Last week I had the pleasure of attending the National Citizen Service Celebration which celebrated another wave of youngsters who have completed the National Citizen Service course over the summer. It was great to see you people being recognised for giving up their time this summer to give back to their community.
The National Citizen Service aims to bring young people together by building stronger, more integrated communities and fostering understanding between young people from different backgrounds. Since 2010, nearly 300,000 young people aged between 14 and 17 years old have benefitted from the opportunity.
Since 2012 I have seen every part of the process, and I have seen some fantastic projects. Earlier this summer I was pleased to see first-hand some of the fun and imaginative activities put on by National Citizen Service participants from Swindon.
I visited a three day charity event at the Southbrook Inn in Ferndale, where a group of National Citizens Service participants raised money through cake sales, face painting and henna tattoos. I saw another group raise money for the Rainbow Trust by hosting a book launch, which also included a raffle and live entertainment.
The young people taking part enjoy residential trips, which work to build teamwork skills and a sense of independence. On their return these skills are used to benefit the community as the teenagers support and raise money for a local charity of their choice.
It is often assumed that the young people all know each other—perhaps they are all in the same class at a local college that has collectively decided to go. In fact, it is actually a random collection of people stepping outside their comfort zones and giving up their valuable summer holidays to do something constructive.
There many benefits to participating in the National Citizen Service; 70% of the young people taking part felt more confident about getting a job and 80% felt more positively about people from different backgrounds. The scheme also left them more articulate and grounded, as well as feeling more able to have an impact on the world around them. As a former employer who employed a great many young people, I have particularly impressed by the genuine, total transformation of the young people who had taken advantage of this fantastic opportunity.
I have been a strong advocate for the National Citizen Service in Parliament, speaking in parliament more than once to draw attention to the good work it does for young people in the UK.
In January I gave a speech during a debate on the National Citizen Service, during which I highlighted some of the improvements I wanted to see made to the scheme. These included better promotion so more people are aware of the National Citizen Service, more advice to help the participants establish meaningful community action projects and that the project continues to deliver to a high standard. I also believe it is important to engage with young people and parents over other ways it can be improved.
It’s great to see young people trying to make a difference in their local community and wanting to give something back. National Citizen Service is an incredible opportunity for young people and I am keen to back events they organise in support of charities that help Swindon residents.
