A Challenge that became a pathway for young leaders

The 2025 cycle

The 2025 Rebecca Dykes Changemaker Challenge drew 98 registrations and 39 submissions from 61 students. Ten finalist teams, representing fourteen individual finalists, progressed through the cycle, supported by around twenty student volunteers.

Those figures show the scale of participation, but they do not tell the whole story.

What happened next

Five young people who came through the 2025 Challenge went on to deliver their own workshops on violence against women and girls in Lebanon.

When the 2026 Challenge began to take shape, previous participants also returned to support the next cycle. Ten of the twelve people screening entries for 2026 had come through the 2025 round themselves, and five of the fourteen 2025 finalists returned to help shape the theme and screen new entries.

Why progression matters

The Challenge is not only an annual moment. Its longer-term value can also be seen in whether young people remain involved, take responsibility and create activity of their own.

That is why Becky’s Button looks beyond registration figures alone. Participation can become peer leadership, programme delivery, volunteering and continued engagement — creating a stronger foundation for prevention and early intervention work led by young people themselves.