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Sarah Dickson

Ambassador to Guatemala (June 2012 - June 2015)

Part of UK in Guatemala

27th February 2015

Get on the bus for British Week Guatemala 2015

The British Week that we hold in Guatemala has always been our way of showing the best of our nation. The hardest part is narrowing down the possibilities of what we could do to just a week’s worth of activity. That means that we hold a real variety of events crossing cultural, political and economic lines. Some are open to all the public while some are limited to invitations. All of them are produced with dedication and enthusiasm by the British Embassy team.

Here are some highlights for British Week 1-7 March 2015:

This year we are trying to ensure that not only Guatemalans near the city can participate in our events. Our scholarships offered in association with the International Business Academy will be on line enabling them to be won by anyone with internet access, rather than just those able to attend classes in the city. We will also hit the road to support the young people of San Pedro Carcha in their festival to prevent sexual violence. We are confident their efforts will make a positive difference to perceptions of women and young  people in the community.

It is election year in both Guatemala and the UK and we think this is a good time to encourage good debating skills. Knowing how to express views and respect those of others is not always easy, especially when the topic is one that raises emotions. We are working with the Debate Association and 4 Guatemalan universities  to involve young people in formal debating and we have chosen a hot topic – the death penalty – to see how it is possible to look deeply at an issue and exchange opinions in at way that helps people understand concepts better.

As a mother with small children I am looking forward to the NGO fair in pasos y pedales on Sunday. This will celebrate some of the fabulous charities that work in the country in a fun way so that families can join in and learn about the work they do.

We will also be talking about British food and drink. From tea to gin; from tableware to boiled sweets; from whisky to cereal; from fish and chips to Eton mess – we will be exploring what the UK food, drink and catering industry has to offer. As this will be business to business events interested companies should contact embassy@intelnett.com for more information.

This is not the end of the events and if you want more information you should check out Facebook and Twitter and Web for more details. Join us on our British week bus!

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