75th anniversary Film - The power of cultural relations

Transcript

Rt Hon. Lord Kinnock of Bedwellty

Former Chair of the British Council

Since 1934 the British Council has been working to build understanding and trust between the United Kingdom and other countries and cultures of the world; through science, through sport, through the arts, through education, through governance and of course the English language. We are doing that kind of work in 110 countries across the planet.

Alex Wilson, Composer and Jazz Pianist

I am a pianist, composer, band leader and educator. My work with the British Council has taken me to over 20 countries and in four different continents; I’ve been there to collaborate, to perform, to teach. It has been an incredibly enriching experience.

Nihal Arthanayake, Musician, Broadcaster and DJ

British Council Trustee

I really love Global Xchange. It’s the British Council and the V.S.O getting together and groups of young people from different parts of the world coming together and sharing experiences of where each other comes from.

Kathleen Murray, Former Volunteer, Global Xchange

You begin to see British culture through new eyes. It’s a really good way to get to know your own community and to get to know another person’s community.

Dr Catherine Walter, Oxford University 

Chair, British Council English Language Advisory Group

I see the British Council as promoting excellence in English language teaching and in helping people to communicate excellence and share excellence across the world.

Tom Canning, Head Teacher, Tollgate Primary School

Comenius School

The British Council has been really important for school improvement because it has brought the real world into our classrooms. Through true partnership with the British Council finding us link schools across the world, it has made learning more relevant and contextually meaningful which has had a real knock on effect on our results.

Stephanie Lynch, British Council International Climate Champion

The British Council is really important as it gives young people a voice on the most important issue of our generation, which is climate change. To empower young people to equip them with the skills to voice that opinion is really important.

Robbie Earle, Pundit and Ex-footballer

Head Coach Premier Skills

Premier Skills is a joint initiative between the Premier League and the British Council. The big thing that we wanted to make sure with this project; it wasn’t just about teaching people football skills, it had wider implications. And we feel that social inclusion, education, poverty, equality are all things that can be addressed with football and that is where certainly the British Council played its part.

Lord Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

An extraordinary experience that the British Council has amassed over 75 years. Understanding different communities, understanding the importance of community cohesion and of course understanding the extraordinary role, the hidden social worker that sport is in all of our communities, whether they are domestic or international.

Zara Todd, Deputy Chair, Equality 2025.

British Council Young Advocates Programme participant

Member, British Council, Disability Advisory Panel

I took part in the Young Advocates Programme in Beijing, which was bringing together non-disabled and disabled young people from both China and the UK. The British Council operates as a window to the world; it allows Britain to see out and it allows people to see back in. I think that is really important in terms of developing for the future.

George Alagiah, Broadcaster

I think the fact that the British Council has been going for 75 years and is thriving today, shows that it’s as relevant now as it was 75 years ago perhaps even more relevant because actually it is a challenging time that we live in and to be not just to be surviving but thriving 75 years on I think shows a great deal about the work of the British Council.