ESB News - Spring Summer 2021

ESB launches its 70/70 Campaign!

70/70 Campaign

English Speaking Board (International) is celebrating its 70 th Anniversary in 2023!

To honour this special milestone, we are launching our 70/70 Campaign - a significant outreach project that will make access to our suite of speech and language qualifications more available to groups and organisations with limited finances that are seeking to close the disadvantage gap.

ESB ’ s Chief Executive Tina Renshaw, says: “ This campaign is not the first time that we have provided financial support to grant learners access to our qualifications. The Christabel Burniston Fund, a support fund to celebrate the legacy of our founder, has supported more than 40 centres over the last three academic years. “ The 70/70 Campaign, however, provides an expansion on the support we already offer and aims to give confidence to learners providing them with a clear advantage as they progress through secondary schools, FE colleges, and employment. ” ESB ’ s search for 70 centres has already begun. “Being seen and being heard” , is a newly established collaborative project between ESB and RECLAIM, a Manchester-based youth leadership and social change organisation, and one of ESB ’ s loyal and committed centres. As part of its 70/70 campaign , ESB is funding the role of an ‘ Oracy Practitioner ’ within RECLAIM to help embed ESB qualifications into their existing programmes. Says RECLAIM ’ s CEO, Roger Harding: “ We are really excited about this partnership with ESB. At RECLAIM, a lot of us come from working class backgrounds ourselves, so we know how hard it can be to take those first steps to speaking out in public and telling your story. Combining what we do, supporting working class people to lead change today and lead the country tomorrow, with the fantastic expertise of ESB, supporting individuals to improve their communication and oracy skills will lead to something really extraordinary. We can ’ t wait to see what our young people will achieve as a result of it! ”

Since 1953, English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. has been an innovator in the field of oracy. Its founder, Christabel Burniston MBE, was a true pioneer in oral communication, championing the importance of spoken English as a vital life skill and believing that true development of personality and security in social relationships could only grow through the confidence of speaking and listening. To mirror Christabel ’ s innovation and mark ESB ’ s achievements over the past 70 years, we are aiming to find and financially support by 2023, 70 centres where their learners, children, young people or community members face disadvantage and would be supported in their aspirations if they could achieve an ESB qualification. The 70/70 Campaign is part of our purpose to stretch the most able and support the least confident and to realise the potential of all by clos- ing the disadvantage gap. Our search for 70 centres, which share our belief that communication lies at the heart of social mobility, will be inclusive and spread across both the education and third sectors. The initiative will allow centres to provide their learners with speaking and listening qualifications when this may not have been previously possible.

4