In July/August: Scholars are required to undertake a service-led ‘Citizenship Project’ in their home country which generally involves community work and earning respect as a role model. This could range from working in a Children’s Home to educating young people about clean water.

Scholars submit a Proposal which is approved before commencing their project. Included in the criteria are questions like: How will your involvement make a difference? What do you, personally, hope to learn from the project? and How do you intend to take people with you for any changes you recommend? Projects must be serious and substantive and go beyond fundraising and research.

Each scholar completes their project and produces a video of their process and outcomes. At a Citizenship Project e-Review in August/September they engage in a critical review and discussion of all projects, grouped into themes; the focus is on finding links and lessons between projects. New scholars present learnings from community projects in which they have previously been involved.

Project presentations can be viewed on individual Scholar Profiles on the scholars page.

“I was deeply impressed by the Citizenship Programme and the way in which your scholars have risen to the challenges. Perhaps more accurately, it is how they embraced the idea of being able to make a difference and have each already succeeded, that was most impressive.

Every presentation was strong and showed such a variety of examples of how leadership can be used to make a difference without relying on any resource other than the initiative of the student. What you are achieving is of enormous value.”                                                                                                         

School Director attending a Beacon Leadership event