The British-American Project is a fellowship of some 600 leaders and opinion formers from a broad spectrum of occupations, backgrounds and political viewpoints, drawn in equal numbers from the United States and the United Kingdom. The Project was created in 1985 to perpetuate the close relationship between the two countries established by an earlier generation during the Second World War; for that reason, it was originally known as the British-American Project for the Successor Generation.
The Project meets annually for a four-day conference on a topic of current concern to both countries: ideas and experiences are exchanged, and friendships cemented. Each year, 24 new participants are selected from either side of the Atlantic, on the basis of service to their communities and professional achievement, and sponsored to attend the conference as Delegates. At the end of each conference, Delegates are elected Fellows of the Project. Fellows from past years attend the annual conferences at their own expense, many returning year after year.
By this simple mechanism, many thousands of transatlantic friendships and professional contacts have been established over the past fourteen years.
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According to Sir Charles Villiers and Lewis Van Dusen, Jr., the goal, or the dream, was creating, in a younger generation, a multiplicity of transatlantic friendships like their own. This was what drew them to the concept of the British-American Project when it was first put to Villiers in London and when Villiers first took it to Philadelphia to discuss with Van Dusen.
A US BAP organiser describes the BAP network as committed to “grooming leaders” while promoting “the leading global role that [the US and Britain] continue to play”.[1]
Each year, 48 new participants are selected from a large depth and breadth of intellectual and influential society on both sides of the Atlantic. At the start of each year, each existing member can nominate people in the general age range of 28 to 40. The nomination processes are different in the U.S. and UK. The UK nominees are interviewed and tested: there are competitive debates, management games and personal presentations; U.S. nominees must submit letters of recommendation and have a separate process.
Once selected, the Delegates attend the centerpiece of the British-American Project, its annual conference, held in November each year and alternating between the U.S. and the UK. In November 2009, this gathering took place in Edinburgh. The theme was “From Abundance to Scarcity – Sustainability and Development in the 21st. Century”. In November 2010, the conference was held in Philadelphia, PA, the of-cited place of the organization's beginnings. At this conference the British-American Project celebrated its 25th Anniversary.
The overarching aim of the yearly conference is to provide a wide range of stimuli to provoke thought and debate, to inform and challenge, and to foster greater understanding between participants about competing views on a topic, and of course there are discussions on the similarities and differences between the two countries’ attitudes to the issues addressed during the conference.