Who do you think we are? - British Council

WHO DO YOU THINK WE ARE?

YOU’D HAVE TO ASK AROUND 600 MILLION PEOPLE

That’s roughly how many people’s lives the British Council touches every year, one in ten of the world’s population.

For many, our relationship is built on teaching and learning English. For others, it’s about creating new ways of seeing and connecting with each other through the arts.

For many more, it’s about leadership and learning in international education, and about working with individuals, institutions and societies to help build a more inclusive, open and prosperous world.

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‘WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH NEWLY EMPOWERED GENERATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE – MAKING CONTACT, SHARING DIALOGUE AND UNDERSTANDING.’ SIR VERNON ELLIS, CHAIR, BRITISH COUNCIL

WE CREATE INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE UK AND OTHER COUNTRIES AND BUILD TRUST BETWEEN THEM. WE CALL THIS CULTURAL RELATIONS. The British Council is on the ground on all six continents of the world, with more than 190 offices in 110 countries and territories.

Influencers, including career professionals, the media, educators, artists, scientists and business leaders – who we partner with to help maximise the impact of their work and ours.

Younger people, either in education or just starting out on their careers, who are opinion formers through their own social networks and are potentially the next generation of national leaders and influencers.

We have three key areas of work – English, the Arts, and Education and Society – and we work with three main groups of people. These include: Society and community leaders, who can bring about changes in social, educational and cultural policy, and help us make wider connections.

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‘DESPITE ECONOMIC AND GEOPOLITICAL CHALLENGES, WE ARE INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE ENGAGE WITH AND THE IMPACT OUR WORK HAS ON THEM – HELPING TO MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN.’ MARTIN DAVIDSON CMG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BRITISH COUNCIL

THE BRITISH COUNCIL IS DRIVEN

BY PARTNERSHIP, LEARNING TOGETHER AND PROMOTING POSITIVE CHANGE. In a typical year, we will work with more than 15,000 government, social and business leaders, 800,000 people of influence in society and business and more than 10 million young people. We connect with many millions more in print, broadcast media and online.

To achieve this, our work ranges from delivering millions of hours of English teaching to helping societies make advances in their civil administration and social justice, and from sharing the Arts and science to forging international partnerships in higher education.

By doing so, we are able to help make the join between individuals and states, the established and the emergent, institutions and innovation.

Our role is to support the development of people and societies by working with people, governments and organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors, as well as offering educational opportunities directly to millions of people.

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‘THE BRITISH COUNCIL IS A PARTNER WE REALLY VALUE AND TRUST. ON THE GROUND, AROUND THE WORLD THEY HAVE THE ACCESS, CONTACTS AND PEOPLE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.’ RICHARD SCUDAMORE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE

WE ARE, AND ARE RECOGNISED AS BEING, THE WORLD’S LEADING CULTURAL RELATIONS ORGANISATION. In the more than 75 years of our existence, we have built a reputation for delivering on the ground where it matters, and are well known for our in-depth knowledge of other countries, their issues and priorities.

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Our activities in each country are shaped by its priorities, level of economic development and openness to people, knowledge and ideas from other cultures.

We work in some of the poorest countries as well as in some of the richest, in the developed and developing worlds and in post-conflict environments, where we contribute to stabilisation and support economic and cultural progress.

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OUR BRAND OF CULTURAL RELATIONS IS SEEN TO BE A FORCE FOR GOOD IN THE WORLD.

Our wealth of knowledge and our preference for partnership mean that everyone from individuals to major national and multinational organisations, institutions and businesses can draw on our connections and expertise.

The British Council is a unique organisation, part-funded by government, but attracting resources from partners, donors and paying customers. Seventy per cent of our income is earned from our partnerships and the services we provide worldwide. Any surplus we make is re-invested in our cultural relations work.

This, in turn, helps us promote international understanding, opportunity and interchange, and play our part in helping build a more interconnected world.

This mix of funding adds to our authority and credibility as well as making us entrepreneurial.

This helps lay the foundations for innovative, flexible and more productive relationships internationally.

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OUR WORK WITH THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

SHARING A LANGUAGE IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS SHARED UNDERSTANDING This is why the teaching and learning of English has always been central to our work.

English is the gateway to the global knowledge economy, people, organisations and cultures. English also plays an important role in supporting educational and economic progress, opening up new markets and aiding stability – particularly in conflict zones.

The British Council is a world authority in English language and development, and we are internationally renowned for the quality of our English language training.

We are dedicated to giving everyone in the world access to learning English and to helping all teachers of English to teach it better.

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ENGLISH FACTS AND FIGURES WE WORK WITH 1,490 ENGLISH LANGUAGE POLICY-MAKERS 294,000 LEARNERS IN TEACHING CENTRE CLASSES 131,000 TEACHERS AND COACHES IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 4.2 MILLION TEACHERS AND LEARNERS IN TOTAL WE DELIVER 1.3 MILLION CLASSROOM HOURS WE PROVIDE 2.5 MILLION EXAMINATIONS GLOBALLY

4 MILLION TELEVISION VIEWERS 16 MILLION RADIO LISTENERS 34 MILLION PUBLICATION READERS 729,000 MOBILE APP DOWNLOADS 40 MILLION WEB VISITORS

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‘WE HAVE A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BRITISH COUNCIL, WHICH WE AIM TO STRENGTHEN IN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH, AND BY DEVELOPING SOLID INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.’ DR MOKHTAR JWEILI, CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL BOARD FOR TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, NATIONAL TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL, LIBYA

WE OFFER FACE-TO-FACE ENGLISH CLASSES FOR YOUNG LEARNERS AND ADULTS THROUGH MORE THAN 70 TEACHING CENTRES AND PARTNER ORGANISATIONS IN OVER 45 COUNTRIES. WE ALSO ACCREDIT MORE THAN 500 ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROVIDERS IN THE UK. We deliver English lessons through a range of different media, including radio, TV and the internet, helping learners wherever they are and however remote their location.

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We produce outstanding English language teaching materials to support improvements in teaching standards, and at the same time, work closely with governments, businesses and educational leaders to develop teachers and training systems.

Helping more people use English benefits local communities and national economies, creates connections, builds relationships, and enriches the UK’s own diverse society.

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QUALIFICATIONS ARE THE KEY TO THE FUTURE With growing competition for university places and careers, internationally recognised qualifications are ever more important for attaining personal and professional goals.

Every year, the British Council administers over 2.5 million examinations globally, enabling more than 2 million people to access greater educational and employment opportunities.

We are also equal owners of IELTS (the International English Language Teaching System), providing the world’s leading English tests for entry to higher education, and international mobility, and deliver some 1.5 million tests a year.

Our work in examinations helps widen our networks and raise educational standards internationally.

We deliver examination services for over 100 UK awarding bodies and higher education institutes, and work closely with UK examining bodies, supplying learning materials around their qualifications to UK and local providers.

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CHANGING LANGUAGE TO CHANGE SOCIETY

BROADCASTING ENGLISH

DEVELOPING SCHOOLS IN PAKISTAN

In 2008, Rwanda took the unprecedented step of changing from being French speaking to an English speaking country, aiming to improve its economic development and increase foreign investment opportunities.

The British Council uses the full range of channels to reach our global audience of learners and teachers of English, including TV, radio and the internet.

In Pakistan we are working with UK awarding bodies and the Ministry of Education to develop the schools sector.

To help with the transition, the British Council has been working with the government of Rwanda and East African trainers to provide language training to more than 55,000 teachers and civil servants.

This has included intensive face-to-face courses, cascade training, newspaper, radio and digital resources to help people improve their English language skills.

Tunisia is now considering the same.

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In partnership with the BBC Persian Service, for example, we produce LearnEnglishTV Word on the Street, a magazine format programme pitched at young audiences that is popular in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

To reach people in more remote locations with less access to technology, we use radio for both teachers and learners, with TeachingEnglishRadio providing advice and training on teaching basic English in Afghanistan and throughout Africa.

As well as delivering around 200,000 exams each year to school students, we work with examination boards to provide professional development to just under 500 schools, both face-to-face and online. These schools are also involved in school linking and other projects with UK counterparts.

We also work closely with the Ministry of Education to share best practice in assessment and education development.

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OUR WORK IN THE ARTS

THE ARTS HELP US SEE OURSELVES AND THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY

To promote cultural exchange and break down barriers, few things are as eloquent or effective as the Arts.

By making us see things differently, they help us understand ourselves and the world better and can play an important role in development and nation building.

Our global arts team works with the best of British and international artistic and creative talent to develop innovative, high quality events and collaborations, linking thousands of artists, organisations and audiences around the world. We stage shows and exhibitions, partner in joint projects and help build creative leadership, professional networks and educational programmes.

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ARTS FACTS AND FIGURES WE WORK WITH 3,650 ARTS POLICY-MAKERS AND MINISTERS 14.2 MILLION EXHIBITION AND PERFORMANCE ATTENDEES 84,000 CULTURAL LEADERS AND ARTISTS 1.3 MILLION ONLINE COMMUNITY MEMBERS

46 MILLION TELEVISION VIEWERS 67 MILLION RADIO LISTENERS 13 MILLION PUBLICATION READERS 15.5 MILLION WEB VISITORS

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‘INDIRA GANDHI OFTEN EMPHASISED THAT DEVELOPMENT MUST BE ABOUT THE WHOLE INDIVIDUAL ADDRESSING AS MUCH AESTHETIC AND SPIRITUAL UPLIFT AS MATERIAL NEEDS. ART PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THIS PROCESS. IT IMPROVES TASTES AND SENSIBILITY. IT HELPS OPEN NEW WINDOWS IN OUR MIND, FREEING IT FROM PREJUDICE AND NARROWNESS.’

OUR WORK INVOLVES NOT ONLY THE VISUAL ARTS, DRAMA, LITERATURE, MUSIC AND DANCE, BUT ALSO ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, FASHION, FILM AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY OF THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.

Our work in the Arts raises the profile of the UK’s world-leading creative industries and makes a major contribution to international relations, the worldwide creative economy and the world of ideas.

Through the British Council, established artists and art organisations are able to extend their reach, while lesser known artists and companies can be launched internationally.

SONIA GANDHI, AT THE OPENING OF THE ANISH KAPOOR EXHIBITION IN DELHI NOVEMBER 2010

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FROM INDIA TO THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN

REFRESHING PERCEPTIONS

TRAVELLING THROUGH SPACE AND TIME

Now widely regarded as one of the world’s most significant contemporary artists, the sculptor Anish Kapoor left India to pursue his studies in the arts in 1973 and until recently had never had a solo show there.

Going out weekly since 2001, The Selector is our multi award-winning international radio showcase for the best new music from the UK.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight, a statue of the original cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, has been erected in London, outside the British Council’s headquarters.

Working with India’s Ministry of Culture and National Gallery of Modern Art, and the Lisson Gallery in London, the British Council helped stage his return with a major exhibition shown across two sites in New Delhi and Mumbai.

Opened by Sonia Gandhi, this was the biggest and most complex show of Kapoor’s work ever held, spanning more than three decades of his career.

It attracted over 60,000 visitors, was the subject of a CNN-IBN programme broadcast to more than 10 million viewers and was hailed by the national and international press as raising the bar for art in India.

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Presented by top UK DJ, DJ Goldierocks, The Selector covers all kinds of contemporary music and features exclusive studio sessions, guest DJ mixes and artist interviews.

Among its aims is to change perceptions about the UK, its culture, creativity and appetite for innovation.

A huge popular success, The Selector is now broadcast on 41 stations, including NME radio in the UK, and in 36 countries from Mexico to Indonesia, with over 3 million listeners worldwide.

Unveiled by the cosmonaut’s daughter, Elena Gagarina, and accompanied by a video message from the International Space Station, the work by Anatoly Novikov was a gift to us from the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos.

It marked the culmination of many months of planning in support of the UK Russia Year of Space and the YuriGagarin50 campaign, for which the British Council provided the cultural content.

Including a specially commissioned play performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company and a remarkable exhibition we curated called Gagarin in Britain, this whole project is just one example of the work we are doing to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Russia.

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OUR WORK IN EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS A BETTER EDUCATED WORLD, WITH STRONGER INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIETIES All over the world, people want greater opportunities in education and in their professional, personal and social lives.

For young people in particular, a high quality educational experience and acquiring the skills they need to communicate and interact with people are among the most pressing social issues of our time.

Our role is to provide leadership, experience and shared learning in education, and to help facilitate positive social change.

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EDUCATION AND SOCIETY FACTS AND FIGURES WE WORK WITH 10,250 POLICY-MAKERS AND LEADERS WE REACH 5.8 MILLION PARTICIPANTS IN EDUCATION ALONE 1.8 MILLION PEOPLE ATTEND OUR EDUCATION FAIRS, EVENTS AND CONFERENCES WE HAVE 25,000 EXCHANGE PARTNERSHIPS AND 208,000 PEOPLE INVOLVED IN EXCHANGES 5,300 SCHOOLS ARE INVOLVED IN OUR SCHOOL LINKS, AND WE COMMUNICATE WITH 427,000 SENIOR TEACHERS AND ACADEMICS WE HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH 6.1 MILLION COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS AND 19,000 VOLUNTEERS ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN OUR SOCIETY WORK WE HAVE 660,000 ONLINE COMMUNITY MEMBERS

209 MILLION TELEVISION VIEWERS 60 MILLION RADIO LISTENERS 32.5 MILLION PUBLICATION READERS 49 MILLION WEB VISITORS

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‘I AM CONFIDENT THAT HAD THE INTERVENTIONS OF THE BRITISH COUNCIL JUSTICE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME BEEN HERE BEFORE THE WAR THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO CONFLICT IN THIS COUNTRY.’ PARAMOUNT CHIEF ALHAJI JOSEPH ALIE KAVURA KONGOMO II JP (JUSTICE OF THE PEACE), FAKUNYA CHIEFDOM, MOYAMBA DISTRICT, SIERRA LEONE

WORKING TOGETHER TO RAISE STANDARDS We live in an increasingly joined-up world.

So in education, our focus is on bringing an international dimension to school, technical and higher education to help raise standards globally by sharing the UK’s expertise.

We work with educational institutions, communities, businesses and governments to create opportunities for collaboration, and this helps strengthen relationships and contributes to the UK’s own capacity for research, technological growth and innovation.

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We assist developing countries with vocational education and skills training, help young people to think more internationally and improve their attainment levels, and encourage the international mobility of both students and academics.

We also do extensive work in market intelligence, in promoting policy-maker dialogues and knowledge partnerships, and with major conferences like Going Global, the international education showcase, all of which helps us share ideas and solutions.

Through partnerships and collaboration, we are helping make UK standards of education more attainable, and relevant around the world.

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CHAMPIONING OPPORTUNITY In our work in society, we want to help develop openness and inclusivity, building understanding of differences and better intercultural and communications skills, especially for young people.

So they are better able to tackle issues on both a local and global level.

We support the UK’s work in international development, good governance, public sector management and justice systems, and help create stronger connections between people and governments.

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Working with people of all nationalities, faiths and cultures, we encourage people, generate debate and help build the knowledge and capabilities that lead to increased civic engagement and positive social change.

By working collaboratively with governments and civil society, we are making a lasting contribution to establishing more robust economies, respected legal systems, engaged citizens and greater opportunities for individuals.

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TRANSFORMING EDUCATION IN IRAQ

INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE INTERNATIONALLY

MAKING MANDARIN COME ALIVE

Working together with partners UNICEF, the Iraqi Ministry of Education and the Kurdish Regional Ministry of Education, our Releasing Potential in Iraqi Schools project is helping teachers overcome decades of isolation.

As the international sport legacy programme of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games, International Inspirations is designed to enrich the lives of 12 million children, in 20 countries, through physical education, sport and play.

For the past nine years, HSBC and the British Council have been running an annual Mandarin Chinese speaking competition in the UK.

The project employs national consultants and international trainers to cascade modern teaching practices, management and standards to more than 3,000 teachers, transforming the learning experience of over 100,000 pupils.

The success of the project has led to a ÂŁ7.3 million British Council EU partnership which is providing training for a further 26,000 Iraqi teachers.

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It is driven by a unique coalition of partners, including UNICEF, the UK government and a range of commercial organisations, and is achieving some extraordinary successes.

To cite just one example; in Bangladesh, the British Council has helped link 20 schools with schools in the UK to pilot new and innovative approaches to physical education and sport, and these have proved to be both popular and effective. So much so that the project has been rolled out nationally and is now part of the Bangladeshi Directorate of Sports’ Annual Sports Programme, which reaches 18,000 secondary schools across the country.

In a series of competitive heats, more than 4,000 non-native Mandarin speakers of secondary school age test their language skills in front of an audience of their peers and a panel of illustrious judges.

The finals are held at the British Museum, together with an exhibition of Chinese artefacts and culture, and as well as the kudos of winning, the prize-winners are taken on a week-long cultural visit to Beijing.

This is a powerful example of the value of commercial partnership, internationalism and the very real excitement of cultural exchange.

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PROGRAMMES AND INITIATIVES

ALL OUR WORK IS ABOUT CROSSING BOUNDARIES AND OPENING DOORS

‘WE MET A SMALL GROUP OF STUDENTS STUDYING ENGLISH. ONE STUDENT, WHEN ASKED WHAT HE FELT ABOUT HIS TIME AT THE BRITISH COUNCIL DESCRIBED IT AS HIS “LITTLE BUBBLE OF OXYGEN EACH WEEK”.’

DR PHILIP LEE MP, VICE CHAIR, CONSERVATIVE MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL, WRITING OF A VISIT TO DAMASCUS

Across all the key areas of our work – English, the Arts, and Education and Society – we also focus on the issues people worldwide care about – especially sport, science, climate change and sustainability.

These are great conversation starters which open doors and enable us to reach people in different cultures and environments, demonstrating the UK’s willingness to engage, share views, exchange knowledge and understand.

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PREMIER SKILLS

is a partnership between the English Premier League and the British Council, using football to help develop skills in language, community coaching and endeavour, project management and communications.

FAMELAB

is a series of international public competitions, where young scientists have just three minutes to engage and excite their audiences in and about an exciting and inspiring scientific topic of their choice.

E-IDEA

is a competition in East Asia that funds, supports and mentors young eco-entrepreneurs to contribute to a more connected and sustainable environmental future.

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GLOBAL CHANGEMAKERS

gives young people direct access to world leaders and policy-makers to share beliefs, ideas and directions.

GLOBAL XCHANGE

is a partnership with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas), facilitating international volunteer exchanges.

SKILLS FOR EMPLOYABILITY

supports skills development and addresses market demand and learner needs, particularly in countries with large young populations.

There are many more programmes and initiatives of this kind and you can explore them further at: www.britishcouncil.org

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IN CONCLUSION

WE HAVE A CLEAR VISION OF OUR CONTRIBUTION TO A BETTER SHARED FUTURE. The British Council’s vision is for shared expertise, knowledge and experience helping to create international opportunities and build more trust around the world.

We will continue to respond to the growing demand for our contribution to the development of English, the Arts, Education and Society.

We will innovate our services, building our own skills and capabilities, as well as the depth and breadth of relationships we make through face-to-face contact, events, digital platforms, print and the broadcast media.

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We will concentrate our efforts where we can achieve scale and impact, including in developing and post-conflict countries, and work in partnership with governments, funders and businesses to achieve far more than we could alone.

By 2015, we aim to work with more people than ever worldwide, delivering opportunity and trust, and working together for a better, safer, more prosperous and more connected future.

FUTURE FACTS AND FIGURES BY 2014 –15 WE WILL BE WORKING WITH: 7 MILLION LEADERS, INFLUENCERS, TEACHERS, EXAM CANDIDATES, TEACHING CENTRE STUDENTS AND PARTICIPANTS, FACE-TO-FACE 9 MILLION EXHIBITION, FESTIVAL, FAIR AND PERFORMANCE VISITORS 140 MILLION ONLINE INTERACTION AND WEBSITE VISITORS 500 MILLION VIEWERS, LISTENERS AND READERS

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‘SEEKING TO LINK PEOPLE THROUGH CULTURAL CONNECTIONS IS A WONDERFUL THING IN A WORLD WHERE WE HAVE FREQUENTLY PUT UP BARRIERS TO ONE ANOTHER.’ ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU, BRITISH COUNCIL’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY LECTURE

PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS Pages 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 16, 19, 20, 22, 38, 41, 42, 44, 50 © Mat Wright Page 28 © Sophia Kokosalaki; courtesy British Council Page 31 Sam Hall for The Selector © Tina Hillier Page 32 Erbil Literature Festival in 2011 © Rigel Klingman Page 52 © iStockphoto Page 58 © British Council

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Figures correct at time of going to print. www.britishcouncil.org © British Council 2012 Brand and Design / B206 The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide.

A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).