How Beacon stimulates leadership learning

Beacon Changemakers delivers a comprehensive leadership curriculum. Alongside access to top-tier education, we instil ethical values and a sense of wider responsibility. 

The programme boosts students’ employability, expands their networks through the creation of community, and sharpens their leadership abilities via active learning and participation.

1. ARLLS: Our flagship leadership programme

We have developed a proprietary leadership development programme for Beacon Scholars. ARLLS is an executive-level leadership development curriculum which has been specifically re-purposed and tailored for young people. Course content is sourced from authoritative and reliable sources and presented in an accessible format.

Asynchronous online learning combines courses on the Moodle platform with intensive e-Workshops. Twenty leadership-themed Modules focused on soft skill development are delivered over a four-year cycle.   

Completion and attendance at e-Workshops are mandatory, with progress tracked and shared via a scholars intranet. Successful completion of annual Modules results in a detailed certificate of achievement.

2. Experiential learning

Every summer there is a unique opportunity for applying leadership principles through experience by doing a Citizenship Project.

All scholars must find a project, usually in a local community, through which they can make a difference. Scholars submit a proposal, conduct fieldwork, and then create a video which is then shared with other scholars. All videos are viewed and scholars meet in a two-hour facilitated e-Review to discuss their findings and critique each other’s projects.

Citizenship Projects are at the heart of the Beacon. Leadership training and workshops build up throughout the academic year to instil the confidence and skills to undertake meaningful projects.

Citizenship Projects generally fall under the broad themes of social, environmental, educational, and health. The emphasis is on making a difference and sustainability. Scholars learn important influencing skills and how to make an impact.

3. For university scholars: Barazas

Barazas are scholar-led meetings focused on discussion and debate. Beacon facilitates three Barazas per year for university scholars.   

Recent topics include “Life after COVID-19,” “Web 3.0,” “Democracy,” and “Black History Month participation.”

Each Baraza is run and managed by university scholars from two Partner Universities, collaborating on a theme for discussion and debate.

Beacon’s role is to faciliate learning about how to run effective meetings:

  1. Chairing
  2. Setting an Agenda
  3. Generating participation
  4. Summarising