The Rt. Hon The Lord Paul Boateng

‘I know from experience what it’s like to be young and vulnerable and I think it's very important that we should reach out to young people and enable them to maximise their potential in the way that I was able to. And there is nothing more precious than giving the power of self-expression.’

The Rt. Hon The Lord Paul Boateng, our chairman and Schools Mace alumni, shares with us his story of discovering his voice and then using it to defend others.
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The English-Speaking Union believes in the power of spoken communication. We help young people to ‘discover their voices’ – to engage with the world and to talk more confidently, to formulate and organise their ideas more effectively and, just as importantly, to listen.

We work to put oracy – speaking and listening skills – at the centre of the school curriculum, and through our debate and public speaking programmes, competitions and cultural exchanges, we ensure that young people have the opportunity to speak up and make their voices heard.

Founded in 1918 to promote better communication between people of all cultures and countries, we now look forward to the next 100 years, working with those who need it most and helping them to change their lives and communities for the better.

Our YouTube channel is a platform for us to stories of other ESU voices and share videos about the work that we do.

Learn more at 100.esu.org