This summer saw two different National Citizen Service (NCS) waves enjoy the experience of a lifetime. With the graduation ceremony over with, we thought it’d be the perfect time to look back on all the amazing and exciting things our NCS participants got up to over the summer!
The NCS programme started with our wave 1, who began their adventure at YHA Chester, where they remained for five days, taking on a whole host of different challenges, activities & experiences including abseiling, climbing & so much more. The group also took on their Epic Challenge which consisted of a large-scale and difficult hike around the Welsh moors, the reward being one of the many great views in the country
Wave 1 also experienced a range of mini-activities throughout the week such as sports day events, workshops, smoothie making, colour wars as well as an impromptu bin bag fashion show which was hysterical and sure to bring a lot of laughter to the group
During their Social Action week, the different groups in wave 1 helped to raise money for two different Mental Health charities; Jack’s Club & Lauren’s Place as well as organising a fundraising car-wash at the Stanley Sports Hub for British Red Cross in an effort to raise funds for victims of the war in Ukraine
Wave 2 began their NCS journey at YHA Castleton, where they also spent the week enjoying a multitude of exciting and thrilling activities, including rock climbing, abseiling & community mapping. The group also visited the Carsington Water Reservoir where they took part in some more aquatic challenges such as canoeing and raft building
The group were also visited by Loud Speaker, an organisation that helps young people find their confidence in public speaking, interviews etc. Everyone benefited massively from this help, with obvious improvements in how the young people were able to carry their voice without fear of judgement and it was a very rewarding experience
During their Social Action week, two groups trekked Pendle Hill in a sponsored walk to raise funds for both Bleak Holt, an Animal Welfare charity as well as Lancashire Women, a charity dedicated to challenging the systemic gender imbalance.
At the end of the week, participants were afforded the opportunity to throw sponges and dump ice-water on all the NCS Staff & Leaders. All the money raised from that alongside some pre-made care packages, were donated to the British Red Cross
Both Waves 1 & 2 also took the time & effort required to learn Great British Sign Language, an important & necessary skill needed to help bridge the gap of accessibility
Lauren Turner, NCS Co-Ordinator, said “The young people from both waves were fantastic! They were enthusiastic and always up to challenge themselves, experiencing new things and conquering fears through activities like abseiling, rock climbing and so much more! The second wave were, fortunately, able to take part in water activities like canoeing & raft building. The work the young people put into their Social Action weeks was outstanding, over the two programmes the teams managed to raise just over £1200 for different local charities! Everyone who took part should feel very proud of themselves for all the work they’ve done and it has been a pleasure to lead them through the programme!”
For the graduation ceremonies, the groups were taken out to Total Ninja in Manchester where they enjoyed a great day packed with fun as a reward for all the amazing work they put in during the programme. We sincerely wish everyone who took part this summer the very best for the future and a huge congratulations too!
