NCS places available in Rochdale for summer fun

National Citizen Service (NCS) summer programme

There are still places available in Rochdale for young people aged 15-17 to take part in this year’s National Citizen Service (NCS) summer programme.

Run by the UK’s leading social integration charity, The Challenge, NCS encourages social mixing and interaction across all social divides - between people of different nationalities, ethnicities, age, social class, employment status, sexuality, gender and disability - through exciting and thrilling challenges.

Teenagers spend four weeks working together, taking part in various activities - rock-climbing, kayaking, abseiling, volunteering in their communities, learning to cook, public speaking, campaigning and pitching their ideas to a team of professional business people. Through these experiences they build their confidence and skills, and forge new, strong friendships with people from different backgrounds. All this drives The Challenge’s mission and vision of promoting social integration, while having fun.

One young person who took part last year said: "NCS allowed me to do things I thought I would never do. It really showed me that I can overcome my boundaries and I learnt to be more independent and outgoing. If you're looking for a summer of fun, that is both productive and enjoyable, NCS is for you. Just do it!" 

Dominic May, performance and operations director for The Challenge, said: “Research shows that we tend to build friendships with people with a similar education, of a similar age and ethnicity as ourselves, meaning we are missing out on connecting with our wider society. We want young people from Rochdale to take on new challenges together this summer, new adventures and give back to their community through social action projects. This is a unique experience, giving local young people a new and better perception of so-called ‘differences’, which in turn leads to a more integrated society.”

Over the last 50 years, the UK has become more diverse by age, ethnicity and income. But despite our growing diversity, many of us spend relatively little time with people from different walks of life.

The benefits of taking part in the programme have been highlighted by The Challenge’s partnership with Oxford University’s Centre for the Study of Intergroup Conflict. They measured an increase in understanding, empathy, respect and better connections with people they would ordinarily have judged as ‘different’.

They also confirmed that half the young people who took part in 2017 planned to volunteer to help their local community, while one-third of participants felt more empowered to make a difference.

It costs just £50 for the entire experience, including food, accommodation and activities.