English Speaking Union
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| Abbreviation | ESU |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1918 |
| Type | Educational charity |
| Headquarters | Dartmouth House |
| Location |
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Region served
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International |
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Official language
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English |
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Chairman
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The Rt Hon The Lord Boateng of Akyem PC DL |
| Website | www.esu.org |
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.
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
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.
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.
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