If you had asked me what the National Citizen Service (NCS) was 6 months ago, I would have shrugged my shoulders and apologised for not knowing. But fast forward to now, and NCS is talked about almost daily in our house. Morgan is counting down the days until his NCS adventure begins at the end of June, 3 days after he finishes school.
The NCS programme is open to 15-17 year olds (you need to be turning 16 by the 31st August), and aims to bring together young people from different backgrounds and cultures. Morgan heard all about NCS after they came to his school, and delivered an assembly to the year 11s. The 4 week experience is split into phases, and whilst every NCS programme will slightly differ due to where you live, this is what Morgan has to look forward to.
Week one (Adventure) 5 days spent at an outdoor adventure centre in Yorkshire. All accommodation, activities, food, and transport are included in the £50 fee.
Week two (Discovery) 5 days spent living on campus at Chester University.
Week three and four (Social action) 10 days will be spent in the local community.
Celebration A chance to relax and celebrate your achievements at the end of the NCS experience.
And yes you did hear me right, the cost to participate in the NCS programme is only £50. This is down to NCS receiving huge Government backing, as the cost to deliver the programme is substantially more. And we can all agree that you don’t get much from the Government. If it helps our teenagers to be more confident, give them the skills for future employees, and meet new people, then surely this is an amazing opportunity for them.
Signing up to NCS was really easy, and you can do this on their website. The best part for Morgan was being able to go on the programme with his mates, which NCS will try and do so you are not alone. There was a range of dates available, from the minute they finish school, to right through the summer holidays. They have chosen to go on the 25th June, and whilst Morgan will miss 2 days as he is going to Italy with school, NCS were really accommodating.
He has already been to an open evening, and had the chance to meet the people who are running his NCS programme. It also gave him the chance to meet up with other people from different schools. We also get to attend a meeting in June, and as a parent I am really impressed with how the NCS programme is run.
Morgan has such an exciting summer ahead of him, and as a parent I am proud that he has decided to participate in NCS. We just need to get these GCSEs out of the way first, and then it’s full steam ahead for the summer of NCS.
NCS can also be found on social media
Facebook @NCS
Twitter @NCS
Instagram @NCSyes
*Written in collaboration with NCS*
*Picture Credits NCS*
I didn’t know this was a thing. It looks and sounds awesome. What a great way to spend the summer. I hope this is something we have up here xx
Hopefully it is in Scotland too Susan as it’s an amazing opportunity once they get to year 11 x
I think this scheme is so amazing, Morgan will have such a great time and it breaks up the long summer holiday too. I know a few teens who have done over the last couple of years and they got loads out of it and had a great time
He is so excited Nikki, and I am so pleased he chose to sign up along with lots of his friends too. He is going to have an awesome summer x
How exciting for Morgan! It’s fantastic that he’s got this to look forward to straight after his GCSEs. I think it’s amazing that the whole thing only costs £50 – that’s a lot less than having a teenager at home eating constantly!
That is true Sarah, you would spend A LOT more than £50 feeding him in that time. He is so excited and I am glad he gets to do it with lots of his friends too. They are going to have a brilliant summer x