Take a look at the exciting ESU events on offer, from lectures and recitals to our world-class competitions. We hope to see you at one of them soon!
ESU Events
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June 2019
ESU Performing Shakespeare Grand Final 2019
Description Join us on Friday, 21st June 2019 to see young people aged 11-14 from across England and Wales give a performance of their chosen speech from one of Shakespeare's plays. The Performing Shakespeare Competition is designed to allow Key Stage 3 pupils the opportunity to experience Shakespeare's plays as they were intended – on the stage. Using theatre and performance skills to engage with the texts, our performers bring to life some of the world's most famous speeches in…
Find out more »January 2022
ZOOM EVENT: ESU FIF: Friendly International Forum on
The Friendly International Forum is an informal forum aimed at exchanging views, with an underlying aim of building future collaborations and initiatives. The host of the FIF will move between different ESUs internationally and each forum will be centred around a topic. The first FIF will be hosted by England and Wales and the topic will be: The effect of social media on spoken communication and public speaking. Why? The ESU has always been a conduit to share and exchange views, but…
Find out more »ESU Secondary School Exchange Webinar
Are you interested in spending a whole academic year at a US high school during your gap year? The ESU’s Secondary School Exchange offers students the opportunity to spend a gap year at an American high school at the end of Year 13. It’s a fantastic chance for students to spend time abroad broadening their horizons, making new friends and continuing their education free of exam pressures. Students return with increased confidence, a better understanding of diverse perspectives…
Find out more »March 2022
Zoom Event: The ESU Friendly International Forum
The Friendly International Forum is an informal forum aimed at exchanging views, with an underlying aim of building future collaborations and initiatives. The host of the FIF will move between different ESUs internationally and each forum will be centred around a topic. The topic of this second FIF meeting will be: 'Owing to the decline in international travel due to COVID and concerns about the climate emergency, what effect will this have on the ESU's mission of fostering cross cultural…
Find out more »Lincolnshire Branch Event: Educating for the Future – An Evening with Sir Jon Coles
The Lincolnshire Branch of the ESU are linking with Dartmouth House to host an online evening with Sir John Coles . Respected educationalist and Chief Executive of United Learning Sir Jon Coles will be joining Matthew Christmas, Head of Engagement at the English-Speaking Union, to discuss some of the key questions in education today and to consider how we can future-proof our students’ education. Among the topics under discussion will be: The impacts of Covid on learners and what the…
Find out more »May 2022
ESU-Churchill Public Speaking Competition Grand Finals 2022
The prestigious ESU-Churchill Public Speaking Competition, sponsored by the International Churchill Society, is the largest such contest in England and Wales, with around 400 teams (each comprising a speaker, questioner and a chairperson). The different roles allow students to practice and excel in different skill sets, and the competition’s unique format, which pairs the speaker from one school with the chair and questioner of another, encourages quick thinking and relationship building. Thirteen teams have succeeded through almost five months of…
Find out more »International Public Speaking Competition
The ESU International Public Speaking Competition brings together the best young speakers from all over the world for a week of cultural exchange and public speaking contests. Established in 1980, it now reaches over one million young people in more than 50 countries across the globe, showcasing the highest standard of public speaking, while giving delegates an opportunity to meet and engage with other young people of different backgrounds and nationalities. This year’s finalists (national winners of the English-Speaking Union’s…
Find out more »June 2022
Zoom Event: The ESU Friendly International Forum hosted by ESU Poland
The ESU Friendly International Forum is an informal forum aimed at exchanging views, with an underlying aim of building future collaborations and initiatives. The host of the FIF moves between different ESUs internationally and each forum centres around a topic selected by the hosting nation. The topic of this fourth FIF, hosted by our Polish colleagues, will be: ‘What motivates us to promote public speaking in our respective countries?’ The ESU has always been a conduit to share and exchange…
Find out more »November 2022
Zoom Event: the ESU Friendly International Forum hosted by ESU Hong Kong
The ESU Friendly International Forum is an informal forum aimed at exchanging views, with an underlying aim of building future collaborations and initiatives. The host of the FIF moves between different ESUs internationally and each forum centres around a topic selected by the hosting nation. The topic of this sixth FIF, hosted by our colleagues at ESU Hong Kong, will be: ‘Leveraging Literature and Culture’. The discussion will be led by three students from Diocesan Girls’ School, Hong Kong, who…
Find out more »Bernardine Evaristo in conversation with Alastair Niven: live at Dartmouth House
We are delighted to announce this live event at Dartmouth House with Booker Prize winner and internationally acclaimed author and academic Bernardine Evaristo OBE FRSL FRSA in conversation with Alastair Niven OBE LVO. Bernardine Evaristo currently sits as President of the Royal Society of Literature, and is the recipient of over 70 international awards for her work which spans fiction and non-fiction, drama, poetry, essays, academic publications and projects for stage and radio. Bernardine is a longstanding advocate and activist for the inclusion of artists and…
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