Members of the British Community Council

The English Speaking Union of Portugal

Contacts:

c/o Sofia Leitão
British Council Rua Luís Fernandes, 1 - 3
1249-062 Lisboa

Tel: (351) 2 1390 5428 Fax: N/A

Website: www.esu.org/portugal Diary: diary entries (0)

Description:

In its mission statement the English-Speaking Union places, first and foremost, its aim of bringing together and empowering people of different languages and cultures. To achieve this aim the ESU draws upon the knowledge and efforts of its many members in Britain, the United States of America and in over fifty other countries around the world to offer networking opportunities and to build skills and confidence in communication. The ESU, which is a non-profitmaking organisation, publicly recognises the value of good communication as an essential feature of individual, community and global development and understanding and endeavours to promote its integration into education and social policy. Every year the ESU organises Summer Conferences and Courses in Shakespeare’s Theatre at the Globe in London and at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon and in International Relations at Mansfield College, Oxford University. For further information on the ESU and its far-ranging work around the world please consult our website: www.esu.org

The English-Speaking Union of Portugal was founded in 1994 and first gained a reputation for its work in the field of schools and university public-speaking and debating. ESU Portugal is responsible for the annual National Schools Public-Speaking Competition which, in recent years, has been organised with the support of the British Council and APPI, the Portuguese Association of Teachers of English; and the annual National University Debating Competition. Every year the winner of the Public-Speaking Competition represents Portugal at the International Competition which is held in London, and over the years many debaters have also represented their country in international debating competitons under the auspices of the ESU Portugal. In 2010, for the first time, and in cooperation with the NSHSS, the National Society of High School Scholars, we were able to send two Portuguese representatives to the International Public-Speaking Competition. It is planned to extend the activities of the ESU in Portugal to include initiatives and scholarships for young people in areas which are covered by the overall mission statement, with special emphasis on communication activities and the environment. For further information on the ESU Portugal please contact the Chairman, David Evans, by e-mail.