NCS - National Citizen Service Trust

Earlier this month dozens of empowered young people from the North East descended on Newcastle upon Tyne to take part in a Youth Symposium, and got to put their views and ideas to many of the region’s top decision-makers. Rylie Sweeney, aged 18 from Teesside, is a rising star and future leader to watch. Alongside her day job as an apprentice site manager with construction firm Willmott Dixon, Riley serves as a youth advisor to the Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza. She is also an active member of the youth advisory group for The Careers & Enterprise Company. Riley said: “We heard from lots of different young people. We also heard from decision makers and people of influence and we’re really highlighting key issues across the North East. Now is the time when we’re calling for action on the people who have the power to make decisions to listen to young people’s voices."

Good luck Team GB! We're wishing our amazing athletes the best of luck as competitors from around the world gather for the #Paris2024 #Olympics and #Paralympics

Congratulations to Stephanie Peacock MP, who has become the minister for youth in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 🎉 🤝 We look forward to collaborating with the minister and harnessing the power of NCS, implementing the government’s missions agenda for young people. 1. Equipping young people with the skills they need to become full, active participants in the economy 💼 2. Delivering programmes proven to support young people’s wellbeing 🧠 3. Building bridges in communities, nurturing social cohesion and respect for diversity 🫶 4. Breaking down barriers to opportunity, by reaching a higher proportion of free-school meal recipients, ethnic minorities, and providing targeted programmes for care leavers 🪴 5. Providing socially beneficial employment opportunities through the UK Year of Service, including organisations at the forefront of the green economy 🌍

We’re recruiting for our next Chief Executive Officer to join NCS Trust. We’re looking for someone passionate about supporting young people to overcome and combat the challenges they face. The closing date for applications is Sunday 25 August. Find out more ➡ https://lnkd.in/eS4K_DQr

We were delighted that The Key - Inspiring Belief in Young People, one of our grantees delivering local community NCS experiences, included a special 'NCS Key Superstars' award at their recent awards evening. Seven teams of young people who have delivered social action, thanks to funding from NCS, for projects such as helping the homeless, or care home residents, food banks and children's charities were on the shortlist. The overall winner was Confidence in Conversations, a group of young people with lived experience as a young refugee arriving in a new city. Together they supported young refugees who had recently arrived in Newcastle upon Tyne, tutoring them on different topics such as transport, getting around, schools, jobs and even the local Geordie slang! Group member Nuha said: "I wanted to give back to my community who supported me in a similar situation. I first hand have the same experience and I know how helpful my community was and I wanted them to have the same support." A massive well done for your award win! 👏

It has been an exciting two weeks since the appointment of our new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer - here’s a breakdown of what has caught our eye, and how we are supporting the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. 1. The Children’s Wellbeing Bill The Children’s Wellbeing Bill aims to put children and their wellbeing at the centre of education. We share this ambition and here at NCS Trust we are: 🧠 Partnering with UCL, StreetGames UK, and The Social Prescribing Youth Network (SPYN) to research the impact of youth provision on mental health and wellbeing. 🧑💻 ️Sharing evidence-based resources with young people and the youth sector. 👑 Supporting organisations such as The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales to embed youth voice into policy making in this area. 2. The Skills England Bill The Skills England Bill aims to streamline skills training, tackle shortages, and boost growth - we share this priority, and we are delivering: 🤝 The Enrichment Partnerships Pilot, boosting non-formal learning without burdening schools. 🔧 Year-round experiences that enhance skills, employability, youth employment & oracy. 💼 The UK Year of Service - bridging skills gaps and fostering early career development. 3. The Teacher Recruitment Campaign The Secretary of State for Department for Education, Rt Hon. Bridget Phillipson MP, has begun work to recruit 6,500 new teachers - we are: 📑 Delivering resources through our Skills Builder programme for schools. 💻 Enhancing our online offer, supporting teachers through accessible programmes. 🤝 Connecting with teachers across the country, most recently at the North East Youth Symposium. 4. Widening Democratic Participation The Government has announced a renewed focus on widening democratic participation - we are: 🗳 Working with Our Generation Our Vote, Democracy Classroom, MyLifeMySay, The Hope Collective, and others to encourage active citizenship. 📣 Supporting the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and other departments to embed youth voice in policy making. 👥 Convening events to connect young people with thought leaders and decision-makers.

Yesterday we held a Network Meeting for our North East NCS partners. It was a great opportunity for them to hear about the NCS experiences and NCS funded projects that are currently in place across the region, from our away from home experiences with Ingeus, to our local community experiences with Children North East and our digital experiences from FIRST. We also welcomed several of our Enrichment Partnerships Pilot grantees along to update us on the important work to enhance the quality and uptake of enrichment activities across the region. Among the delegates were Courtney from Hat-Trick, Imran from The Enterprise Academy and Sharlize from Our 1 Community, all former NCS participants who are now employed as part of UK Year of Service placements. It was great to hear about your journeys into employment. Thank you to all of our partners for coming along! StreetGames UK, NEYouth, Youth Focus: North East, Northumberland Wildlife Trust - Durham Wildlife Trust, Go The Distance CIC, The Key - Inspiring Belief in Young People, Northern Stage Newcastle

We are delighted to be working with North East Lincolnshire Council to grant fund NCS projects in the area that support local teenagers with social and employability skills. #Employability

On Tuesday 16th & Wednesday 17th July, NCS - National Citizen Service Trust hosted the UK Year of Service Summer conference for over 80 of our members. The event provided an opportunity for members to develop their skills, with sessions from Speakers Trust and NCS Trust. Day one focused on communicating with confidence and networking with other UK Year of Service members, whilst day two developed members' understanding of themselves and their values using the IKIGAI model, followed by a session to explore how their placements and organisations deliver impact. A huge thank you to all our members for your engagement and willingness to meet new people. We can't wait to see you again in November!

Today’s State Opening of Parliament has outlined the Government's ambitious agenda for change. We welcome the Government’s bold announcements for young people which include: 🧠 A Children’s Wellbeing Bill - this will set the foundations to equip every child with essential knowledge and skills for the future 🔧 A Skills England Bill - which will support economic growth by strengthening the skills and training landscape 💬 An increased focus on wider participation in the democratic process Building young people’s skills and wellbeing, and supporting them to become active citizens, is at the heart of the NCS mission. As the Government’s only Arms-Length Body (ALB) for youth, we at NCS Trust stand ready to share our insights, leverage our expertise and continue contributing to meaningful change for the young people we serve.