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National Citizen Service Programme

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• Sign-up and pre-NCS Service

  Presentations will take place in schools, and young people in Year 11 will be invited with their family to a local sign-up event. This is an opportunity to find out more about the programme, meet the people involved and complete a Personal Information and Medical Form.

  The information that we collect at these events will ensure that we are able to maintain the safety and welfare of each participant at each stage of the programme. A copy of the Personal Information and Medical Form will be shared with Brathay / Castlehead (venues for outward bound expeditions) and any partner organisation delivering the programme.

  Following sign-up, participants will be allocated into socially mixed teams of 12. Each team will have one dedicated worker in the first week, then 2 workers for the remainder of the programme. They will work together in these teams throughout the programme.

  During the spring months, teams will be brought together to meet each other, get to know their workers and begin to prepare for the start of the programme. We understand that this is a critical time for students as they embark on their final examinations, and we will seek to avoid disrupting this. Any group meetings arranged during this time will take place at evenings or weekends.

  Each participant will be given a learning journal which will act as an aid to personal reflection and a permanent record of their achievements on the programme. Throughout the summer, participants will be encouraged to think about the activities in which they have taken part, consider what they are learning and how they are changing, and record this in their personal journal.

  Participants will also be encouraged to sign-up to the GMCP NCS Facebook page. This will provide a free and safe way for participants to keep in touch and communicate with one another and their team workers before, during and after the programme. This page will be a controlled network restricted to young people signed up for NCS with GMCP, and will be managed by the VPA team.

• Week One: Outward Bound Experience

  Teams will come together for a week-long outdoor adventure residential, led by either Brathay Trust or Castle Head Field Centre. These programmes will run from Monday to Friday and involve four consecutive nights away from home. Transport will be provided to and from the residential.

  Using the outdoors as a vehicle for personal development, expert tutors will lead a range of activities such as rock climbing, kayaking, abseiling and caving, concentrating upon developing participants’ self-confidence, teamwork and leadership skills. The exact mixture of activities included in the programme will vary according to which outdoor centre is being used, weather conditions and the make-up of the group.

  The week will include a mini expedition involving a wilderness journey and an overnight camp.

  The programme is designed to be physically and mentally challenging. Participants will not be forced to take part in any activity but they will be strongly encouraged to explore their personal potential by taking on demanding challenges and learning ‘out of the comfort zone’. Throughout the programme, participants will be encouraged to reflect on their individual and team learning and how they might apply it back in their home community.

  All kit and equipment will be provided (participants may need to bring a £10 deposit which will be refunded at the end of the week).

  Information about the venues is available at:

  http://www.brathay.org.uk and http://www.field-studies-council.org/castlehead

   

• Week Two: Community Residential

  Following a weekend off, teams re-group on Monday for the start of a four-night residential at a venue in or near to their home area. We will be using Liverpool University Halls of Residence (Carnatic Hall), and Barnstondale Centre for this element of the programme.

  During this week, the teams will explore different aspects of adult life in their local community:

  • Civic life
  • Social life
  • Independent life
  • Working life
  • Life on the road

  They will develop an understanding of local issues, opportunities and resources, and a sense of what it is like to be an independent young adult in the community. The week will feature a variety of activities and visits, bringing the team into contact with the emergency services, local businesses, voluntary groups and public services.

  Participants will also start to plan the Social Action element of the programme. Teams will be given a menu of possible social action projects relevant to their local area, and can chose the one they would like to undertake.

  Programmes will come to an end and participants will return home at around midday on Friday.

• Week Three: Preparing to Make a Difference

  The final stage of the full-time programme is non-residential. Teams will continue to work together on a daily basis Monday to Friday to plan how they intend to make a positive difference in their community.

  This week could take many forms. Teams might, for example, visit a range of local voluntary action projects before deciding how they wish to support one or a number of projects. Alternatively, they might agree on a shared concern and plan a fund-raising campaign.

  Whatever the team chooses to do, it is important that they plan realistically and set themselves achievable goals within the time and resources they have available. A small amount of money will be available to each team to undertaken this project, and they will need to budget this accordingly.

• Beyond: Social Action / Volunteering

  With the full time element of the programme now complete, it is down to the team and to individual participants to use their skills, confidence and understanding of the community to put their plans into practice.  Each participant is expected to undertake around 30 hours of voluntary social action. This figure is an approximate guide only. Participants will be asked to keep a record of what they have done and the time they have spent, but they will not be held to a strict time commitment if their social action takes slightly more or less than 30 hours.

  Some participants will complete their voluntary activity in a single block of time, others might undertake a few hours each week for several weeks. Although we would expect most participants to be largely self-sufficient at this stage, throughout the voluntary action phase they will continue to have the support of their team workers who will be available to help if any problems arise.

• Graduation... and Continuing Involvement

  When all the NCS teams have completed their programme, a large-scale graduation event will take place to recognise and celebrate what has been achieved. We hope that NCS participants will play an active part in leading this event. Parents, NCS team workers and organisations that have supported the programme will also be invited to take part.

  The graduation event will also be an opportunity to showcase continued opportunities for volunteering in the local community, working as a volunteer in support of next year’s teams and, in the longer term, for taking part in International Citizen Service.