Building future success through the National Citizen Service

A three-week programme of activities saw teams of 15-to-17-year-olds rock climbing, hiking, canoeing and living independently in university halls of residences, while taking part in drama and sports workshops.

The final week culminated in a Dragons' Den-style competition, in which teams pitched a social action project promoting an issue close to their heart to a team of media and business professionals.

In total, more than 5,000 youngsters from across the West Midlands took part in this summer's National Citizen Service (NCS) programme.

Of these, 360 students came from Wolverhampton, 420 from Walsall, 300 from Dudley and another 300 from Sandwell.

The government-funded scheme, which also operates across London, Surrey, Greater Manchester and parts of Lancashire, aims to encourage youngsters to get out and mix with others their age and get involved with their local community.

Split into teams of 12, the first week – at an outdoor activity centre – is based around team building through activities including rock climbing, canoeing and hiking.

During the second week, the groups live in student accommodation at University of Wolverhampton, doing their own food shopping and cleaning, while spending their days working with professional practitioners in areas such as media, drama and sport, visiting local professional organisations in the process.

Teams then met up in the third week once a day to plan a social action project around community organisations they had visited.

Their final challenge was a Dragons' Den day, where all teams pitched their campaign about an issue they care about, what they planned to do and how much money they need to deliver their campaign – a maximum of £50 provided by The Challenge, the group which delivers the NCS programme in the Black Country.

Each team's campaign also had an automatic funding allocation of £20, which they were guaranteed, towards venue costs on the day.

Anoop Kabba, aged 16, from Dudley, was among those who took part in the scheme.

He said: "I was intrigued when I first signed up to know what NCS was all about.

"I feel like I've changed and grown up over the three weeks.

"From a group of strangers we all become good friends.

"Doing this programme is very beneficial for young people in the area and I strongly encourage anyone to look into it."

The NCS was formed in 2009 and already, more than 130,000 young people have taken part since its inception.

Its aim is to 'bring young people together from all different backgrounds in a common purpose, offering new experiences'.

The NCS programs team initially reached out to local organisations to back the campaign.

In total, 73 charities, voluntary and community sector organisations deliver NCS locally, along with 18 local authorities, 29 education providers and five education and business partnerships.

A student from Wolverhampton, who had the 'best summer' of his life on a National Citizen Service (NCS) programme, is encouraging more teenagers to sign up for the scheme.

Kashmire Hawker, aged 17, from Low Hill, went on the NCS programme in 2014.

He believes that more students should use their summer holidays wisely – to develop their life skills not included in the national curriculum.

He said the NCS programme massively improved his confidence as well as expanding his CV.

He said: "Before signing up to the programme, I was worried about how I was going to fill the long summer holidays.

"So when I heard about the programme from school I thought it'd be great chance to grow my CV and keep myself busy."

He added: "Not only did I feel more confident about my abilities, I met some amazing people and really did have the best summer of my life.

"I still carry that confidence with me a year after taking part in the programme and would encourage others to get up and do something constructive with their summer."

Kashmire urged more students to get involved in the scheme as research revealed children spent 84 hours lying in, 75 hours watching Netflix and 44 hours taking selfies over the summer months.

Recent studies from the providers of NCS, which include charitable groups, local authorities and the Football League Trust, revealed that more than four in 10 young people expect to run out of things to do over the summer months.

Further research, this time amongst secondary school teachers, revealed that students who have tried something new during the school holidays have a more positive attitude, and are more focused than their peers on returning to school.

Students who have experienced little stimulation over the holidays, on the other hand, often return less productive and find it difficult to concentrate when they return to school.

The NCS programme includes 30 hours that the students commit to a community project, which involves building their employability and having fun at the same time.

This project is recognised by UCAS and helps students frame their skills and experiences for interviews and university applications.

In Wolverhampton, some of the partners involved were West Midlands Fire Service, RAF Cosford and Wolverhampton Crown and Magistrates Court.

One of the judges was the Express & Star's deputy editor Diane Davies, along with NCS sales manager Kate Knight and Gatis Gardeners co-creator Maria Billington.

Diane said: "I absolutely loved 'officially' being a dragon.

"I was bowled over by how mature and confident the children were.

"They looked so professional and had come up with some fantastic ideas, research and campaigns. I think this is an excellent project run by NCS. It is a life-changing experience for the young people who take part, but will also help promote some important local causes.

"It was easy to forget how young they were, they seemed so much older.

"I did give them a bit of a grilling, as you might imagine from a dragon, but they had done their research and had quick responses and explanations. They were willing to take on board our advice as well, which I think showed they were listening and learning."

Team Sabesan was awarded the special £100 prize fund to assist in running their 'Freeplay' campaign, which will be held in Wolverhampton town centre on a weekend this month to help raise awareness for how important play is for young children.

The funding will be used by the team to purchase t-shirts, banners, leaflets, stickers and any other resources they need to allow the campaign to be as effective as possible.

The application process for Wolverhampton began at the start of the year, with all schools in the area being visited by NCS and eager teenagers signing up.

The programme runs in spring, summer and autumn and is a government initiative, which has been given funding until 2018, supporting community engagement and social integration among young people. Parents can become as involved as their children.

If a child has completed the NCS course they can look to apply to become tutors and team leaders themselves, but this can also be the case with adults who are involved in connected local organisations that are interested in becoming more directly involved.

A question and answer session on the website includes information for youngsters and parents who are considering signing up for the scheme, addressing everything from where youngsters will stay for the residential placements to whether mobile phones are allowed – yes, for the record, although not during activity time.

The scheme has been backed by a raft of household names, with celebrities including musician and fashion designer Tinie Tempah, presenter Alex Zane, survival expert Bear Grylls and war hero Johnson Beharry VC all working as high profile ambassadors for the scheme.

Programme leader Kelly Bird, 24, from Dudley, said: "It's beyond my expectations how well it went.

"The three week programme was really fascinating.

"It really has been a fascinating three weeks. If you'd have seen them all at the start of the first week to how they are with each other now, you wouldn't know it's the same group.

"The scheme really has brought the best out of these young people and proves with a bit of guidance our future is bright."

Once teenagers have completed the programme they have a graduation ceremony, which will be held this month, when they are presented with certificates signed by David Cameron to mark their achievements.

They will be also be given the opportunity to become members of the NCS team as volunteers for future groups coming into the programme, and to continue their own development once the first course has finished.

The teams carried out their social action projects in support of the community organisation they visited on every Saturday of this month, when they have been volunteering to support them.

The National Citizen Service (NCS) works in partnership with a range of charities in the Black Country.

Heath Town Senior Citizens Welfare Project is just one of the schemes that has benefitted from the programme. The centre has worked with the NCS since 2011, during which time students have raised £350 towards a greenhouse for the garden.

The Heath Town Senior Citizens Welfare Project caters for predominantly, but not exclusively, African-Caribbean older people, and aims to promote the health, well-being and independence of older people by offering a range of social activities and health advice to interested parties.

This year students, who were based at the centre for two afternoons a week, created board games for the residents and performed a play, song and dances.

Rosemarie Graham, manager of the project on Brooklands Parade, said: "I'm very proud to be part of this initiative and it is very productive for both NCS and what we do here at the centre.

"The elderly look forward to the visits very much and it's great interaction between the young and the old.

"It is a very interesting project which highlights the good in youth and makes a change, rather than hearing negative stories about young people getting into trouble."

"We've been working with the NCS for four years now and our relationship has just gone from strength to strength.

"They couldn't offer a better service for the day patients at the centre."

All of the activities students take part in are classed as 'confidence building', with the opportunity to develop life and job skills for future employment and careers.

With the NCS usually running at Heath Town Senior Citizens Welfare Project during the summer months, the partnership has seen some students volunteer to help out over the Easter and Christmas period.

Other charity partners in Wolverhampton include Verona Court residential home, St Anthony's residential care home, Sycamore Adventure Playground, the MS Therapy Centre, Heath Town Senior Citizens Welfare Project, West Midlands Police, Wolverhampton Magistrates Court, Wolverhampton Crown Court, West Midlands Fire Service, Mental Spaces, Wolverhampton Play Service and RAF Cosford.

Elsewhere in the Midlands, NCS members have taken part in a range of fundraising activities, including a sponsored kayak down the River Severn to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Assistant programme manager Kiran Bilkhu, 24, said: "It is a fantastic opportunity and was a great three weeks. It's all about giving these young adults the platform to progress and grow professionally and personally. They started the first day as strangers and they are now finishing as friends.

"We give them the tools and watch them develop, which is exactly what happens with every new group that comes through.

"NCS has just grown and grown since its foundation in 2009.

"It is remarkable to see the difference it makes to young people."

It costs £50 to take part in the scheme, with a £5 discount for signing up online, which includes all accommodation, food, transport and equipment. Financial assistance is also available.

The next programme will run during October half term between October 23 and 29. For more information visit www.ncs thechallenge.org