ALTON Community Centre provided the ‘Alton hub’ this summer for 11 groups of young people taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) scheme.

Groups of young people from the district spent two weeks of a four-week programme based at the centre, from which they planned and worked within the community.

Now in its sixth year, the National Citizen Service is a UK Government voluntary personal and social development programme for 15 to 17 year olds in England and Northern Ireland, launched in 2011 by then Prime Minister David Cameron as part of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government’s Big Society initiative.

In October 2016, Mr Cameron, who had resigned as Prime Minister, became chairman of the NCS Trust’s patrons board.

Designed to engage young people in social action in their communities and the democratic process, and to build their understanding of their responsibilities as citizens, the scheme was made permanent through the National Citizen Service Act 2017 and takes place in spring, summer or autumn to coincide with school holidays.

Groups of teenagers undertake a week-long residential visit, usually to an activity centre for an outward bound-style course in the countryside involving physical and team-building activities. After this, volunteers undertake a residential week, gaining a taste of independent living and learning a variety of skills for their future.

In the third and fourth week, participants plan and deliver a ‘social action’ project in their local community, often to raise awareness of or fundraise for a particular cause. Those completing the course receive a certificate at a graduation ceremony. The certificate is signed by the Prime Minister in office at the time of graduation and is looked favourably upon by UCAS when included in personal statements.

Since 2013, volunteers have paid £50 each to take part in the scheme, although there are bursaries for those from low-income households. The rest of the programme is funded by the government.

According to NCS leader Sarah Cameron, who was in charge of the Alton hub, around 200 young people, split into 11 groups, attended this summer’s offering from the Alton area, staggered over seven weeks.

They began the programme by attending a residential course in Devon where they enjoyed adventure and team building with people they probably didn’t know, followed by a second residential week at the Marwell Activity Centre where they took part in workshops and learned new skills.

Then, based in Alton, they spent two weeks working in their teams to decide upon and carry out work within the community, including practical work and fundraising. This ranged from sponsored walks, car washes, coffee mornings and a band concert to a family fun day, gardening, and entertaining elderly folk at a day centre.

While for Sarah, a bio-medial science student at the University of Surrey, this was a seven-week summer job, the team leaders were similarly employed by Personal Best Education, which runs the NCS scheme in Hampshire.

Commenting on the community centre’s role as the NCS Alton hub, manager Maria Elliott said it had been a “brilliant experience”, adding that the students had been a joy to have around and had brought life to the centre during a normally quiet period.

Mrs Elliott said she had nothing but praise for the NCS scheme and hoped Personal Best Education would select the centre as their ‘hub’ again next year.

To find out more about the NCS scheme in Hampshire, visit pb-education.co.uk.