NCS Learners Deliver Social Action Projects To Boost Local Charities

Enterprising students have rounded off the year in style by completing a national citizenship programme and boosting local charities at the same time.

Over 50 Public Services and Sports learners completed the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme, co-ordinated by Sky Blues in the Community.

During the initiative, students spent two weeks planning and organising different social action campaigns and then 30 hours delivering activities to support their chosen local charities.

The charities included Papyrus (Suicide Awareness), Change, Grow, Live (Drug Awareness), the Daniel Kennell Foundation (Knife Crime) and CRASAC (Sexual Violence).

During the first stage of the NCS programme, learners worked on team building and learning new organisation skills such as project planning, communication techniques and presenting campaigns.

The groups then put their plans into action by rolling out activities in college and the community.

For Papyrus, learners raised awareness of suicide prevention around the college and then staged a fundraising badminton tournament which brought young people together and encouraged them to talk openly about suicide and to reach out for support.

A second team of students highlighted the dangers of drug abuse and addiction.

They hosted an information event alongside fun activities to raise money for Change, Grow, Live including a penalty shootout, strength tests, tug of war and a heading challenge.

To raise awareness of knife crime, a third group held an information and advice event, featuring a knife crime presentation and a charity penalty shootout to boost the Daniel Kennell Foundation.

Team 4 raised awareness of sexual violence and signposted males and females towards the help which is at hand locally.

As well as highlighting key messages on this subject, the group also organised fairground-style activities such as target games, basketball shootouts and an Xbox FIFA football tournament to raise money for Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse (CRASAC).

Kelly Ward, Curriculum Manager for Sport & Uniformed Public Services at Coventry College, said: “The students have all done themselves and Coventry College proud by completing the NCS programme.

“The number of learners who signed up for and completed the scheme has exceeded those who took part last year.

“Engaging in different social action projects has given groups the opportunity to learn about, and raise awareness of, some very serious and topical subjects.

“They have also been able to learn some key new skills and support local charities which are all very relevant to their campaigns.”

The NCS programme is a voluntary personal and social development programme for 16 and 17 year olds recognised nationally by colleges, universities and employers across the UK.

All students who completed the programme will receive a signed certificate from the Prime Minister and also use the experience to enhance their CVs.

Chloe Groves, Football Development Manager at Sky Blues in the Community, said: “I am proud of all the teams who were able to turn around a social action project, working to a strict deadline and with limited resources.

“NCS is very enlightening and rewarding for all young people and it has been great to see how students have all progressed individually during the scheme.”