Justin Tomlinson MP today visited Swindon College to meet the young people from all over Swindon who are taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) scheme.
NCS is aimed at 16 and 17 year olds and seeks to help them build their skills and give them a stake in their local community. The programme runs over 3 weeks and gives young people a wide range of experiences, building their confidence and developing vital team and personal skills. The first week is spent on outdoor activities, the second on activities like drama or music whilst learning about the local community and the third planning a community project. This project the teams then work together to deliver. Last year over 8000 young people took part in NCS and it is the Government's ambition that every 16 and 17 year old will have the opportunity to try it out.
The Swindon teams had enjoyed a week at outdoor activity centre PGL at Liddington and had been working on planning their community projects which they then presented to Justin. One team had organised to pack bags to raise money for the local Women's Refuge, and the other organised different ways to promote Swindon Borough Council's Community Games Tour, designing and handing out leaflets in the town centre, putting up posters and using social media.
Justin Tomlinson MP said "I was very impressed by the two teams' projects. National Citizen Service is a fantastic opportunity for young people to build confidence and skills in preparation for the world of further education or work.
"I wish both teams the best of luck with their projects this week and I am sure their hard work will have a lasting impact in the local community."
The two projects run all this week. Keep an eye out for the bag packers at the Co-Op in Gorse Hill and at Morrisons. The Community Games Tour (and this week with its promotional team) will be touring Swindon all summer and will be in Stratton on Tuesdays, and Penhill on Thursdays. You can find out more about the Tour at www.challengeswindon.org.uk
You can also follow the progress of the two teams from their twitter feed @MyNCS12