UCL Launchpad Champions Young Changemakers at LeaderRise 2026 as Galle’s Team Target 450 Wins Overall Title

UCL Launchpad Champions Young Changemakers at LeaderRise 2026 as Galle’s Team Target 450 Wins Overall Title

Team Target 450 from Leeds International School, Galle, celebrates its LeaderRise 2026 awards. Photo: Newswire.

A dengue early-warning project developed by school students from Galle has earned national recognition, with Team Target 450 of Leeds International School named overall winner at LeaderRise 2026. The team also received the Best Innovation Project and Best Community Impact Project awards, marking a strong result at a programme designed to help young people turn ideas about community needs into practical initiatives.

The Grand Finale of LeaderRise 2026 was held at Universal College Lanka (UCL) on 15 October. More than 25 proposals had been received from schools across Sri Lanka, and ten finalist teams were selected to present their projects to a panel of academic and industry professionals. Their ideas addressed a range of issues, including public health, student wellbeing, culture, waste management and safety.

LeaderRise is UCL’s national school social entrepreneurship and youth leadership initiative, delivered in partnership with the University of Lancashire in the United Kingdom. The programme invites students to identify challenges in their schools and communities, develop practical responses and explain their ideas to experienced professionals. In doing so, it offers young participants an opportunity to strengthen confidence, teamwork, creativity and problem-solving skills.

A Galle team puts community impact at the centre

Team Target 450’s winning project focused on dengue early warning. The award recognises an idea directed towards a significant public health concern, while the team’s additional honours for innovation and community impact underline the breadth of its achievement.

The reports do not detail the project’s technical design, but its central theme reflects the value of identifying a community challenge and considering how timely awareness could support a practical response. For the students, presenting the idea at a national finale also provided an opportunity to communicate their work to people with experience in academia and industry.

Two other teams were recognised among the leading projects. Double Blues from Wesley College, Colombo, finished as runners-up. Project Refocus from Iman Academy placed third and received the Best Presentation award. Their recognition, alongside that of the overall winners, reflects the range of student perspectives represented among the finalists.

Dr Chamila Ariyananda, CEO of UCL, addresses the gathering. Photo: Newswire.

Learning through real-world challenges

UCL’s stated vision for education centres on empowering young people to turn knowledge into action, lead with purpose and contribute meaningfully to society. LeaderRise puts that principle into practice by asking students to look beyond the classroom, examine challenges that affect their surroundings and develop considered responses.

The process can help students learn to explain why a problem matters, work collaboratively and present a proposal in a clear and structured way. These capabilities are valuable not only for social entrepreneurship, but also for further study, future careers and participation in community life. The programme’s emphasis on practical ideas and professional feedback gives students an early opportunity to experience how a proposal can be discussed, assessed and improved.

For teachers and parents, initiatives of this kind can offer a constructive way to encourage curiosity and initiative. Students are invited to take their observations seriously, listen to different perspectives and consider how their ideas might benefit others. The finalist projects’ range, from public health and safety to culture and waste management, also demonstrates that meaningful innovation can begin with challenges encountered close to home.

AI-generated illustration of a school innovation finale and a student presentation on dengue early warning.

A partnership supporting young talent

The University of Lancashire partnership connects the school initiative with academic expertise and an international institutional relationship. The judging panel included Dr Robert Smith, Associate Dean of the School of Engineering & Computing, and Professor Andrei Chamchine, Professor of Engineering and Academic Lead, both from the University of Lancashire, alongside Dr Chamila Ariyananda and members of UCL’s academic leadership.

Mr Ric Brame, International Partnerships Project Manager at the University of Lancashire, also addressed the audience on behalf of the university. His remarks reinforced the partnership’s commitment to nurturing young talent and supporting student development.

The presence of academic and industry professionals is an important part of the programme’s structure: students have the opportunity to present their work to people able to offer informed perspectives, while the schools’ proposals are considered in a setting that values both creativity and potential community benefit. The collaboration also reflects how educational partnerships can create opportunities for students to engage with expertise beyond their own schools.

Mr Ric Brame, International Partnerships Manager at the University of Lancashire, addresses the gathering. Photo: Newswire.

From finalist presentation to continued development

For the finalist teams, the event is intended to be a starting point rather than an endpoint. Through UCL LaunchPad, the college’s innovation and incubation initiative, the teams will receive support to develop their projects further. Access to space, mentoring and industry connections is expected to help them refine their ideas and work towards practical solutions with lasting community value.

That next stage matters because early ideas often benefit from time, guidance and a chance to be tested and improved. Continued support can help students consider how a project might work in practice, what resources it could require and how it might serve the people it is intended to help. The reported provision of mentoring and industry connections gives the finalists a pathway to keep exploring those questions after the competition.

The outcome at LeaderRise 2026 is therefore both a celebration of achievement and an investment in further learning. Team Target 450’s national recognition brings particular attention to a Galle school team’s public-health idea, while the awards for Wesley College and Iman Academy acknowledge the accomplishments of other student innovators. The continuing support through UCL LaunchPad offers all finalist teams an opportunity to take their work forward.

For students, teachers and parents in Sri Lanka and abroad, LeaderRise offers an encouraging example of young people engaging thoughtfully with real community challenges. It shows how educational partnerships, structured opportunities and sustained mentoring can help students build confidence and give promising ideas room to grow. Similar community-focused innovation is also explored in eLanka’s feature on a social enterprise cohort turning water hyacinth into new products.

Sources: Newswire; Daily Mirror. The article is based on these sources; kindly email info@eLanka.com.au if any information needs to be corrected.

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