Transforming opportunities for a new generation

Organising a fundraising community day; regenerating a secret garden; highlighting the range of conditions facing young people with autism; and painting a series of sporting murals on city underpasses. These are just some of the amazing community projects being undertaken by young people as part of the National Citizen Service programme in Milton Keynes this summer. Earlier this month I had the pleasure to take part in a Dragon’s Den grilling, alongside Milton Keynes Council Leader Pete Marland, to help the young people get their projects into shape.

The more I have seen about National Citizens Service the more I have been impressed both by its ethos of responsibility and leadership, and its positive impact on the young people involved. The summer marks the 100,000 young person to have taken part in the NCS scheme since its launch in 2011, making it the fastest growing young movement in a century. Gone are David Cameron’s sweeping generalisations about Broken Britain. In its place is a thriving scheme that is broadening the experiences available to many young people and giving them the opportunity to develop their own social impact projects to benefit the community.

Today’s independent evaluation report shows that National Citizen Service is a huge success: creating a more confident, capable, connected and compassionate group of graduates from the programme. That is certainly my experience from Milton Keynes where the MK Dons Sport and Education Trust have done amazing work bringing together a diverse group of young people.  The programme brings together a two or three week full-time programme focussed around learning and discovery, plus 30 hours committed to a community project that benefits both young people and society. Over 100 16 and 17 year olds in Milton Keynes have already been through the full-time summer camp phase of the programme and are now busy planning and delivering on their community projects.

The key watchwords for MK Dons SET organisers are social impact and legacy. The community projects must have a genuine impact on the local area and deliver a benefit beyond the young people involved. It was incredible watching the young cohort at work in Milton Keynes. These were some grand plans being developed. Not all will come to fruition in their grandest form, but part of the challenge for participants is to overcome barriers. All of the projects will come to something.

Established in 2011 to create a more responsible, cohesive and engaged society, the National Citizens Service brings young people from a range of backgrounds together to face outdoor challenges, learn skills for life and work and make their mark on their community. Anecdotal evidence from the MK DONS SET is clear that that programme has allowed young people to develop new friendships, widen their social networks and build organisational skills they would not have otherwise thought about at 16 and 17 years old.

The national evaluation report has put some numbers alongside the anecdotal evidence: 84 per cent of participants felt more positive about people from different backgrounds after taking part in the programme; 72 per cent felt they would be more likely to volunteer and get involved in local community project.

The programme also provides young people with the opportunity to develop team work, leadership and project skills that employers say they want. Labour would be wise to build on the achievements of this programme and make it a key plank of its 2015 youth offer. Transforming the horizons and life chances of young people is central to Labour’s mission. The National Citizen Service, and in Milton Keynes the work of the MK DONS SET, provide a real life example of just how they can be achieved.

Andrew Pakes is the Labour & Co-operative Parliamentary Candidate for his home town of Milton Keynes South