Beacon Changemakers was founded in 2009 and nurtures exceptional young leaders across Eastern and Southern Africa. The initiative identifies high-potential students and supports them through high-quality education at top International Schools around Eastern and Southern Africa. Each scholar follows a structured, multi-year ARLLS curriculum within a wider Beacon programme which includes mentoring, community service and self-efficacy development. The full programme is designed to shape scholars into ethical, committed and community-driven leaders who can progress into leading UK universities, excel academically and build the mindset to eventually return and drive change in their home communities.
Why They Use ARLLS
International schools offer rich educational and co-curricular experiences, but scholars must navigate demanding timetables, complex peer dynamics and competitive leadership roles and equally competitive placements at universities. ARLLS provides a leadership-learning solution that is:
- Structured, consistent and scalable across multiple schools and countries
- High quality and youth-focused, supporting scholars’ growth at different stages
- Flexible enough to fit smoothly around academic commitments and within the wider Beacon leadership programme
- Strengthens their ability to apply concepts immediately within school life and beyond
What ARLLS Delivers
- Gold-Level Digital Modules: Scholars complete a suite of ARLLS Gold-level online lessons, each blending online lessons, quizzes, applied scenarios and structured reflections to help learners transfer leadership concepts into their everyday and academic settings.
- Live Facilitated Workshops: Every module includes a live workshop delivered by ARLLS facilitators, where learners practise new behaviours through discussion, role-play and collaborative exercises. Facilitators provide tailored coaching and feedback, supporting scholars as they adapt ARLLS frameworks to real-life challenges.
- A Structured Leadership Curriculum Throughout Their School Journey: Scholars complete ARLLS modules throughout their secondary school journey, creating a steady developmental pathway that runs alongside their academic and co-curricular commitments and prepares them for university and future leadership opportunities.
- The Learning Pillar within the Beacon Model: ARLLS provides the structured curriculum that underpins a broader Beacon journey which includes additional pillars of Mentoring, Citizenship Service and Self-Efficacy Development. ARLLS supplies the research-informed leadership content, shared language and practical frameworks that strengthen those wider conversations and experiences, equipping scholars with the foundational skills and reflective insights that make the other three pillars more meaningful and effective.
Impact & Outcomes
The outcomes below are drawn from learner voice rather than self-reported claims by the programme team. Evidence was gathered through structured reflections completed by Beacon school students throughout their participation in ARLLS and synthesised through thematic analysis of 1,100 learner feedback comments.
- Improved emotional regulation and sustained resilience. Across learner reflections, students consistently described shifts in how they understand happiness, resilience, and pressure. Evidence shows improved emotional regulation, reframing of setbacks, and practical wellbeing strategies that supported sustained performance during exams, transitions, and high-stress periods.
- Increased self-awareness and intentional personal leadership. Learner feedback demonstrates strong growth in self-awareness and reflective practice. Students identified patterns in their behaviour, confidence, motivation, and leadership style, and described taking responsibility for improvement, measuring progress personally rather than through comparison with others.
- More effective and adaptive communication. Analysis of feedback shows clear improvement in how learners communicate ideas. Students repeatedly referenced applying structured frameworks, adapting to different audiences, and communicating more clearly and professionally across presentations, written work, emails, and online collaboration.
- Stronger collaborative behaviours and team trust. Learner evidence highlights consistent development in teamwork capability. Students described building psychological safety, managing group dynamics, inviting diverse contributions, and improving trust and collaboration through deliberate actions rather than relying on individual performance alone.
- Greater capability in managing conflict and challenging behaviours. Feedback shows learners gained practical skills in identifying and responding to difficult behaviours and power dynamics. Students reported using proportionate, emotionally intelligent strategies to manage conflict, lead teams through uncomfortable change, and address issues without escalation or avoidance.
- Improved personal efficiency and execution under pressure. Learner reflections consistently demonstrate improved personal efficiency. Evidence includes better time management, prioritisation, delegation, and information handling, with students applying these skills to academic work, leadership roles, sport, and community projects under real constraints.
Learner feedback
