Leadership

Alongside access to the highest quality education, The Beacon Scholarship tries to impart ethical values and a sense of wider responsibility. We look for Changemakers and offer training specifically to them created for youth leadership development, drawn from our proprietary Learning Development Curriculum, and covering Workshops, Seminars, Barazas, and Target Sheets, as well as opportunities to build service-based connections with the community particularly via annual Citizenship Projects.  

New Schools and University Beacon Scholarship applicants should familarise themselves with the yearly programme of activities which is compulsory for all Beacon Scholars.

Please note all Leadership events take place on Saturdays.  

Leadership Curriculum Annual Overview

1. Changemaker

The Beacon Scholarship is a programme to grow and deliver 'Changemakers'. What this means in practice is that Beacon Scholars must:

(a) show the capacity to 'take people with them' and

(b) already be making a difference now, not at some later point in time.

Alongside facilitating access into world-class schools and universities for gifted and talented children, The Beacon Equity Trust has developed a unique series of leadership workshops, and a service learning experience via a summer Citizenship Project.

2. Leadership Workshops & Seminars

In October: the Workshop focus is on Teamwork. A specialist has been contracted to supply 4 sessions of hands-on training exercises, developed specially for young people:

1. Understanding Teamwork and Leadership
2. Building a Team
3. Improving Team Performance
4. Empowering a Team 

Each year, in October, the Teamwork Leadership Skills Workshop focuses on one of these themes, in rotational sequence.

In February: the Workshop focus is on Personal Leadership Skills. A bespoke template for delivering leadership training for young people has been created in 5 key skillsets:

1. Public Speaking 
2. Lateral Thinking & Creativity
3. Negotiation Skills
4. Self-management & Motivation
5. Emotional Intelligence

Each year, in February, the Personal Leadership Skills Workshop focuses on one of these skillsets, in rotational sequence.

Attendance at Leadership Workshops is compulsory for Beacon Scholars. The days are structured to encourage Scholars to interact and learn from one another, as well as gain insights from sources outside their normal home and school/university environment.

Additionally, we run Leadership Seminars for University Scholars and School Scholars in years 12 and 13. In November, we focus on Mentoring and Coaching and in April we focus on Personal Brand. These seminars last for 2 hours and give our older Scholars the opportunity to learn and interact with fellow Beacons. 

3. Citizenship

A core component of The Beacon Scholarship is 'Citizenship'. During their education whether at school or university Beacon Scholars are required to participate in and contribute to their community, and be seen as role models for citizenship behaviours. This could entail, for example, participating in a club or organisation focused on helping disadvantaged people; responding to challenges of the environment; ensuring the welfare of animals; becoming a contributing member of a charitable organisation; or engaging with an appropriate community-based organisation outside school or university. Beacon Scholars must produce evidence of their involvement in a citizenship/service endeavour on an ongoing basis, and set Citizenship goals on their Target Sheet.

Service Project

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 tab

"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 The Beacon Leadership Symposium

4. Barazas

Baraza means 'meeting' in Kiswahili. Beacon facilitates Baraza events for University Scholars three times a year. Each Baraza is run and managed by University Scholars from two Partner Universities, collaborating on a theme for discussion and debate. Some recent topics :

• Life after COVID19: TO BE OR NOT TO BE, THAT IS THE QUESTION?

• Web 3.0: Bitcoin, Crypto and Blockchain

• Is our current system of democracy the most effective?

• How you are all planning on taking part in Black History Month this year?

 Beacon's role is to faciliate learning about how to run effective Meetings:

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