ABOUT

In 2011 four ECP students, Chhavi Maggu, Dora Robinson, Courtney Kaye and Marie Smetánková, decided, after finishing their IB exams, to collect sufficient resources to provide an education at ECP for a young person coming from a less fortunate background, who would benefit significantly from this opportunity. Thanks to a very successful auction they were able to raise a large amount of money, which laid the foundation for the Václav Havel Scholarship. Václav Havel, our patron at that time, dedicated his name to the project. Thanks to the Václav Havel Scholarship and the support of the school, Marek Horváth, the first Romani student to graduate in 2019, was able to study at the school.

In 2020, our students were able to raise funds for a scholarship for another Roma student who has been studying at our school since last school year.

Adam is doing well at school and is a great ambassador for the Roma community. This also started a marathon of fundraising for a scholarship for his successor.

During the pandemic, the idea was born to organize art competitions that would help us spread the good idea of the Václav Havel Scholarship in Czech schools and that would inspire children from all over the country to create art and literature. We were very happy with every picture and text that teachers from all over the country sent in for the competition. We are glad that the Ministry of Education supported us and granted its patronage to both the competition and the concert last year.

Our Team

Alena Švejdová

(Our Guarding Angel)

Selma Kaymakci

(The Patient Boss)

Kryštof Folbrecht

(The Room Temperature Inspector)

Martin Strnad

(The Website Genius)

Anise Dos Reis

(The Asker of Question

Karolina Hamdanova

Eileen Griffin

Linda Tomaskova

Click here to read a small collection of interviews from our team.

Below you can find photos of our previous teams.

Testimonial by Marek Horváth

My name is Marek Horváth and I'm the first student on Vaclav Havel's scholarship. This scholarship allowed me to attend The English College in Prague. It was a great opportunity to study at this school, an opportunity that not many people have. Because of this, I think it important that someone else gets the same opportunity that I did, that might seem unattainable now. Studying at this school gave me a lot of experiences and new feelings, same as it allowed me to get in touch with different cultures, something that someone else should also experience. The level of English that one can learn at this school is something that is very beneficial in these days. I think that the presence of another Roma student at this school will be beneficial not only to the student but also his classmates, as they will see the Roma in a different light than that in which they are being shown today.

Our Patrons

Our project has been supported by countless people of importance who dedicated their time, resources, and intellect for our cause, and for that we are grateful.

VÁCLAV HAVEL

"Hope is not the conviction, that it is going to turn out well. Hope is the certainty that it has a purpose no matter the outcome."

KAREL SCHWARZENBERG

"Indifference, as it is known, is the mother of dictatorship".

Message from our Founders

When we first founded the Havel scholarship in 2011, our aim was to provide a student from a disadvantaged background with a chance to study at ECP. We also hoped that it would establish itself as the first student-led scholarship initiative at the ECP, and would be carried on by after we left the College. Although none of us could be at the concert, it makes us very proud to know that our initiative has not been forgotten. Our concert is a fantastic opportunity to appreciate the many talented individuals at ECP, while contributing towards a good cause. It also provides the chance to remember Vaclav Havel, who supported our cause and knew the difference that a good education can make, and we feel very honoured to be carrying on this scholarship under his name. Thank you all for coming and a special thank you to the students that have dedicated their time and effort into making this possible.

Chhavi, Courtney, Dora, Marie

Message from Dr Brown about the Scholarships on The ECP

Although we try hard to keep our fees as low as possible we realise that they are still very significant and we offer substantial scholarships and bursaries to help make it possible for all who want to come to the College to be able to do so. Many of our students benefit from these arrangements.