British CouncilBritain's most multilingual student, Alex Rawlings, is here to take you on a whistle-stop introduction tour of a language that'll set you apart on the international market.
UN Arabic Language Day is observed annually on December 18. The day celebrates the Arabic language and promotes cultural diversity.
Arabic: rich, poetic, and in high demandBritish Council2018-05-02 | Britain's most multilingual student, Alex Rawlings, is here to take you on a whistle-stop introduction tour of a language that'll set you apart on the international market.
UN Arabic Language Day is observed annually on December 18. The day celebrates the Arabic language and promotes cultural diversity.
Read the full Languages for the Future report: britishcouncil.org/organisation/policy-insight-research/languages-future-2017 Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/britishcounci... Visit our website: britishcouncil.orgAqsa Alam: with dreams as big as her potentialBritish Council2024-10-16 | Meet Aqsa Alam, a student from #Baluchistan with dreams as big as her potential. In 2021, she received the Scotland Pakistan Scholarship for Young Women, which enabled her to overcome financial challenges and continue her education.
Aqsa aspires to become a doctor and help her community, and with support from the Scottish Government and the British Council in Pakistan, she’s making great strides.
On International Day of the Girl, we celebrate stories like Aqsa's—a reminder that every girl deserves the opportunity to thrive.
#britishcouncil90 #DayoftheGirl #pakistan #scotlandDoina Fleanta: legendary teachers 42-year teaching journeyBritish Council2024-10-04 | With a teaching career spanning more than 42 years, Doina Fleanta has mentored thousands of teachers across the world. Her journey began as an English teacher in Romania, where she first connected with the British Council in 1992.
Doina played a crucial role in establishing the Teaching for All programme which has trained over 2,000 mentors in Romania. In 2007, she co-founded the Association of Mentors in Romania for sharing best practices and success stories among educators.
Doina has trained mentors in countries like Chile, Rwanda, Nepal, and Kazakhstan, and continues to collaborate with us in delivering trauma-informed teaching courses for Ukrainian students in Romania.
#britishcouncil90 #worldteachersdayKeri Reid: a heartwarming Scotland-Ghana storyBritish Council2024-10-04 | ‘There is a whole heap of learning, incidental and explicit, that can go on when you’re working with a partner school.’
The longstanding partnership between Muthill Primary School in Scotland and Juliet Johnstone School in Ghana has given pupils the opportunity to discover each other's countries and cultures, and enabled staff at both schools to learn from each other.
Watch Keri Reid, Muthill’s head teacher, talk about the joys, opportunities, and benefits that the partnership has brought.
#BritishCouncil90 #WorldTeachersDay90 Youth Voices: changemakers of tomorrowBritish Council2024-09-30 | 2024 marks 90 years of the British Council! This summer, we brought together young future leaders for our 90 Youth Voices tour to continue our journey towards shaping a better future! 🌍✨
Activists, entrepreneurs, content creators, and young leaders from over 45 countries visited cities across the UK to develop new skills, share ideas, connect with local advocacy, and explore positive changes. 🌱🤝
Watch now to discover what they’ve learnt with us!Adil Hussain: for this Indian actor, all the worlds a stageBritish Council2024-09-30 | ‘We got the best reviews probably any Indian actor has ever gotten doing Shakespeare.’
🎭 Award-winning actor Adil Hussain, known for his work in Life of Pi and hundreds of Indian and international films and theatre productions, reflects on how a British Council/Charles Wallace scholarship shaped his craft at the Drama Studio London.
From playing Othello in Delhi to performing at the Edinburgh Festival, his journey is a testament to the lasting impact of experiencing the rich art and culture in the UK.
Watch the video to see how our grants inspire creatives in the UK and India. 🇬🇧🇮🇳
#BritishCouncil90Mark Owens: Study USA alumni tells his storyBritish Council2024-09-30 | The Study USA programme, established to support the Northern Ireland Peace Process, has funded over 2,000 students, thanks to the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy and the generosity of US colleges.
One of our proud alumni is Mark Owens, now Honorary Consul General of Ireland in Ohio. Mark participated in the program in 1998 and continues to mentor current students, positively impacting US-UK relations.
#StudyUSA #BritishCouncil90Deaf youth volunteers unite through Global XchangeBritish Council2024-09-20 | In 2009, we brought together nine deaf youth volunteers from Nepal and nine from the UK for a unique experience as part of our Global Xchange partnership with VSO.
The participants lived with host families, worked with local charities and community organisations, and created and performed Sign Language theatre. Participants from Nepal learned British Sign Language in the UK and even developed a Nepali version with National Federation of the Deaf (Nepal).
Watch the project's supervisor Dipawali Sharma reflect on her experience in sign language.
#BritishCouncil90 #InternationalDayofSignLanguagesCelebrating 90 years of the British CouncilBritish Council2024-09-09 | 🌍 What makes us more connected? The power of education, the magic of the arts, or a shared language?
For 90 years, the British Council has shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.
#BritishCouncil9090 Youth Voices: supporting young people to tackle global challengesBritish Council2024-09-09 | 2024 marks 90 years of the British Council! This summer, we brought together young future leaders for our #90YouthVoices tour to continue our journey towards shaping a better future.
Activists, entrepreneurs, content creators, and young leaders from over 45 countries visited cities across the UK to develop new skills, share ideas, connect with local advocacy, and explore positive changes. 🌱🤝
📺 Watch now to discover what they’ve learnt with us!Language education in Englands schoolsBritish Council2024-07-17 | According to our latest #LanguageTrends England report, 60% of schools in England struggle to recruit language teachers.
#shortsStronger Together: Gender Equality projectBritish Council2024-07-01 | On 7-8 April we organised a networking event in Athens, Greece for the Stronger Together: Gender Equality project in Europe, part of our youth leadership programme Youth Connect.
The project delivered a course on Leadership for Gender Equality co-designed by the British Council and Clore Social Leadership. It offered an opportunity for course participants to apply for micro-grants funded by the British Council and supported by Women on Top.
During the networking event, we brought together grantees from Cyprus, Greece, the Netherlands, Latvia and Poland to present their social actions targeting gender equality at community level and to connect and network with each other. As part of the event, we had a public discussion with key experts from the UK and Europe on Leading Change for Gender Equality, hosted at WOW Athens 2024, organised by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, in collaboration with the WOW Foundation.
Good leadership is essential for addressing the social issues we are facing in a constantly changing world. How can leadership create better communities? Hear from our speakers about what makes for inclusive leadership and how to grow your inclusive leadership skills to benefit your community.
#youthconnect #youthconnectliveYouth Connect: AI for the Common Good Study TripBritish Council2024-05-15 | On 5-6 March, we had the pleasure of organising a Study Visit in the UK with 25 young adults from 5 European countries including the UK as part of AI for the Common Good and Youth Connect, our youth leadership programme in Europe.
This year, the programme included five hackathons in Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, and the UK with the working theme of Green Cities. The winning teams of each country were invited to meet in a Study trip to Bristol, one of the leading sustainable cities of the UK. Participants had the opportunity to connect, exchange, visit relevant institutions and discuss with leading experts in the AI field during a Dialogue event that took place during their visit to Bristol.
Photo credit: Mate Lakos, Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design, HungaryUnited By Music: a unique concert by pupils from Liverpool and UkraineBritish Council2024-04-03 | Inspired by Eurovision 2023, we matched four primary schools in Liverpool with four partner schools in Ukraine, and teamed up with Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Culture Liverpool, and Resonate to help the schools perform a concert together.
The initiative was part of our United by Music project, powered by our Schools Connect programme that supports schools in the UK and worldwide to collaborate.
The pupils made new friends, got creative, and even wrote their own song! The unique concert featured 180 pupils, with more than 70,000 pupils from across the world watching them online.
#schoolsconnect #unitedbymusic #britishcouncilLanguage Trends Wales: an AI-powered experiment to inspire students to learn languagesBritish Council2024-03-12 | Our latest Language Trends Wales survey reveals a declining interest in language learning at the GCSE level in Wales.
Amidst all the talk about Artificial Intelligence disrupting the language learning scene, can we instead leverage it to inspire students to learn a language?
We conducted an experiment with students at Crickhowell High School in Wales. Watch what happened.
Read the full report on Language Trends Wales: wales.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language_trends_wales_2023.pdfBritish Councils Review of the Year 2022-23British Council2024-03-06 | In our Review of the Year 2022-23, we reflect on the connections we forged with millions of people worldwide, the collaborations we facilitated in arts and education, and the teachers and learners who felt empowered to access high-quality English language education.
Discover the impact we've made together: britishcouncil.org/about-us/how-we-work/review-2022-23What do people think of the UK?British Council2024-02-01 | How do young people view the world’s leading nations? Our latest Global Perceptions study offers comprehensive insights into public opinions and perspectives across the G20.
We surveyed 19,601 people aged 18-34 across 18 of the G20 countries, to delve into the ever-shifting landscape of soft power, international influence, and trust.
The simulation events provided a real-life climate negotiation experience to the students using software developed by Climate Interactive and MIT. The events took place in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester, Belfast, and London, with over 400 student participants.
💡 Watch as the students raise pertinent questions and share bright ideas while negotiating emissions, international aid, and adaptation strategies. 🤝🌱Global Perceptions 2023: how young people see the UK and the worldBritish Council2023-12-05 | How do young people view the world’s leading nations? Our latest Global Perceptions study offers comprehensive insights into public opinions and perspectives across the G20.
We surveyed 19,601 people aged 18-34 across 18 of the G20 countries, to delve into the ever-shifting landscape of soft power, international influence, and trust.
We're on a mission to foster global knowledge exchange, empower communities, and drive positive change, to spark success for millions of people, worldwide.
Our expertise in forging educational and cultural partnerships enables us to inspire people, governments, and organisations across 200+ countries and territories.
#SparkSuccessEU/UK Youth: Stronger Together for a Better WorldBritish Council2023-11-02 | As part of the EU/UK Stronger Together programme, we are launching the Stronger Together for a Better World Competition to highlight the potential for co-operation between young people in the UK and EU.
We invite young people aged 18–30 to creatively express the concept of ‘Togetherness’ and the added value of collaboration on the topics of peace, democracy, equality, solidarity and sustainable development between youth in the UK and the EU.
Submissions open until 10 February 2024.British Council EU/UK Stronger Together Launch at Urdd EisteddfodBritish Council2023-10-24 | EU/UK Stronger Together is a programme offering young people opportunities to connect, co-operate and collaborate, empowering the next generation to influence and implement positive change together.
The programme launched in Wales at Urdd Eisteddfod festival, with support from the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales and is being delivered by the British Council in co-operation with European Movement International and co-funded by the European Union. Find out more and register your interest in being part of the EU/UK Stronger Together programme by visiting: britishcouncil.be/programmes/education/stronger-togetherBritish Council Women in STEM Scholarships 2023-24British Council2023-08-28 | The British Council’s scholarship for women in STEM gives women graduates a life-changing opportunity to complete a fully funded, one-year master’s degree at a UK university.
Hear from our current scholars about their experience of receiving a scholarship and studying STEM in the UK.
If you’re passionate about a career in STEM and want to inspire future generations of women, find out how you can apply for a scholarship in 2024: www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-abroad/in-uk/scholarship-women-stemEU/UK Youth Stronger Together at the European Youth Event (EYE) 2023 in StrasbourgBritish Council2023-08-15 | "Spaces that champion diverse thought and diverse conversations are always stronger."
In June 2023, we sent a delegation of young people from across the UK to the European Youth Event in Strasbourg, to explore opportunities for connection, co-operation, and exchange with representatives of various youth organisations, as part of our EU/UK Youth Stronger Together project.
Watch Mariyah Zaman from the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales talk about the valuable learning opportunities that events like EYE can offer.
We create opportunities for people around the world to exchange knowledge and share expertise, to collaborate and to create, to learn and to thrive.
Our vision of a more peaceful and prosperous world is powered by our belief in the transformative power of education, the value of art and culture, and the strength of diverse partnerships.
We believe every individual has the potential to contribute to positive change. And we’re here to support that ambition, breaking down barriers, nurturing innovation, and bringing the best the UK has to offer, to the world.
Find out more about us: britishcouncil.org/about-usBelfast/Good Friday Agreement: Film 25 - 25 years x 25 storiesBritish Council2023-04-10 | On the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, #Film25 brings together 25, 25-year-olds from across Ireland and the UK to capture the voices and sentiments of those impacted by the Agreement. Watch these young people reflect on the last 25 years and what peace has meant to them as they look forward to the next 25 years and see what can be built on the foundation laid down by the Agreement.
This film has been supported by British Council Ireland and British Council Northern Ireland, in partnership with Co-operation Ireland and the British Embassy Dublin.
#GFA25 #PeaceAndBeyondAlumni UK Live: The secret life of CEOsBritish Council2023-04-01 | What’s it really like to be a CEO?
Hear and learn from CEOs who have led organisations around the world about the challenges of being a CEO, and the pivotal moments that got them to where they are today. With, Scott McDonald, Chief Executive, British Council Professor Adam Habib, Director, SOAS, University of London Vu Hoang Yen, CEO, Be Group, Vietnam Chaired by Van Anh Hoang, head of Education at British Council Vietnam.
This event is being streamed live, as part of British Council's Alumni UK festival. For details, visit: alumniuk.britishcouncil.orgBritish Council Live StreamBritish Council2023-03-24 | ...What languages do people in the UK speak?British Council2023-03-07 | One in four people in the UK regret never learning another language, according to a recent British Council survey involving 3,000 UK adults.
We went about asking people in Manchester what languages other than English do they speak, why is it important to learn a new language, and what are the best ways to start learning?
Watch what they had to say!What languages do people in the UK speak?British Council2023-02-22 | One in four people in the UK regret never learning another language, according to our recent survey involving 3,000 UK adults.
We went out and about in Manchester, asking people what languages other than English do they speak, why is it important to learn a new language, and what are the best ways to start learning?
Watch on! #shortsEU/UK Stronger Together: Artificial Intelligence HackathonBritish Council2023-01-27 | As part of our Stronger Together programme in the European Union, we joined forces with Microsoft Hellas to develop a series of hackathons in Athens, Greece and Nicosia, Cyprus during which young people explored and showcased the power of artificial intelligence for the common good.
Young people with a background in engineering, computing and social innovation formed teams and generated creative ideas to respond to current social needs and the challenges of the global climate crisis.
The winning teams from Greece and Cyprus have been awarded study visits to a relevant AI project/institution in the UK.
Learn more about our Stronger Together programme: https://www.britishcouncil.gr/en/programmes/education/stronger-togetherStudents come together to debate the climate crisis at mock COP27British Council2022-12-07 | British Council organised its own climate change summits to simulate COP27 – the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Students in England, Northern Ireland and Egypt took part, playing politicians, journalists and lobbyists, to debate the climate crisis.
Were they able to reach an agreement? Watch to find out!The global launch of Alumni UK and Going Global Asia Pacific Conference – Singapore, 2022British Council2022-12-07 | #GoingGlobalAPAC was the first regional edition of our flagship Going Global conference. In 2022 the regional conference, with a focus on the Asia Pacific region, was held in Singapore from 28 November to 1 December. Over two days, senior higher education leaders explored how to pursue equity in an inequitable world. They discussed the mobility of students and researchers, the social reform role of higher education institutions, and started new partnerships.
Alumni UK is a global network of international UK higher education alumni and was officially launched at the opening reception of the Going Global Asia Pacific 2022 conference in Singapore. All international UK alumni who have spent at least one term studying at a UK higher education institution, including transnational education and online learning, are invited to join the global Alumni UK network where registration is free: alumniuk.britishcouncil.org/registerChain Stories - Dancing the story of the chain making industryBritish Council2022-10-03 | Dance artists from Ghana, Grenada and the West Midlands in the UK, came together to tell the story of the Black Country’s chain making industry, its links to slavery, and how its workers were at the forefront of workers’ rights.
See the dancers in action and hear from the principals of the three dance companies involved.
'Chain Stories' was performed as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, the cultural programme marking the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The production was supported by the British Council, Arts Council England, Canal and River Trust and Black Country Touring.Climate Connection Global Exchange HighlightsBritish Council2022-08-26 | The British Council hosted its first Climate Connection Global Exchange in March 2022. The exchange aimed to connect more people, foster greater collaboration and help young people to help us all find and develop new answers to tackle the climate emergency. The event brought together partners and participants from across the world to showcase projects that are making a difference, to share research insights, and help turn knowledge and ideas into action.
Find out more about British Council's initiatives empowering people to tackle the climate emergency.
Here's how you too can get involved: britishcouncil.org/climate-connectionBritish Councils Review of the Year 2021-22British Council2022-08-24 | People are at the heart of our work. In our Review of the Year 2021-22, we take a look at how we’re building connections with millions of people worldwide through opportunities, collaborations, and our work in arts, culture and education.
Read the full review on our website: britishcouncil.org/about-us/how-we-work/review-2021-22UK-Ukraine Season of Culture 2022British Council2022-08-10 | The British Council and the Ukrainian Institute are delighted to present the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture – a year-long programme of cultural activity supporting the Ukrainian arts sector.
Celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Ukraine, the Season will see a programme of activities, events and grant-funded projects bringing together artists, creators and educators from the UK and Ukraine. It will also provide new opportunities for Ukrainian artists to connect with the UK, including through residences, talks, films and lectures.
With the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Season’s theme is ‘Future Re-Imagined’, focusing on the changed needs and priorities of the Ukrainian arts sector, giving a voice to Ukrainian creatives, both in the UK and online.
For more, visit: ukuaseason.orgBritish Council Language Trends England Report 2022British Council2022-07-19 | The Language Trends Survey 2022 is an annual report by the British Council which charts the health of language teaching in schools in England.
In its 20th edition this year, the research is based on an online survey completed between early March to mid-April by teachers from primary schools and secondary schools.
The research is based on schools in England only. This webinar explored the findings of the report.
Read the full report here: britishcouncil.org/research-policy-insight/research-reports/language-trends-2022Supporting Birmingham 2022 Festival – Where Are You? and WANTOKBritish Council2022-06-30 | We speak with artists taking part in the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Bobby Tiwana from Black Country Touring and Emilia Asiedu from Accra Theatre workshop discuss how working collaboratively online during the pandemic established the positive working relationship which led to the production of ‘Where Are You?’. Richard Hayhow from Open Theatre reflects on his experience of working with young people with learning disabilities in Australia and Papua New Guinea for the non-verbal physical theatre project: WANTOK.Supporting the CommonwealthBritish Council2022-06-30 | In the year that the UK hosts the Commonwealth Games, the British Council has been supporting young people in creative projects and cross-border conversations. Cámara Chica is a filmmaking programme for young people to provide access to new technology, digital skills and develop media literacy. In 2021 UK-based Into Film and the British Council took the programme to Rwanda to introduce young people to film making techniques. During 2022 the British Council teamed up with the Prince’s Trust on three youth summits on the themes of education, sustainable development and intercultural relations.Supporting the Birmingham 2022 FestivalBritish Council2022-06-30 | Transforming Narratives was a four-year project, supported by Arts Council England, whose final mela/symposium became one of the first events of the Birmingham 2022 Festival which accompanies the Commonwealth Games in the city. The project supported new relationships between creative young people in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Birmingham.Supporting Birmingham 2022 Festival - Imagine BambooBritish Council2022-06-30 | We go behind the scenes with organisers of Birmingham 2022 Festival’s Imagine Bamboo project. Organisers Orit Azaz, Rebecca Reubens and Jane Hytch explain how they brought together artists and small businesses from Ghana, Indonesia and India to explore ways of working with this sustainable material.Supporting Coventry City of Culture #3British Council2022-06-27 | How do you work together on artistic projects during a pandemic?
We speak to participants of our Youthful Cities programme for Coventry City of Culture. The partnership was shaped by research from the Youthful Cities group. It brought together young artists from Colombia, Kenya, Lebanon, and the USA with young people in Coventry in projects involving street art, stories and soundscapes, theatre, film and music.
england.britishcouncil.org/coventry2021/youthful-citiesSupporting Coventry City of Culture: Youthful CitiesBritish Council2022-06-27 | Our Youthful Cities programme was a partnership shaped by research from the Youthful Cities group. It brought together young artists from Colombia, Kenya, Lebanon, and the USA with young people in Coventry in projects involving street art, stories and soundscapes, theatre, film and music. The programme also brought together young people in hybrid digital and in-person youth summits to discuss the future of creativity and urban development. We also supported International Changemakers in Coventry, such as Dr Nor Aziz who works with different art forms bringing together communities in Coventry and Malaysia.
england.britishcouncil.org/coventry2021/youthful-citiesSupporting Coventry City of Culture #2British Council2022-06-27 | DigiPoems is a programme that provides digital artists and poets from Coventry and Southern Africa an opportunity to co-create new art through experimental illustrations, animations and poetry. The programme is a partnership between the British Council and Writing West Midlands as part of Coventry City of Culture.
england.britishcouncil.org/coventry2021/digipoemsBirmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Queens Baton RelayBritish Council2022-06-15 | The Queen’s Baton Relay passed through 72 countries on its way to Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Here’s how British Council offices around the Commonwealth celebrated the baton’s arrival.
Birmingham 2022 Festival is one of the biggest celebrations of creativity in the region and one of the largest ever Commonwealth Games cultural programmes. We are supporting the festival through collaborations between the West Midlands and Commonwealth countries. The projects cover a range of artistic works from spoken word, theatre and dance, to video and creative economic partnerships.
In this video we learn more about Bridge2Bamboo, the forerunner of this summer’s Imagine Bamboo summit, and the theatre projects that led to Black Country Touring and Accra Theatre’s ‘Where Are You’?#Celebrating70: Our Patron Her Majesty The Queens Platinum JubileeBritish Council2022-06-03 | We’re excited to be celebrating our Patron Her Majesty The Queen’s #PlatinumJubilee this year!
Did you know the Platinum Jubilee also marks 70 years of Her Majesty’s patronage of the British Council?
Her Majesty’s support has helped us build connections, understanding and trust between the UK and the world, and work towards a more peaceful and prosperous world.
We send our best wishes to Her Majesty on this momentous occasion and extend our deepest gratitude for the support and encouragement we have received over the years.
#Celebrating70Part 8/8 Final Reflections at The Climate Connection Global Knowledge ExchangeBritish Council2022-04-20 | The Climate Connection Global Knowledge Exchange: Part 8 of 8 - Final Reflections at The Climate Connection Global Knowledge Exchange
Drawing the Climate Connection Global Knowledge Exchange to a close, we hear from a further range of event contributors and Climate Connection partners and participants about what they have learned from the event and where they feel we should be focusing future action.
Featuring a specially-recorded video message from The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, COP26 President.