Fleetwood Town’s Community Trust have continued to support and develop young people aged 15-17 years old on National Citizens Service (NCS) throughout the summer.
The Trust has worked with over 70 young people from varied backgrounds during the three-phase initiative, be epic, live life, and social action projects.
The most recent cohort of young people kicked off their summer with a day at Stickle Barn, Great Langdale completing ghyll scrambling and rock-climbing challenges.
The remainder of the week was based at Rossall School, where external providers were invited to support the delivery of the programme, this included Nathan Parker, Heartbeat – First Aid, and James Panter Graffiti.
An important part of NCS is recognising that young people have a voice within their community and should be able to feel that they can engage with Politics.
Local MP, Cat Smith attended the ‘Your Voice’ session answering the important issues and questions raised, on topics such as gender equality, COVID 19 response, and how they can impact their community.
The initiative aims to raise aspirations of young people, with small groups planning, delivering, and pitching their ‘Enterprise Challenge’ proposals to the judging board consisting of Fleetwood Town chairman, Andy Pilley, and Community Development Officer at Fleetwood Town Council, Lauren Harrison.
The winning team designed and pitched a concept to generate electricity through physical activity, with data collected by a piece of technology to be used in footwear.
Andy Pilley explained: “I was delighted to be asked to judge the NCS group’s enterprise challenge event, which turned out to be the highlight of my week!
“Considering the age of the group and the limited amount of preparation time they’d been given, myself and the rest of the judging panel were blown away by the presentations, which were all very engaging and delivered with confidence.
“As a businessman myself, I could easily have been persuaded to invest in at least one of the products! The entire group were all receptive to our feedback and questions, I have no doubt they will all go on to great things – I wish them every success for the future.”
The final week saw young people raise the social issues they felt were a priority within their community, presenting ideas of what they could do to combat.
The group was divided into three aimed to raise awareness and vital funds for charities Fishermen’s Mission, Age UK, and Lancashire Wildlife Trust. Each of the above was selected based on the group’s passion to support local families, tackling those that are isolated and the environment, respectively.
John Hartley, NCS Programme Manager, explained: “The young people we have worked with so far this year have been fantastic. They have completely engaged in what NCS is all about and I believe they have been given the skills and the platform to blossom onto the next steps of their journey.”
Marianne, NCS attendee, said: “I really enjoyed my time doing NCS. It made me feel more confident and also helped improve my leadership skills. Whilst on the course, I had a lot of time to think about what I would like to do in the future, and I now have a much clearer view of what I want to do after college and what skills will help me succeed.”
The Trust will continue to work with NCS graduates as part of the Change Makers initiative, providing a platform for young people to make a difference in their community whilst socialising with like-minded people.
If you would like any further details on any of the above information, please email John Hartley, Community Cohesion & Inclusion Manager, at john.hartley@fleetwoodtownfc.com.