The National Citizen Service (NCS) is a voluntary programme for 16 year olds, designed to take place after pupils have finished year 11. It involves:
• a week of tasks, completed in a residential setting away from home, which are personally challenging (typically in the form of an outdoor challenge) and focused on personal and social development
• another week of tasks involving visiting and helping the local community and developing skills, again completed in a residential setting away from home
• a week designing a project to help the local community
• thirty hours of social action on a part-time basis
The Government has described the initiative as “a gateway to the Big Society for many young people…supporting them to develop the skills and attitude they need to get more engaged with their communities.” It is hoped that the NCS will promote:
• a more cohesive society by mixing participants of different backgrounds
• a more responsible society by supporting the transition into adulthood for young people
• a more engaged society by enabling young people to work together to create social action projects in their local communities
Around 8,500 participants took part in the NCS pilot programme of 2011. Thirty thousand places were offered in 2012. The Cabinet Office has said that up to 50,000 places will be available in 2013 and up to 90,000 in 2014.