The English-Speaking Union of the United States - Group Return

Since its inception in 2010, the ESU Shakespeare Teacher Programs have served more than 1,000 educators from over 30 states. The Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC) is committed to improving the lives of new immigrants by providing a welcoming environment, resources, and information to help them improve their English language skills to explore work and study opportunities, network, pursue citizenship, and acquire cultural fluency in order to participate fully in American society. ARNIC participants receive a one-year scholarship to participate in English in Action, English language classes, workshops, and cultural and civic trips and events. ARNIC is the standard-bearer for the ESU and reflects the institution's priorities and course of action. During the 2017 fiscal year, in addition to specially tailored English language speaking and writing classes, ARNIC program highlights included the 4th annual Thanksgiving dinner, an art show of photographs and paintings by ARNIC members, field trips to New York State courts, and the Tenement Museum. Special workshops were presented on entrepreneurship, online safety, social media, and the job hunt. Local banking institutions held career days that focused on resume building and interviewing. Additionally, members attended Rangers hockey games and Shakespeare in the Park performances, toured the United Nations, and participated in other American cultural experiences. In Fiscal Year 2017 alone, there were 240 ARNIC members from 90 countries, participating in 53 classes, 28 workshops and 16 field trips.English in Action pairs newcomers to the United States with volunteers, fluent English speakers, for one-on-one conversation sessions, helping them master conversational English and learn about life in the US, while also fostering cross-cultural exchange. A hallmark of the program is its comprehensive tutor training for the volunteers, which emphasizes the best practices in cross-cultural learning and leadership development. Expanded tutor trainings focused this year on cultural competency and working with refugees. In addition to extensive program operation in New York City, ESU branches in Portland (OR), Seattle (WA), Columbus (OH), Lexington (VA), Monmouth County (NJ), and New Orleans (LA) undertake the program. This year, English in Action engaged some 450 tutors and nearly 550 students from 94 countries on 6 continents.ESU Middle School Debate is an educational initiative for students in grades 5 to 8 that was launched with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is designed to help young adolescents develop critical thinking and language arts skills. The ESU partners with the Claremont McKenna College Middle School Public Debate Program, international leaders in middle school debate education, to establish inter-school debate programs in ESU Branch communities. The ESU Middle School Debate Program continued to expand this year. It now includes leagues in New York, New Jersey, and Washington DC. More than 50 public, private, parochial, and charter schools participated, engaging more than 1,950 students in weekly after-school debate activities. The program organized 22 day-long Saturday tournaments while training some 700 judges. Nearly 30 schools, encompassing 260 students, participated in the day. The ESU Secondary School Exchange (SSE) is a merit-based scholarship that provides tuition and room and board for US scholars to spend a semester or year between high school and college (known as a "gap year") at a select British or Argentine boarding school, and for UK scholars to spend their gap year at select US schools. In this year, 21 SSE students attended select independent schools in the UK, US, and Argentina through the program. Since its inception in 1928, some 6,000 students have participated. The Walter Hines Page Scholarship is named after the Honorable Walter Hines Page, American Ambassador to the Court of St. James's during World War I. This scholarship offers British and Argentine teachers the opportunity to travel and exchange educational ideas. Scholars travel to the US to study an aspect of education that is relevant to their own professional interests and development. Sponsored by the ESU of the Commonwealth and ESU Argentina, this international exchange of educational techniques and ideas benefits the educators and their students on three continents. American ESU branch members enjoy meeting and hosting the travelling educators. Last year, the program provided four educators with the opportunity to study in the US.

The English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition is a school-based program for teachers designed to develop speaking skills, critical thinking, and an appreciation for literature. Students read, analyze, perform, and recite Shakespeare monologues and sonnets in three qualifying stages: at the school, community, and national levels. It is the only national Shakespeare competition exclusively for high school students. The 34rd annual ESU National Shakespeare Competition occurred on May 1, 2017 on stage at Lincoln Center Theater in New York and drew 55 nationwide winners of ESU Branch competitions. The first-place winner from California won a full scholarship to the American Shakespeare Center Theater Camp in Staunton, VA. The second and third place winners were from Kentucky and Missouri. To honor the event, the Honorable Bill De Blasio, Mayor of the City of New York, cited the Shakespeare Competition's 34rd season, and proclaimed May 1st William Shakespeare Day in New York City. Founded in 1983, the ESU National Shakespeare Competition has served more than 325,000 high school students. Annually, the program reaches more than 21,500 students in 850 competitions in 55 ESU Branch communities.