If you’re aged 16-17 don’t miss out on the chance to sign up to the National Citizen Service, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young people.
The four-week adventure begins Monday 14 July and will help teenagers build new skills, make new friends, discover their communities and they’ll receive a certificate signed by the Prime Minister.
Run by the West Sussex County Council’s Youth Support and Development Service, the National Citizen Service (NCS) includes teams from Crawley, Adur, Mid Sussex, Worthing, Arun, Horsham and Chichester. In total there will be 10 NCS groups throughout West Sussex, each made up of 15 young people.
The programme consists of five days in Devon developing teamwork and leadership skills. Then five days at Blacklands Farm near East Grinstead to find out about the local community by taking part in fun and unique workshops.
A week is then spent in each group’s own community to learn more about the local area, the issues it faces and come up with ways of solving them.
Finally, each group will put their hard work into action by taking part in a project of their choosing to make a difference in the local community and sharing the skills they have gained from the last few weeks.
Taking part in NCS will not only increase confidence, look great on a CV and make university applications stand out, it will also help young people meet new friends and develop skills recognised by future employers.
West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Children – Start of life, Peter Evans said: “The growth and development we witnessed in young people who took part last year was truly phenomenal. Young people grew as individuals and as a team to deliver some inspirational projects to help others in their communities including fundraising and redecorating community centres. We are so proud of their achievements and excited at the prospect of repeating that success this year.”
Even though the experience is worth hundreds of pounds, the standard price to be involved in the NCS 2014 is just £50 per person with discounts and bursaries also available.
There are only 150 places available through West Sussex County Council so get signed up today.
Apply online at www.thencsnetwork.org.uk (quoting West Sussex County Council) or email: ncs@westsussex.gov.uk
You can also ‘like’ the NCS on Facebook at ‘West Sussex NCS’ and ‘National Citizen Service’.