The English-Speaking Union
 
 

News And Events

The 2019 English-Speaking Union Annual Conference

The 2019 English-Speaking Union Annual Conference, hosted by the ESU Washington D.C. Branch, brought members from all over the country to the Nation's capital for a weekend of camaraderie and planning for the ESU's next 100 years. The Cosmos Club, venue for most of the November 1-3 weekend, provided an accommodating environs for the sessions and meals. This year's conference focused on renewed Branch involvement and a new branding initiative in conjunction with planning for the 2020 centennial celebrations.

BUSINESS SESSIONS

Business sessions included a meeting of the National Board of Directors as well as plenary sessions on the Centennial celebrations and the branding update. Multiple Branch-led breakout sessions on topics including communication, the National Shakespeare Competition, and fundraising, among others, followed the official 2019 English-Speaking Union Annual General Meeting on Sunday, November 3, 2019.

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ARNIC Thanksgiving

On November 19th, the English Speaking Union's Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC) hosted its annual traditional American Thanksgiving celebration. This event affords ARNIC members the opportunity to experience and actively participate in a major U.S. holiday, all while enjoying the joyful company of their peers and teachers. ARNIC is a free ESU program that facilitates the integration of recently arrived immigrants through English language classes, conversation tutoring and professional development opportunities.

Each year for Thanksgiving, the staff of the ESU transforms the Garden Lounge into a festively adorned dining area that exudes the warmth of the season in sights, smells and tastes. The celebration is catered to provide members with all the trimmings of a traditional American Thanksgiving meal, from turkey to pumpkin pie.

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New York Junior League workshop for ARNIC Members

The English Speaking Union's Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC), founded in 2012, is a program that provides new immigrants a space where they can develop their English language fluency, learn about American culture, network and find professional development opportunities in the U.S.

ARNIC partners with various organizations that offer professional development opportunities to our program participants. These workshops equip ARNIC members with the skills, knowledge and resources to succeed in a variety of sectors within the U.S. workforce.

One especially active partner organization is the New York Junior League (NYJL), one of the oldest and largest women's non-profit organizations in New York City. The NYJL is committed to serving individuals of all genders and from all backgrounds, with new immigrant populations being a principal focus.  

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Report from Luard Morse Scholar Kyana Washington

 

My last term at The University of Oxford was so indescribably amazing that it has been hard to properly reflect on the experience. I guess reflection is hardest when you don't want something to be over. Being in Oxford was an experience that I will never forget and one that has changed me forever. I learned so much from the inspiring students and scholars who made this term both challenging and delightful.

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Reflection from TLab Scholar Deidre Donovan

In 1995, I went to Stratford-upon-Avon for the very first time.  It was late July, and I was participating in the Roehampton Institute International Summer School, in association with the Shakespeare Institute and Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.  I was the lucky teacher who won the Treadwell Scholarship that year from the English-Speaking Union (New York Branch), which meant that I had all my expenses paid for my Stratford trip, including tuition, theater trips, meals, and more.  It was a dream come true.  I stayed at a bed-and-breakfast charmingly named "All's Well that End's Well" and attended lectures at the King Edward VI School on Church Street (a.k.a. as "Shakespeare's School").  Professor Stanley Wells (he would receive his knighthood in 2016) gave the opening lecture to our group.  Indeed, I still can remember the hush in the classroom as he spoke about Shakespeare like an old friend and gave us a preview of our agenda.  What was in store sounded amazing—and it proved to be a life-changing experience for me.  When I returned to teaching that fall in my inner-city classroom in Brooklyn, I had much to share with my students.  And as the school year progressed, I could see that they not only were engaged in each Shakespeare play I introduced, they were hungry for more.

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