It seems like just a few years ago I was 16 and thought I knew everything, looking back I was full of thirst for life. I wanted to do it all and thought I could,
It seems like just a few years ago I was 16 and thought I knew everything, looking back I was full of thirst for life. I wanted to do it all and thought I could, yet lacked the knowledge of how to even start to go about it. In hindsight I still needed a lot more education, both in the academics and in real life too. Now here I am a fair few years on and my son is nearly 16 and although he is so different to me (thankfully!) I know he lacks the confidence to even choose a future career as he doesn’t want to make the wrong decision. So how do you give your teens the confidence and that boost they need to believe in themselves? I thought it was an impossible task until I found out about National Citizen Service (NCS) and now here I am wishing it was something that had been readily available for me all those years ago.
So what is NCS? NCS stands for National Citizen Service, and it’s not as scary as it sounds, don’t worry it’s not shipping your child off to serve in the Army. It is a government backed programme that was established back in 2011 to help the future generations build a more cohesive, mobile and engaged society. It is a 3-4 week long experience that give young people the confidence and believe that they can do anything in life, something my own 15 year old could do with a boost of. The great thing that stood out to me was that it’s not just children from a particular walk of life joining in, it is children from different backgrounds all coming together in a way that they can learn so much from each other and together.
Will it be expensive? This was my first thought, as a parent on a budget I get the chills when a letter comes home from school for trips, but I was shocked to see the price is no more than £50, for the whole course! That includes a activities, accommodation, meals, expenses and equipment. A real steal of a price and something that is easily affordable, and there is even extra financial assistance available if you fit the criteria too.
When will it be? There are loads of different dates available, so even if you have a holiday booked this summer you can still get involved. The NCS endeavour to get a place for every eligible teen no matter what holidays they already have booked. Just register to find out more.
So why do it? To date more than 400,000 young people have taken part in the scheme and the results have been outstanding. More than seven MILLION hours of community action have been completed. Giving young people the boost to go out and not just live life, but to have a zest for life that they can make a difference in some way is just amazing. It gives an impressive UCAS personal statement for the future, and shows employers that you have the drive to do more. It helps you learn the skills employers value in their staff too. Ehat better way to experience more of life at such a young age?
Signing up is easy, a simple form to fill out. Don’t delay, do something amazing this summer and sign up today on the NCS website.
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