First Hand: Stories from Beneficiaries
Learn more about our work from the people who describe it best: those who have benefited from British Council programmes over the past 75 years.
Perhaps you have a story to share? Have you been involved with the British Council? Has this had an impact on your life? Share your story by completing our online form. Throughout the year, a selection of these stories will be published here and in the media.
The Refugee: Talking with the Occupiers
Senia Abderahman has been a refugee all her life. A strong believer in dialogue, she took the opportunity to meet 'the other side' of the conflict through a programme co-funded by the British Council.
The International Student: Getting Involved in your Host Community
Award-winning international student and Youth Development Project co-founder, Matthew Morton, describes his unpredicted experiences and opportunities as a student in the UK
The Sign Linguist: A Future of Equal Rights for the Deaf
Edina Lancz came to the UK as a Chevening scholar in the 90s to flesh out her work on Hungarian Sign Language. The greatest lessons, however, came from outside the research centre.
The Publisher: Business Blooms Through British Council Award
Octavio Kulesz, a young publisher from Argentina, travels to the UK, renews his company and sets up an international business network. The catalyst: A British Council award
The Customer Service Officer: Undoing the Disability Stigma
Cephas Torkornoo, who works for a financial services company in Ghana, is visually impaired. A Chevening scholarship to study in the UK inspired him to change attitudes in his home country.
Learning about British culture - being a language assistant in the UK
Alexandra Alvarez from Colombia shares her experience as a Foreign Language Assistant in the UK.
Helping the battle against malaria
Ngo Giang Lien from Vietnam has been working to tackle a number of tropical diseases, including malaria, by the transfer of new technology and scientific knowledge between the UK and countries in South East Asia.
IAESTE trainee of the year exceeds expectations
Katy Pegg spent last summer on an IAESTE traineeship working at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In December 2008 she won trainee of the year award. Read more to find out about her experience.
Witnessing climate change first hand
Shruti Neelakantan, from India, is one of the British Council’s International Climate Champions. She writes here about her experiences of being part of an expedition to the Arctic to witness the rapid effects of climate change.
Global Changemakers
In January 2008, 16 year old Juan Nascimbene from Argentina became the youngest person to address the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland.
