What is NCS?

National Citizen Service (NCS) is a once–in-a-lifetime part-residential experience open to all 15 to 17 year olds across England and Northern Ireland. The programme helps young people build skills for work and life while taking on exciting challenges, making new friends and contributing to their community.

How does NCS work?

Personal Challenge: Participants face their fears, develop confidence and bond with team mates on an action packed residential usually in Wales, Scotland or Cumbria.

Team Challenge: Teammates work together to learn new skills. They then use this skill as a facilitation tool to interact with people different from themselves.

Real Challenge: Using their newly acquired skills, teams work in partnership with a local charity or organisation to design, implement and fundraise for a social action project alongside raising awareness for the issue.

NCS Impact in 2017

• In 2017, 4,928 16 and 17 year olds took part in NCS delivered by The Challenge in The West Midlands
• These young people:
  • Undertook 78,960 hours of social action – including:
    • 1,230 visits to different community organisations.
    • 410 social action campaigns
    • £60,088 of fundraising

2018 Opportunities to Get Involved

Community Partner

Our programme that is running across the Dudley area is looking to find organisations it can work with to support NCS visits. A team of 12 young people would visit your organisation and then engage in fundraising for a cause of your choice (could be yourself or another organisation) as well as completing a 4 hour volunteer project for you as their partner.

Commitment time:

2 x 2 hours visit to you:  The team would come to you to engage with service users, hear about your mission, and discuss plans for the volunteer project they will do for you. The purpose of these visits is to inspire them to fundraise for your organisation and to allow young people to mix with people within the community.

1 x volunteering project day (5 hours): The team would undertake a project for you based on your requirements. Previous projects have included: Bingo day; Talent Show; Peace Walk; Painting; Decorating; Hosting an event; Litter Picking; Creating marketing materials; Arts and Crafts; Afternoon Tea; and Gardening.

Pitch Advisor:

In order for our NCS participants to receive funding for their campaigns, they pitch in front a panel of four Dragons. We would like the panel to be a mixture of people from either businesses or community organisations. This is your opportunity to support young people to gain skills and help them further their social action campaigns.

Commitment time: 2 hours

Want to get involved?

For more information:

Frankie Hine-Hughes – Senior Assistant Programme Manager

07867554015

francis.hine-hughes@the-challenge.org