The English-Speaking Union is an international charity and organisation. Our mission is to equip young people with the communication skills and cross-cultural understanding they need to thrive and build a more collaborative world.

We work with young people and their teachers to improve oracy skills, particularly in areas of disadvantage. Running three national and one international competition, we give young people the opportunity to hone these skills, and offer a variety of cultural exchanges for students, teachers and professionals alike to build relationships and strengthen connections across communities and countries.

We also run fun, games-led debate and public speaking curricula and workshops that encourage students to discuss a wide range of topical issues with an open mind. We guide schools on using oracy in the classroom as well as setting up and maintaining their own debate clubs, and provide teachers with a range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities in the fields of speech and debate