A very special email arrived in the Chasing Time English inbox just over a week ago. It read: ‘Your entry “Days Crossing” is a finalist of the British Council ELTons Awards in the Innovation in Learner Resources category.’
This recognition from a respected organisation such as the British Council, and the subsequent industry opportunities it presents, is extremely validating and testament to the drive and dedication of our production and materials team. It further reinforces our belief that the work we are doing in creating original narrative video production and learning resource packages is important and appealing.
Innovation, first as a theoretical concept and then as a practical undertaking, can be in equal parts liberating and terrifying. To innovate in the truest sense of the word is to create something new, and while it may sound brave and ‘cutting-edge’ to speak about the benefits of innovative practices during brainstorming meetings or at a coffee catchup, the cold reality of trying to sell a truly original product is a very different proposition. So, there will always be risk involved in getting from the starting point of conceptualising an idea, to the end goal of delivering a fully realised product or service. Time, money, and even mental health are all elements that become tested under the burden of expectation.
For that reason, we warmly welcome the opportunity to celebrate alongside all of the 2021 entries as already winning, in the sense of believing in an idea, and then seeing it through to completion. We applaud the determination and conviction required by the teams and individual contributors to overcome the challenges you undoubtedly faced along the way.
We look forward to the awards ceremony on 4 October 2021, and the chance to enjoy successful innovation in English language teaching and learning.