National Citizen Service (NCS)
National Citizen Service (NCS) supports the Government’s vision for building a Big Society. It will act as a gateway to the Big Society for many young people by supporting them to develop the skills and attitudes they need to become more engaged with their communities and become active and responsible citizens. NCS will make a positive contribution to local communities, requiring close working with schools, local authorities, businesses and other neighbourhood groups to create a more cohesive, responsible and engaged society.
NCS is a voluntary four-week summer programme for 16 and 17 year-olds that will promote:
- A more cohesive society by mixing participants of different backgrounds
- A more responsible society by supporting the transition into adulthood for young people
- A more engaged society by enabling young people to work together to create social action projects in their local communities. It is the Government’s vision that NCS will, over time, become a valued rite of passage into adulthood that all 16-year-olds will want to complete.(Source: Department for Education)
OVERVIEW OF THE STAGES
The National Citizen Service is divided into five phases. Approximately 75% of participants will progress through these phases in the summers of 2013, 2014 and 2015 and 25% will go through them, in a condensed form, in Spring and Autumn.
Phase 1: Introductory phase – overview of the programme, introduction to staff and Keeping Warm activities
Phase 2: Full-time (5 nights, 4 days) residential programme away from participants’ local community, with a focus on teamwork and outdoor physical challenges (one week). This provides an opportunity for personal and social development through a series of physical and mental challenges to push participants out of their comfort zones.
Phase 3: Full-time (5 nights, 4 days) residential programme based in participants’ home community, with a focus on developing new skills and serving groups in the community (one week). Teams should use a shared passion to build on their teamwork and project management skills and develop an interest in community service.
Phase 4: Participants to design a social action project in consultation with the local community. Teams should design a project that will deliver tangible benefit to the local community and agree a plan to deliver it in around 30 hours, including time spent at weekends and evenings if appropriate, in
Phase 5: Our successful 2012 pilot identified that social action that is group designed and delivered is far more effective than simply allocating social action activities to groups.
Phase 5 onwards: A period of 30 hours social action on a part-time basis, during which the teams will deliver the project they designed in Phase 4. A fair/event to encourage participants to get involved in ongoing social action or volunteering activities in their area and sign-post them to further opportunities. A large celebration and graduation event for participants and their guests. It is anticipated that as a final challenge young people will play a full and active part in this celebration.
Elevation Networks is currently running the NCS programme for 105 young people in Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough.
We’ll be running the programme twice in the Summer, please find dates below:
Wave 1: 22nd July – 10th August
Wave 2: 12th August – 30th August
For more information about the programme please feel free to contact us on 02074043927
We are currently running a competition for the person who recommends the most people for the NCS Summer Programme. The prize is an iPad!
For a chance to win you just need to get some friends or people you know to sign up for the NCS and you’ll automatically be entered into the iPad prize draw.
If you’re too old to take part in the programme, but would like to get involved. Don’t worry you still can be a part of the programme we are currently looking for NCS Brand Ambassadors contact us for more information.
Read about our Autumn Pilot Residential
Last week EN was in South Yorkshire bringing together over 200 young people in Kingswood, Dearne Valley for the residential element of the National Citizen Service programme. This was an opportunity for all the young people to interact with new friends and also engage in challenging activities.
Day 1: On the first full day of activities we met with young people on the problem solving area, where they engaged in tasks such as the human knot, balancing on a giant seesaw and applying their sensory skills to a pretend scenario. The young people were so engrossed in their tasks as they were going head to head with their peers for the title of the best team.
Quote: ‘I is simple yet great fun’.
Day 2: Team Lambeth were engaged in Nightline, where they had to walk around cones in a forest area with a blindfold on whilst holding onto each other. If they broke the chain they would lose out on valuable points, which would make up their final score at the end of the week to establish if they hold the title for the best team.
Quote: ‘It was really really fun. You meet new people and engage in challenging activities like nightline where you have to crawl through a muddy tunnel, which you might not necessarily have done otherwise’.
Day 3: On our final full day of activities, the morning saw all teams engage in their usual outdoor activities. Team Enfield spent their morning on the low ropes where they had to go through various obstacles by ensuring that they go through a hula-hoop. It was very amusing to watch the young people attempt this task, as they had to try and balance themselves on the various forms of equipment.
Quote: ‘It is fun getting to do the low ropes activity as you have to go through a hula-hoop whilst on the obstacle. It is not something you would think to do every day’.