English-Speaking Union Scotland
English-Speaking Scotland
ESU Scotland is an educational charity whose purpose, shared with the English-Speaking Union internationally, is to promote international understanding and human achievements through the widening use of the English language throughout the world. ESU Scotland is based at 23 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh.
ESU Scotland is based in Edinburgh and retains close links with the ESU's international headquarters at Dartmouth House. ESU Scotland promites a variety of activities including debating, public speaking, creative writing, conversation classes and various talks, lectures and book launches throughout the year.
In 2008, ESU Scotland will host the ESU World Members Conference.
The mission statement for ESU Scotland is to:
Promote global understanding through English Work in close and innovative partnership with our branches, members, corporate members and sponsors
There are 3 full-time staff - the Director, the Assistant Director and the Speech & Debates Officer.
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. ESU Scotland runs the ESU Scotland Juniors tournament, which in the 2006/7 school year received 113 entries. The winners of the 2006 tournament, held in the Scottish Parliament, were Dollar Academy. The Juniors tournament is generously sponsored by ASDA
As well as the Juniors, which is a Scotland-only S1-S3 British Parliamentary format tournament, ESU Scotland administers the Scottish legs of the the ESU Schools Mace, ESU John Smith Memorial Mace (the premier inter-varsity tournament in the UK in Irelad, which is kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford) and the ESU Public Speaking Competition.
As well as this ESU Scotland offers teaching support to branches and ESUs all over the world and is closely involved with the Scotland Schools Debating Team which competes in the World Schools Debating Championships each year.
Over the last 18 months, ESU Scotland has run 5 Debates Outreach Programmes with local authorities in Scotland. These programmes focus on all the schools in a local authority and promotes communication and advocacy skills, the ability to think critically and engagement with current affairs.
ESU Scotland has run Debates Outreach Programmes in West Lothian, City of Aberdeen, Stirling and in North Lanarkshire twice. In October 2006, it was announced that ESU Scotland would be running a Debates Outreach Project in East Renfrewshire.
As well as promoting debating as an extra-curricular activity, ESU Scotland is keen to promote debating as a classroom tool. In 2006, they were commissioned by the Scottish Executiveto write
Creative Writing Competition
ESU Scotland runs a Creative Writing Competition in conjunction with the National Galleries of Scotlandand the Scottish Poetry Library. It is sponsored by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and supported by The Scotsman newspaper.
The Creative Writing Competion
EFL Classes
ESU Scotland offers part-time English language classes for students at all levels, from beginners to advanced. We also help students to prepare for the Cambridge First Certificate (FCE), Cambridge Advanced Certificate (CAE) and IELTS. We hold most classes at the ESU in the centre of Edinburgh, although we do run some classes elsewhere. Recently we ran a course for some of the staff of the Point Hotel in Edinburgh. All our teachers are CELTA qualified and experienced and the classes cover reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. The groups are very friendly and relaxed, and we aim to build the students’ confidence.
We also offer full-time intensive courses, including Business English and Scottish Culture courses, for people wishing to learn more about Scotland whilst improving their English.
World Members Conference 2008
American Studies Library
Scholarships & International Outreach
The Thyne Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship that ESU Scotland can award, and enables young Scots to travel to a country or countries of their choice to study and research their own particular vocation. In delivering a fresh insight into how professions in other countries tackle their problems, the hope has always been that this knowledge benefits not only the individual scholar, but also Scotland.
The 2005 Scholarship has the theme of “Folk and Traditional Music”. The two successful candidates were Dr Katherine Campbell and Nuala Kennedy.
Katherine is a lecturer in Ethnomusicology at Edinburgh University’s Celtic Studies Department. She will use the scholarship to travel to the Falkland Islands to study the folk music traditions there.
Nuala is a flautist, who plans to go to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, to study Scottish traditional music there, and to adapt Cape Breton tunes for the wooden flute.
In addition to the main scholarships, the panel decided to make a smaller award to the third short-leeted candidate, Ailie Robertson, to support her travel costs while studying the clarsach for a year in Ireland. ESU Scotland has sent a Page Scholar to the USA every year since 1979. The Scholarship is intended to promote the exchange of educational ideas between Britain and the USA. Scholars travel to the USA to study a specific aspect of American education. While in the USA, the teacher meets with fellow professionals, and learns from their different approaches to educational issues.
The scholar stays with members of the ESU Branches in the USA. The Page Scholarship is usually worth £1,000, and the scholar is chosen each year by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS). The Scholarship is advertised by the EIS in the Scottish Educational Journal. The advert normally appears in the September issue of the journal
The Wigmore Paterson Scholarship is an exchange scholarship for young teachers, which is organised in conjunction with Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. The scholarship usually selects teachers who specialise in music or dance. The scholarship did not go ahead last year, but we hope to revive it in the next acadamic year.
The Lady Duke Scholarship is organised by the Edinburgh Branch of the ESU Scotland. The scholarship pays for the travelling costs of a young professional who wishes to study their vocation in the USA. Accommodation is then arranged through ESU branches in the USA.
Honorary Presidents & Vice Presidents
The Honorary President of ESU Scotland is Brian Monteith MSP. The Honorary Vice Presidents are Jamie McGrigor MSP, Robin Harper MSP, Gordon Jackson MSP, Mike Pringle MSP and Michael Matheson MSP.
Branches
ESU Scotland has one active branch, the Edinburgh branch. The branch holds various events throughout the year including regular lunches and an annual speech forum. A Glasgow branch is being launched in autumn 2007 and there are plans for an Aberdeen branch in the future.
Other Areas of work
ESU Scotland also runs The Call Service, an annual service at the Call Statue in Princes Street Gardens which was erected by Americans of Scottish descent to commemorate Scots who gave their lives during the Great War.
ESU Scotland also runs public speaking and speech writing courses for adults and voluntary organisations.