Opportunity for Year 11 School leavers

[123fast]

NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE OPPORTUNITY

 

This summer 2012, Clubs’ For Young People are delivering the National Citizen Service (NCS) for year eleven school leavers, we are running two cohorts and each cohorts will consist of fifteen young people.

 

The NCS is a national project from the Cabinet Office and the Department for Education. The aim of the project is to empower the young people to understand their community and to become active members through volunteering in different community projects.

 

The program consists of the following Phases;

 

Pre NCS & Phase 1 – Introducing NCS (Likely time commitment 10/15 hours)

 

Once a month meeting up session between March and June to sign up for the project and launching which will include:

 

• Presentations to participants and families using visual aids such as DVDs of residential and activities outlining the course content.

• ‘Team building’ activity session using existing staff, including exploration of what people bring to the group.

 

Phase 2 – Outbound Residential

 

Progressive personal development course using full range of outdoor activities (climbing, kayaking etc) and basing the whole experience on Kolb’s learning cycle, which naturally builds in planning and reviewing to every activity.

 

• Activities becoming more challenging as the week progresses, and as the group develops the correct skills to be able to cope, for example culminating in an overnight expedition or challenging river trip.

 

• Mix of challenging physical, mental, creative and skills-based activities mean young people can shine in some areas and be challenged by other areas.

 

• Activities involve lots of structured responsibility, for example rotated team leaders/map readers, with young people also taking responsibility for some

 

• domestic tasks, planning for their activities and preparing equipment

 

 

Phase 3 – Community visit and skills week

 

• Locality audit / community exploration including introduction to community champions. (1 day)

 

• 3 Taster Sessions of volunteering (1 day in total)

 

• Project management skills session based around a shared team passion, for example planning a music event, arts project or sports tournament (half day)

 

• Team challenge (2 days) putting project management skills into practice, either by using a shared passion (such as music or sport) that young people decide on to provide a community service or through exercise such as Apprentice meets Dragon’s Den (see illustration).

 

 

Phase 4 - Social action planning week

 

• Presentation and communication skills workshop, leading into presentation to a community group telling them about the scheme and introducing discussion of what kinds of social action the community would welcome.

 

• Consultation workshop, introducing range of approaches to capturing community views.

 

• Small group exploration of social action options, including market research with community leaders and wider community.

 

• Feasibility study of social action project idea (costs, practicalities, risk assessment etc).

 

• Touch base sessions with two other NCS teams (1 team in person, 1 remotely) to practice community presentation and critique each others’ plans, followed by social activity.

 

• Young people present their proposed project to the community group to gain support for what they plan to do and invite community feedback.

 

 

Phase 5 – Part-time social action, fair/event and graduation

 

• Young people-led social action with staff and volunteers in support role. Based on our experience to date social action may range from community service (garden clearance; putting vinyl disks onto computer) to arranging a trip or community event (family fun day / music festival etc) to environmental projects.

 

 

The project will be fun but challenging providing young people with new skills, building confidence, community cohesion personal and social development.

 

The opportunity for young people to gain a level 1, 2, 3 qualifications in

Community Volunteering Qualification (QVC), Level 3 achievers

will receive 50 UCAS points.

 

The project will be managed and delivered locally by two level three youth workers and two volunteers All staff delivering the project are fully trained with enhanced CRB checks, and appropriate first aid and child protection certificate .

 

We are expecting demand for the thirty places to be high, so please contact us at an early stage to give your son/daughter the best chance to take part.

 

You can all so visit the NCS websites http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

http://www.catch-22.org.uk/ncs

 

For more information please contact me on

ncs@sycyp.org.uk or pm me

[love_rat]

Would the money not be better spent teaching the kids a trade?

[Jo1216]

My son was sent the info for this last ,in year 11,but they wanted him to go on the residential and he hadnt finished his exams,i emailed for more info never got a reply,and i wasnt happy about my son going away with people i knew nothing about,it wasnt mentioned at school at all,it almost felt like a con,taking kids away for nothing with very little information.