National Citizen Service

1

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY

I first spoke about the idea for a national school leaver programme back in2005 – before I was leader of this party, and before I had even thrown my hat inthe ring. Some people said I shouldn’t talk about the idea of a national servicescheme, but I was determined to do so. So as soon as I was elected leader, Iheld a meeting with youth leaders and set them a challenge. I said that I wantedto see a programme designed that would engage the young people of thiscountry and give them a renewed sense of purpose, optimism and belonging.

And yes, I said that I wanted to see something like national service – but non-military national service. However, it would share some of the same spirit asnational service in that it would bring together people from differentbackgrounds and different parts of the country as they stood on the cusp ofadulthood. It had to be a residential programme, so that these young peoplewould spend time living together, working together and playing together.Thanks to this programme, they would really get to know each other – andreally come to appreciate the diversity of life in Britain.

My original idea was that it should be compulsory, like national service was, tomake it something the whole country could do together. But youth leaders toldme that would have been the kiss of death. Our aim instead should be that itis universal, but not compulsory, and of such high quality and great benefitthat everyone will want to take part.

So why have I been so committed to this ambitious idea for so long? Simple.Take a look around you. There is a tragic waste of potential that shames thenation. It is a needless waste of talent. The young of this country are aspassionate and idealistic as any generation before. Perhaps more passionate.They march against poverty, they set up online campaigns, they push theirparents to recycle and they care deeply about climate change.

But too many of our young people appear lost. Their lives lack shape or anysense of direction. So they take out their frustrations and boredom on theworld around them. They get involved with gangs. They smash up theneighbourhood. They turn to drink and drugs.

Foreword by David Cameron

We want to offer them an alternative. In many societies, the journey fromchildhood to adulthood is marked by a rite of passage, marking the momentthat children turn into adults, taking on board new rights and newresponsibilities. They face a challenge to prove they are ready, and they rise tothe challenge, standing taller and prouder as a result.

So that is what National Citizen Service is all about. It is a two month programmefor sixteen year-olds to come together in common purpose. It will mix up youngpeople from different backgrounds. It will teach them the meaning of socialresponsibility by asking them to serve their communities. And above all, it willhelp the next generations to discover the depths of their talents and the realscale of their potential. As Mahatma Gandhi put it rather beautifully: “The bestway to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

We have set ourselves a challenge as well. A very ambitious one. Over time wewant to offer this programme to all sixteen year olds who want to do it. Thatwould mean hundreds of thousands of teenagers each year volunteering to dosomething positive for their nation. And every one of them would not only beplaying their part in the life of the country, but gaining a renewed sense ofdirection in their own lives.

Don’t just take my word for it. We have already run pilot programmes to testthe idea and they are proving to be a runaway success. As one participantsaid: “Seeing that I could have a positive impact in people that I’d never metbefore basically just inspires me and lets me know that I could go to the worldand make a difference.”

It is hard to imagine a more positive ideal. I have always believed that NationalCitizen Service could be transformative – for both the people taking part andthe well-being of the nation. This is about sowing the seeds of the Big Society– and seeing them burst into bloom in the years to come.

And if I might take a glimpse into the future, I hope that when we seetomorrow’s social entrepreneurs, the people who will have set up charities, thecommunity organisers, those that will give up their time to help the old andsick – I hope that all these people will trace it all back to one of the best andmost fulfilling times of their lives.

NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE

2

3


National Citizen Service (NCS) willbe a 2 month summer programmefor 16-year olds, involving bothresidential and at-homecomponents. It will be delivered byindependent charities, socialenterprises and businesses.

From the outset, NCS was conceivedas a new feature of national life thatwould be backed and funded – butnot run by – the state. It is a cleardemonstration of our belief in socialresponsibility, not state control – anda key component of our plans tobuild a Big Society.

We will provide funding for theinitial two years of the phased

national roll-out from theDepartment of Communities andLocal Government’s communitycohesion programme, which hasbeen strongly criticised by theCommunities and LocalGovernment Committee, chaired bya Labour MP. In the SpendingReview in autumn 2010, we willprovide details of funding forfurther expansion. National CitizenService will be a priority in thisSpending Review.

A Conservative government setsfor itself this ambitious goal: thatover time, all 16 year-olds willtake part in National CitizenService. We want National Citizen

Service to be a rite of passage forall sixteen year olds in Britain, anda shared experience that will bringpeople from across the countrytogether.

National Citizen Service willachieve three core aims:

A more cohesive society: Bybringing young people ofdifferent social, religious andethnic backgrounds together inteams, and giving them a seriesof intense shared experiences,we can help challengepreconceptions and build a morecohesive and integrated society.

A more responsible society: Byhelping young people reflect onthe responsibilities that comewith being an adult citizen of thiscountry, we can help build amore responsible society.

A more engaged society: Byproviding a structuredopportunity for young people tounderstand and serve their localcommunity, we can help build asociety in which people are moreengaged in social action totackle problems in their owncommunities.

Over the past four and half years, the Conservative Party has helped to raiseover £2 million for independent charities to develop pilots for a national youthservice programme. Building on these succesful pilots, which have taken placein London, Wales and the North West, a Conservative government willintroduce National Citizen Service for 16 year olds.

Executive Summary

Even before he was elected leader of the Conservative Party almost four and ahalf years ago, David Cameron was setting out his ambition to create anational programme for 16 year-olds which would bring together young peoplefrom different backgrounds, teach them new skills and encourage greatersocial responsibility.

Since the start of 2006, David Cameron and the Conservative Party haveworked with youth charities, social enterprises and business to help raise £2 million to develop the programme and run pilots in London, Wales and theNorth West.


4

The story so far

August 2005 – David Cameron proposes a national schoolleaver programme in a speech to the Foreign Policy Centre

5


AUGUST 2005In a speech to the Foreign PolicyCentre, David Cameron proposed anational school leaver programme:

“The most powerful way to bringpeople together is to do thingstogether. I am always struck whenasking anyone of my father’sgeneration who did national serviceby the fact that they tend to reply ina similar way. It was something weall did together, irrespective of whowe were, where we lived, where wecame from, or what god weworshipped. But can that ever beenough? Isn’t there more we cando to enable young people to cometogether and give service to theircountry? ...

“Look at the best examples oforganisations that encouragecommunity service, particularlyamongst the young. Why notchallenge them and many otherorganisations – from the ArmedForces to community groups – tocome up with ideas for a schoolleaver programme? Something thatprepares teenagers for theirresponsibilities as adult citizens,that enables them to meet peoplefrom different backgrounds and tolearn about the realities of life indifferent communities, and whichteaches them the lifelong lessonthat we’re all in this together; thatwe have duties to our fellowcitizens; and that self-respect andself-esteem come from respectingothers and putting their needsfirst.”

NOVEMBER 2005During his leadership campaign,David Cameron won theendorsement of youth charitiesand social enterprises on the casefor a national school leaverprogramme – including backingfrom the Prince’s Trust.

In a speech to the Political StudiesAssociation in November 2005,David Cameron said:

“This idea, and this approach,goes to the heart of my politicalphilosophy. There’s not a singlechallenge that’s not best tackledby asking what we can all do aboutit – government, individuals,families, businesses, voluntaryorganisations. I believe thatcreating a national school leaverprogramme is exactly the kind ofpositive, optimistic change weneed to make a tangible reality ofthe important discussions onBritish values that you’re havingtoday.”

JANUARY 2006Reflecting his belief in socialresponsibility, not state control,David Cameron convened a majorsummit with leading youthorganisations, including the Prince’sTrust, Duke of Edinburh Award, theNational Union of Teachers andBusiness in the Community, todiscuss how these organisationscould play a role in the developmentand delivery of a nationalprogramme for young people.

Afterwards, David Cameron said:“We had an incredibly positive andconstructive meeting. Overall I wasstruck powerfully by theenthusiasm for this idea and bythe wisdom and expertise of theleading organisations present attoday’s meeting. I now lookforward to the next stage ofdevelopment in which we will beconsulting with young people,parents, employers, practitioners,and communities on how to takethe programme forward.”

MARCH 2006The Young Adult Trust, anindependent registered charity, was

established. Its remit was to takeforward David Cameron’s vision fora national school leaver programmeby carrying out research amongstyoung people, working with youthleaders and organisations andrunning early stage pilots.

Paul Oginsky was appointed ChiefExecutive of the Young Adult Trust.Paul was the joint founder, withFalklands War veteran SimonWeston, of Weston Spirit, anorganisation that aims to providepersonal and social developmentprogrammes and projects forsocially excluded at-risk youngpeople, increasing their access toopportunities and enable them tomake informed decisions.

SEPTEMBER 2006The Young Adult Trust launched aninitial pilot in Warrington, inpartnership with the voluntarysector. This pilot comprised a 7-day residential course for 25 youngpeople from diverse backgrounds.The young people worked withmentors and adult supervisors totake on a range of mental andphysical challenges over thecourse of the week.

OCTOBER 2006Speaking at an event to mark theconclusion of the Warrington pilot,David Cameron welcomed the workof the Young Adult Trust, andreiterated his commitment tocreating a national school leaverprogramme.

At this event, David Cameron said:“Our aim is to bring young peopletogether, from all backgrounds, toengage constructively in oursociety, to give them theopportunities, and theencouragement, to fulfil the basiccondition of human fellowship:social responsibility.”

SUMMER 2007 The Young Adult Trust carried out alarger pilot in Croydon, with over50 young people from diversebackgrounds taking part. This 9-day residential pilot was conductedin partnership with CroydonCouncil, and took place duringterm-time.

DECEMBER 2007Having concluded the Croydonpilot, the Young Adult Trustcompleted the work it wasestablished to achieve, andpublished its policyrecommendations on the nextsteps towards a nationalprogramme for school leavers.

In its final report, the Young AdultTrust stated: “The Young AdultTrust explored how youth-basedand other organisations coulddevelop and deliver together anationally scaled interventionwhich supports young people’stransition into young adulthood. Inpulling together a coherentmethodology, which we believe

could make this approach anational level programme, the timehas come for those with resourcesto pick up the baton. As such wenow put our findings out into thesector and the wider politicalarena. In this way political parties,and organisations with an interestin this field, can take these ideasforward and resource themappropriately.”

JANUARY 2008 A Conservative Party policy groupis launched, headed by MichaelGove, to take forward therecommendations of the YoungAdult Trust, and work with youthcharities and social enterprises todevelop an implementation planfor a national programme.

SEPTEMBER 2008 David Cameron published theNational Citizen Service ‘policygreen paper’, produced by theConservative Party policy group.This policy paper for the first timesets out detailed proposals for thecontent of the programme. These

proposals would then bediscussed with youth leaders andorganisations, and tested infurther pilot groups. The event isattended by Amir Khan andrepresentatives from some ofBritain’s leading youth charities.

MARCH 2009Building on the policy group’swork, David Cameron announcedthe launch of ‘The Challenge’, runby the Challenge Network. TheChallenge Network is anindependent charity. It’s aim is towork with independent providers todevelop and run larger-scale pilots,and roll out a national programmeover time.

SUMMER 2009 The Challenge launches largescale pilots with young peoplefrom in Southwark andHammersmith & Fulham. Over thecourse of these pilots, 158 youngpeople are taken to an outboundcentre in Wales and to the LakeDistrict, as well as carrying outprojects in their local communities.


6

7


Selected participant responses to the University of Strathclydeevaluation:

“I met new people and learnt how tohandle different people”

“It gives you a chance to socialise…with people you usually wouldn’tsee.”

“We learnt how to lead and seeeveryone’s strengths andweaknesses so you could progress”

“It has made me confident in myselfand makes me feel like I can getthrough anything, so long as I havepeople I trust”

“It made me think about mycommunity”

“Seeing that I could have a positiveimpact on people that I’d never metbefore basically just inspires me andlets me know that I could go to theworld and make a difference”

“The challenge has made us sociallyaware or socially stronger in asense.”

In addition to the University ofStrathclyde evaluation, when theindependent think tank, Demos,presented a range of civic serviceschemes – including currentgovernment schemes – to a forumof diverse young people, theyfound that the NCS programmewas the most popular.3

Evaluation of Summer2009 pilotsLast autumn, researchers at the University of Strathclyde were invited to carry outan independent evaluation of the large-scale National Citizen Service pilots run byThe Challenge in Southwark and Hammersmith & Fulham in July and August20091.

This independent evaluation showed that the National Citizen Service pilots werehighly successfull, with 100% of participants surveyed reporting that they wouldencourage other young people to come on the programme2. This research alsofound that participants’ trust in others increased as a result of the programme,and participants reported that they felt more engaged with British life.

In addition, qualitative interviews with young people who took The Challenge pilotin 2009 showed that the programme had achieved its core aims of social mixing,supporting the transition to adulthood and community engagement, and being afun and challenging programme.

1 The baseline and secondquestionnaires wereadministered to participantsin the second and thirdwaves of the Challengeprogramme 2009. Thebaseline questionnaireswere administered beforethe programme began, withthe second questionnaires

completed once participantshad completed the firstthree weeks of the project2 The University ofStrathclyde: The ChallengeProgramme Evaluation3 Sonia Sodha & DanLeighton, Service Nation,Demos, December 2009

We believe that a structuredresidential programme for sixteenyear-olds can help achieve threecore aims:

A more cohesive society: Bybringing young people ofdifferent social, religious andethnic backgrounds together inteams, and giving them a seriesof intense shared experiences,we can help challengepreconceptions and build a morecohesive and integrated society.

A more responsible society: Byhelping young people reflect onthe responsibilities that come

with being an adult citizen of thiscountry, we can help build amore responsible society.

A more engaged society: Byproviding a structuredopportunity for young people tounderstand and serve their localcommunity, we can help build asociety in which people are moreengaged in social action totackle problems in their owncommunities.

We want to make NCS an attractiveproposition for Britain’s 16 year-olds.

It will be demanding, to ensurethat the significance of participationis recognised by all.

Employers and universities willrecognise the value of theprogramme.

Each component of theprogramme will promote a ‘can do’spirit.

Participants can attend with theirfriends.

They can learn about raisingfunds.

Past participants will recommendit.

It will be a fun and challengingadventure.


8

1. Aims and key principles

What is it?

The programme will have somethingto offer every type of young person:

It will help those with lowconfidence to make the most out oflife.

Those who are overly academicwill discover there’s more to life.

Drifters will gain a sense ofachievement and focus.

Average achievers will be inspiredto stretch their potential.

For isolated individuals, it will be achance to make friends.

For high achievers, it will be a newchance to shine and support others.

It will teach tough young people torespect others’ opinions.

9


National Citizen Service will be atwo month national programme,starting in the summer holidaysafter GCSEs. Participants will beplaced in teams of twelve for theduration of the programme. Eachteam will be carefully constructedto achieve a social mix, and therewill be five teams of twelve oneach NCS programme – with 60people going through theprogramme together.

Week 1: Personal challenge andteamworkFull-time residential team buildingprogramme away fromparticipants’ local community, witha focus on teamwork and outdoorphysical challenges.

Week 2: Skills and serviceFull-time residential programmebased in participants’ homecommunity, with a focus ondeveloping new skills and servingspecified groups in the localneighbourhood, for example elderlypeople.

Week 3: Social actionWhile living at home, participantsdesign and carry out a socialaction project in their communityon a full-time basis.

Weeks 4-8: Ongoing social actionWhile living at home, participantswork on their social project on apart-time basis, structured aroundtheir existing education or workcommitments.

Those who successfully completethe programme will take part in agraduation ceremony to celebratetheir achievement. Graduates willthen be able to take advantage ofan alumni programme, which canguide and support them to identifysuitable opportunities to build ontheir experience of NCS.

MentorsEach team of twelve participantswill be supported by a team of fourmentors through the course of theprogramme.

The Senior Mentor will lead theteam and have responsibility forensuring their safety and assistingtheir personal developmentthroughout the three weeks of full-time activities. They will ensurethat the programme is challenging,yet accessible to all, includingthose with particular needs, suchas disabled young people. Being aSenior Mentor is a paid, full-timerole requiring significantexperience of youth andcommunity work in a residentialsetting and at least three days ofresidential training. Each SeniorMentor will report to a TeamLeader, who is responsible foreach cohort of young people doingthe programme at the same time.

The other supporting mentors arevoluntary roles. This includes:

A Team Mentor who will help toguide the team during the secondweek of residential activity.University students will be goodcandidates for this role.

A Community Mentor who willwork with teams full-time duringthe Social Action Week and part-time during the month that follows,bringing the project managementskills that the teams will need todesign and deliver their socialaction project. We envisage manyof these roles will be filled byemployees seconded frombusiness.

An Associate Mentor who will be ayoung person who has taken part inthe programme in previous years.The Associate Mentor will supportthe teams full-time during the SocialAction Week and part-time duringthe month that follows, helpingthem with the design and delivery oftheir social action projects.

2. NCS Programme outline

Week 1: Personal challenge and teamworkThe first team building week willprovide an opportunity for personaland social development through aseries of physical challenges to pushparticipants out of their comfortzones. Participants in the group ofsixty will be taken out of theircommunities and into an outdoorenvironment for a week. This may bea dedicated activity centre, like thoserun by Outward Bound, or a hostel orcampsite close to open spaces.Tough outdoor activities and dailyteam challenges will be designed tohelp each team of young people tobond, build personal responsibility,self confidence and self awareness.Physical activities will includeclimbing, abseiling, kayaking,camping, and night-hikes. Each day,a different team member will benominated to lead the team – thiswill continue throughout the full-timeprogramme so that every youngperson has led the team for at leastone day. At the end of every day,mentors will lead a team discussionabout the experiences of the day andwhat team members have learnedabout themselves, teamwork andleadership. These discussionsshould also provide an opportunity todiscuss important concepts such asadulthood, community andBritishness. Participants willcomplete this first week of theprogramme feeling physicallystretched, mentally stronger, and anintegral part of their team.

Week 2 – Skills and service The second week will involve teammembers returning to their locality,but staying in a residentialenvironment (such as universityhalls of residence) away from home.Before the start of the programme,individuals will have chosen an

activity such as music, business,drama, engineering or sport and willbe allocated to a team of otherswith the same interest. Teams willuse their shared passion to build ontheir teamwork and projectmanagement skills and develop aninterest in community service. Theweek will include a day dedicated toserving the older generation, a daydedicated to serving the youngergeneration and will culminate in aday serving the whole community.This service might take the form ofcoaching young children in a sport,putting on an entertainment forpatients in a hospital or offering abike repair service to the localcommunity. Throughout the week,the young people will be encouragedto think about how they comeacross as they deal with people ofdifferent ages in the community, andthey will be helped to presentthemselves more effectively. Eachteam will continue to meet at theend of every day with their mentorsto discuss what they have learnedfrom their experiences and evaluatetheir own performance as a team.At the end of this second week,participants will have a betterunderstanding of their role – andthe role of others – in theircommunity, and recognise theirpower to make a difference throughserving others.

Week 3 – Social actionThe third week will involve teamstaking action to strengthen theirlocal community. In the SocialAction Week, teams will beassigned a small neighbourhood intheir local area for which they musttake responsibility. While they returnhome at night, they will be workingfull days, each one ending with ateam discussion of what they havelearnt, as in previous weeks.

The teams will begin by exploringtheir neighbourhood and meetinglocal people and representativesfrom local businesses, publicservices and charities. Using thisunderstanding of the local area, andin close consultation with localpeople, each team will decide on aproject that will deliver tangiblebenefit to the local community andwill agree a plan to deliver it in 50hours on weekends and eveningsover the next month. They will haveto pitch their plan to a “Dragons’Den” style panel of local businessand community leaders, in front ofall sixty young people in their group.The panel will subject each team’splans to close scrutiny,recommending amendments asnecessary, and will have the powerto award a small amount of fundingto facilitate the social action plans.

The team pitch to the panel willmark the end of the full timeelement to the programme, and thestart of a month of social action.

Weeks 4-8: Ongoing social actionThe fourth to eighth weekscomprise a period of social action,during which participants will delivertheir social action project and showthat they can fit community servicearound their other commitments.This month of service will have toinclude a day on which the teamtakes part in a visible act of servicein their community, such asrenovating public space forCommunity use. Teams will alsodeliver a community day to bringlocal residents together. The designof this event will be down to theteams to plan in consultation withtheir community, but should bringpeople together from across thecommunity.


10

3. NCS Programme detail

11


GraduationGraduation will take place after thecompletion of each team’s socialaction projects and will be anopportunity to celebrate thesuccess of those who have

completed a tough, but fulfillingprogramme. Graduation ceremonieswill bring together teams from allover the region. As well ascelebrating success, the graduationshould act as a launch pad for the

alumni programme: using speakersand videos to showcase the best ofBritish and to inspire young peopleto use what they have learnt onNCS to continue to give service tosociety.

4. NCS: Key issues and opportunities

QualificationsThe young people who take part inthis programme will do so for theexperience. They may choose tosubmit their participation towardsany award or qualification which theyare taking, but the programme itselfwill not offer an academicqualification. The programme is anexperience in and of itself. All that isasked is that participants fullyengage with the programme, worktogether and demonstrate effort.

Young people with special needsWe will engage with organisationsthat work with young people whohave particular needs. It isanticipated that every component ofthe programme will includeopportunities for young people withspecial needs, and it will be theundertaking of the participants tolook after one another’s needs asfar as possible. Specialistorganisations may also beapproached to supply staff for therunning of the programme.

Single-sex NCSJust as some young men andwomen prefer to attend single-sexschools, we recognise that somefamilies may prefer a single-sexNCS programme. To ensure thatNCS is open to the widest possiblerange of people from differentbackgrounds, if there is demand forsingle-sex modules, we will ensureappropriate provision.

The most hard-to-reach youngpeopleWe recognise that there are manyorganisations in the UK’s voluntarysector and penal system doing anexcellent job with the most hard-to-reach young people.

This is especially important as oncea young person enters theprogramme he/she will not be givenany dispensation for unacceptablebehaviour. Hard-to-reach youngpeople should be encouraged totake part in this programmebecause it offers them a freshchance to succeed, on a levelplaying field with everyone else.

NCS InternationalThere will also be a national NCSAwards event in which the bestSocial Action projects from aroundthe country are showcased. Thewinning teams and otheroutstanding graduates from eachregion will be offered theopportunity to take part in NCSInternational, a programme of socialaction projects in developingcountries that will be sponsored byDFID. This should provide a realincentive for NCS participants toexcel, as well as offering the life-changing experience of serving indeveloping countries to youngpeople of all backgrounds.

Alumni ProgrammeWe will create an NCS AlumniProgramme which will build on theenthusiasm and relationshipsgenerated by NCS to help build astronger society. The Senior Mentor,who will have developed a closerelationship with each teammember over two months, will forma key role in the alumni programme.Mentors will be charged withhelping NCS graduates findopportunities for further service,and pointing those who do not havefirm post-16 plans towardsopportunities in apprenticeships,further education courses and workplacements. The alumni website willshowcase examples of service fromacross the country and facilitatevolunteering opportunities. Trainingsessions and reunion events forgraduates will ensure that theimpact of NCS is enduring. Weanticipate that many NCS graduateswill go on to be mentors to youngpeople on future NCS programmes.

Competition From the outset, NCS wasconceived as a new part of nationallife that would be backed andfunded – but not run by – the state.It is a clear demonstration of ourbelief in social responsibility, notstate control – and a keycomponent of our plans to build aBig Society.

We do not believe that national orregional monopolies are likely todeliver high quality programmesand will therefore require that thecommissioning arrangements weput in place for NCS will stimulatecompetition between different

providers, old and new, large andsmall, charitable and privatesector.

Choice While we want NCS to be a sharedexperience for every group of 16year olds, we are determined thatyoung people should be able tomake a choice about which providerwould best suit themselves, theirclassmates and their friends. It maynot be possible to offer each youngperson an individual choice, but wewill seek to develop a system whichenables classes or year groups in aschool to choose between anumber of alternative providers.

Diversity Social mixing is one of the centralaims of NCS, so providers will haveto ensure that each programmethey offer reflects a broad socialmake-up. Providers must also makeevery effort to include harder-to-reach groups, including disabledpeople, children in care, people withlearning and behavioural difficultiesand people who have been throughthe criminal justice system. We willexplore the option of a paymentpremium for excluded groups tohelp incentivise mixing and coverthe additional costs incurred.Providers will also be required topromote mixing of people fromdifferent parts of the country to helpbreak down geographic barriers.One way in which this could be doneis to bring teams from differentparts of the country together at anoutward bound centre in the TeamBuilding Week.

Partnership We want NCS to enhance thecapacity of the youth sector inBritain. Existing organisations will beencouraged to participate asdelivery agents and will be givenfunding and contracts of a lengththat allows for long terminvestment, planning andrelationship building. We will work toensure that the mentors trained forNCS become a valuable newresource for the youth sector.

Transparency We will require every NCS providerto undertake formal assessment ofthe quality and impact of itsprogrammes and we will arrange forthese to be published online in anopen and standardised format. We


12

Making it happen

1. Implementation principles

will also require providers to createand promote a website on whichyoung people can publish reviews ofdifferent NCS providers and of thedifferent aspects of the programme.

SponsorshipIn line with our commitment tosocial responsibility, we willencourage young people and theirschools to provide a small

contribution towards the cost oftheir summer NCS programme. Thiswill encourage small scalecommunity fundraising activities,involving parents, neighbours andlocal businesses.

NCS providers will also beencouraged to raise fundsthemselves, in addition to thefunding they will receive from

government. These funds will beused by providers to enhance thequality of the NCS experience.

We will encourage theestablishment of an an independentand privately-run NCS Coalition –equivalent to the ScoutsAssociation – which will stimulateand coordinate sponsorship for NCSon a national level.

Commissioning national pilotsImmediately after the election, aNCS team will start to oversee thecommissioning of national pilots in2011/12 and 2012/13. The teamwill specify:

The communities for which NCSpilots will be commissioned in2011/12. This will include a mix ofurban, surburban and ruralneighbourhoods.

The detail of the programme thatindependent providers will berequired to offer.

The other conditions thatproviders must meet, such asminimum staffing levels and thefundamental requirement that everyteam of young people undertakingNCS must be socially mixed andtogether reflect the diversity of thecommunity from which they come.

The NCS team will invite potentialproviders of NCS to submitproposals for the 2011/12 nationalpilots. This will be done in a waythat gives the successful providerstime to recruit staff, bookaccommodation and beginmarketing the programme to youngpeople in the autumn term of 2010.

Potential providersAll private and charitableorganisations will be eligible to bidto deliver one of the pilots. Wehope that existing youth charities(many of whom made a majorcontribution to the development ofour ideas for National CitizenService) will want to becomeproviders of NCS. We would alsowelcome bids from privatecompanies (e.g. those alreadysupplying the youth adventure andexpeditions market).

It is likely that the successfulbidders will be organisations with atrack record in providing training andpersonal development programmesto young people. But we want toencourage smaller, local groups toorganise themselves into consortiaand bid to become providers of NCSpilots in 2012/13.

Quality control and accreditationIn view of the tight timeframe, therewill be no process of pre-accreditation for potential providersof NCS pilots in 2011/12.Contracts will only be awarded toproviders who meet all of theconditions described in the tenderdocumentation.

The NCS team will facilitate theestablishment of an independentand privately run NCS Coalition,which will oversee quality controland the accreditation of the NCSpilots. The NCS Coalition will bringtogether representatives of leadingyouth organisations and otherstakeholders to work in partnershipwith government on the furtherdevelopment of NCS.

In the first instance, the Coalitionwill be asked to conduct qualitycontrol for the 2011/12 pilots andto develop systems to measure theimpact of the programme. TheCoalition will also be invited toadvise on pre-accreditationprocedures for potential providersfor the 2012/13 pilots.

Roll-out planningThe NCS team will spend 2011/12consulting with the NCS Coalitionand local authorities on differentways in which a national NCSprogramme might be commissionedfor national roll-out from 2013/14.We would expect any finalcommissioning structure to:

offer young people a choice ofdifferent providers (eitherindividually or as a year group in aschool or local authority area);

13


2. Implementation plan for national pilots

ensure total transparency aboutthe impact of the programme and topublish young people’s reviews ofdifferent providers online;

incentivise providers to introduceNCS graduates to opportunities forfurther education, employment andcommunity service; and

encourage young people (andtheir schools and communities) toraise part of the cost of theprogramme to match governmentfunding.

Based on the development workcompleted so far, and on theexperience of running pilotprogrames, we estimate that thecost of national NCS pilots will be£13m in 2011 and £37m in 2012.These costs will in part be met bysponsorship. The bulk of the costs,however, will be borne bygovernment.

Over two years, funding of £50million will be redirected from theDepartment of Communities andLocal Government’s contribution tothe multi-departmental ‘Prevent’programme.

The Communities and LocalGovernment Committee, which ischaired by a Labour MP, haspublished a critical report on

‘Prevent’, concluding that it haswasted money and underminedcommunity cohesion4:

“We are concerned that much‘Prevent’ money has been wastedon unfocused or irrelevant projects”

“We agree with the majority of ourwitnesses that ‘Prevent’ risksundermining positive cross-culturalwork on cohesion and capacitybuilding to combat exclusion andalienation in many communities.”

We have long called for a completereview of the ‘Prevent’ strategy. Ouremphasis has always been toremove the confusion betweencounter-terrorism and communityintegration. We would seek to shiftthe emphasis to funding groups

which bring communities together,rather than encourage separation.

Our public spending review in theautumn of 2010 will identify long-term funding for the national roll-outof NCS from 2013 onwards, withNCS funding made a priority foryouth funding. However, in line withour belief in social responsibility,and our desire to make NCS trulychallenging for young people, we willalso encourage young people toseek sponsorship for participatingin National Citizen Service. We willalso enable philanthropists andbusiness to get involved in thesponsorship process as ademonstration of their commitmentto building the Big Society.


14

Costs and Funding

15


Here are some supportivecomments from some of the peoplethat have worked with us on thedevelopment of NCS since 2006:

“We live in a dislocated societywhere polar opposites of livingstandards, community spirit, quality

of life and opportunities exist.Something brave and radical isneeded to reverse this trend. TheNCS - the first of its kind is, to mymind, both vital and essential intargeting and resolving the routecourses of such a society and assuch has my full support. I urge

others to do likewise and in doingso, bring back a true sense ofcommunity spirit”.

Josh Lewsey MBE BSc PGDL,England rugby international andBritish Lion

Endorsements of our plans for a nationalcitizen service for young peopleOver the past four and half years, we have worked with youth charities, socialenterprises and leading national figures to develop our plans for National CitizenService.

"City Year London is keen tosupport the development of acontinuum of service opportunities,such as National Citizen Service,that not only give young peoplethe space for personal growth butalso have a tangible impact ontheir local community."

Sophie Livingstone, ChiefExecutive, City Year London

“As the world’s leadingachievement award for youngpeople, The Duke of Edinburgh’sAward welcomes all initiativesthat provide young people withthe opportunity to thrive andbecome active citizens . Theproposals for the NationalCitizenship Service share theDofE’s ambition to encourage allyoung people in their selfdevelopment. Research for theDofE demonstrates that youngpeople respond positively to thetype of challenges andopportunities outlined in theproposal.

“Whilst the DofE works withyoung people from all parts of oursociety, research on the impact ofthe DofE shows that the greatestimpact of our activity is on thedisadvantaged and disengaged.We will be working to ensure thatparticipation in the NationalCitizenship Service will be able tocontribute towards theirachievement of a full Duke ofEdinburgh’s Award”.

Peter Westgarth, ChiefExecutive, The Duke ofEdinburgh’s Award

"NCS could become a tippingpoint in creating positive imagesof young people - in theircommunities and in the media.Enabling young people to have

voice, and engage incommunications, should be a keythread throughout theprogramme."

Caroline Diehl MBE, ChiefExecutive, Media Trust

“Developing young people whohave a sense of responsibilityand who recognise that they canachieve more by working together,is essential to the creation of thekind of Britain we all want to livein - where neighbours know eachother and communities arestrong, vibrant, positive places tolive. National Citizen Servicebuilds on the Raleigh values thatchallenge young people to careabout each other and aims togive them the skills to build thosestrong healthy communities.”

Stacey Adams, Chief executive,Raleigh

“Changemakers welcomes thelaunch of the National CitizenService programme, which webelieve can play a major part insupporting young people’stransition to adulthood, developingtheir sense of purpose, optimismand belonging and unleashingtheir leadership potential.”

Adam Nichols, Chief Executive,Changemakers

"YouthNet believes that ourwebsites (TheSite.org,Lifetracks.com and Do-it.org.uk)offering a wide range ofinformation and help to youngpeople can play a major role inthe development of the NationalCitizens' Service, and we lookforward to being closely involved."

Fiona Dawe OBE, Chief Executive,YouthNet

“Catch22 has long championedthe needs of those who facedifficulties as they make thetransition to adulthood and wewarmly welcome a well-fundedNational Citizenship scheme thatpositively invests in our youngpeople. Any scheme that isdeveloped must work with localcharities that already haveexperience in the field and areable to engage with those thatare seen as ‘hard to reach’. It willrequire quality staff and mentorsplus the right kinds of activitiesthat appeal to young men andyoung women. Variety is thekey!”

Joyce Moseley, Chief Executive,Catch22

“I am delighted that theConservatives’ proposed NationalCitizen Service will be including atits core a significant residentialexperience for sixteen year-oldschool leavers. I know from longand varied experience what apowerful influence for good a wellworked-out residential week orfortnight can be for young people.For very many it can be truly life-changing, and it will beparticularly valuable as part of aprogramme aimed at helping thetransition from adolescence tothe adult world.”

Chris Green M.A., FoundingDirector, Active Training andEducation Trust, Convener,Summer Camps Forum


16

“I have been involved in youthcharities for over thirty years andsupport the proposed NationalCitizen Service programme. Thisnew initiative will help to inspireBritain’s 16-year-olds to do morefor themselves and theircommunity.

“As a father of three teenagedaughters I recognise thepotential benefits of a six weekprogramme which involvespersonal development,community work and achallenging experience. Byinspiring our young people inthese areas we will provide a lifechanging experience and helpthem in their transition toadulthood.”

David Hempleman-Adams

“The Dame Kelly Holmes LegacyTrust inspires young peopleutilising retired world class sportsperformers as mentors and rolemodels, we support the NationalCitizen Service programme notonly because of the impact thiswill have on our youth but alsobecause it will harness thecombined efforts of the voluntarysector”.

Julie Whelan, Chief Executive,DKH Legacy Trust

“4Children knows that manyyoung people enjoy making apositive contribution to their localcommunities and are keen to getinvolved in local projects andvolunteer work. Those who doreport how much they get out of itin terms of feeling part of thecommunity and developingimportant skills such as empathyand team-work.

“Initiatives such as the proposedNational Citizen Service play animportant role in encouragingmore young people to participatein volunteer or community workand in some cases can turn livesaround. Particularly for youngpeople who wouldn’t normallyseek these opportunities out,they can inspire a strong sense ofcitizenship and help themmanage some difficult decisionsabout their future career paths."

Anne Longfield, Chief Executive,4Children

“This is a bold and encouraginginitiative. It appears that the NCSambition is to provide challengingand meaningful personaldevelopment for young people,rather than a basic residentialexperience with lots of “fun”outdoor activities. In our experience,the two are often confused, can behard to tell apart at a superficiallevel but are two very differentthings. If NCS is to make a realdifference to society, it must godown the costlier but infinitely morecost effective personal and socialdevelopment path. Initial indicatorsare positive”.

Nick Barrett, CEO, The OutwardBounds Trust

17


Promoted and printed by Alan Mabbutt on behalf of the Conservative Party both of 30 Millbank, London SW1P 4DP

VOTE

Documents

National Citizen Service