nigel Kennedy, both violinists.
Lindemann Trust Fellowship
The Lindemann Trust Fellowships are a prestiguous research grant awarded to postdoctoral scientists of "exceptional promise" in the pure and applied physical sciences, designed to enable British and Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK to perform research in the USA. They have been administered by the ESU since 1972 and were established as a result of a bequest from Brigadier Charles Lindemann. Brigadier Lindemann trained as a physicist with his brother, Lord Cherwell, at the University of Berlin, after which he served as scientific advisor of the British Army and subsequently at the British Embassy in Washington during the Second World War. The Lindemann Fellowships were created as a result of his will, where Brigadier Lindemann directed that his residual estate "be used to assist men and women with outstanding potential to become distinguished scholars or teachers in their chosen field".
Fellowships are awarded following a rigorous application process, with the current selection committee consisting of Professor James Raven, Dr Martin Grossel, Professor Roger Davies, Professor Paul Beer, Professor Ben Berks, Professor Sir David Read and Professor Sir Roger Penrose. Previous Lindemann Fellows include Professor Roger Davies and Sir Graham Hills.
Parliamentary exchange programmes
The ESU places approximately 12 British students in the offices of members of the US Congress and the Assemblee Nationale in Paris each summer, and in turn places American and French students in the offices of MPs at Westminster. The programme has been running since 1986. Alumni include Gordon Corera, editor of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, and Paddy O'Connell, broadcaster.