What is it?

In trying to release the potential of the “Big Society”, the coalition government has launched the National Citizen Service (NCS) – a 21st century take on national service, which replaces a period of service in the armed forces with a (voluntary) period of community-based action, in the summer following the GCSE exams. Unlike national service, NCS is completely voluntary – and for now, is being conducted on a fairly limited scale, targeting 10,000 young people in the 2011 pilot.

Where has it come from?

The thinking behind NCS is not new – for example, there is some reference to such a scheme in Dr Dick Atkinson’s 2004 book Civil Renewal: Mending the Hole in the Social Ozone Layer, which suggests a year-long community placement, again based on the concept of national service. Dr Atkinson suggests that this could form “a direct, if practical, part of their education, one specifically oriented to the arts, practices and values of social maturity, of citizenship.”

This too is the goal of NCS, to plant a seed of care for the community that flourishes throughout adulthood, creating a society that is cohesive, responsible and engaged.

In creating the scheme, the government has consulted with a youth panel, and has worked with a number of experienced third sector workers. The government hopes that, if the pilot is successful, NCS can be rolled out across the country in 2013.

What will it look like?

The architects behind NCS insist that the pilot schemes run in 2011 and 2012 will play a role in shaping how it will ultimately turn out, as will the young people involved in those schemes. Ideally, the government want those young people to feel like adults working with adults, as opposed to being ordered around and dictated to.

The organisations running the pilot are encouraged to link with various areas of the community in designing the process: local people; charities and community groups; schools; public services; local authorities; and local and national businesses. The hope is that each of the initial pilots will trial different methods of delivery, with different partners, giving participants a better idea of what works when it is rolled out.

The overall NCS process is divided into five phases:

NCS timeline

  • Phase 1: Introduction and relationship-building – this should last approximately one week.
  • Phase 2: A residential week away from home – these should involve “personally challenging” tasks, based around teamwork and physical exertion.
  • Phase 3: A residential week in or near the home community – this phase will involved “structured tasks” designed to help the community, and the development of key skills.
  • Phase 4: Designing a “social action task” – this, again, should take one week, and will be done in conjunction with the local community.
  • Phase 5: Action – this phase will comprise 30 hours of social action (as planned in Phase 4), an event to encourage participation from the wider community, a closing celebration or “graduation” event.

Also on the cards are events for NCS alumni, and the possibility of overseas programmes for outstanding graduates.

In their outline, the government puts great emphasis on diversity – both ethically and geographically, stating that participants should “have the opportunity to mix with other young people from different geographical areas during their NCS programme” and to mix “young people from different backgrounds”.

NCS will receive central government funding under the terms of the spending review, although participants have been encouraged to include plans for supplementary funding (including funding-in-kind) in their applications to run the pilots. The extent of the funding available, going forward, will be determined after the pilot years.

Useful links:

The Cabinet Office overview of NCS.

Coverage of the funding arrangements for NCS from Children & Young People now, as they stand.