NCS Exploration at Lads and Girls Club

22 Feb 2019 07:32
Published by: Dave Fletcher

The whole of Bolton School Boys’ Division’s Y11 spent the afternoon at nearby Bolton Lads and Girls Club exploring what National Citizen Service (NCS) is all about.

The School has worked with the Lads and Girls Club every year since 2010 to encourage all Year 11 pupils from both Divisions to sign up for the scheme.

During their visit, all of the boys had the opportunity to talk with experts at the Lads and Girls Club about NCS, how it could benefit them and what is involved, hopefully encouraging them to sign up.

In addition, they tried out some of the fun activities that the club has to offer, including sessions on the all-weather football pitch, playing dodgeball in the sports hall and competing in spirited games of pool, darts, Cupong and Fifa 19 on a PS4 in the recreation area. Girls’ Division pupils in Year 11 enjoyed a similar introduction to NCS at Bolton Lads and Girls Club earlier in the term.

NCS is a three- to four-week experience which takes place during school holidays, giving young people aged 15 to 18 the chance to develop themselves and their citizenship skills in an impactful way.

Those who sign up will develop new skills while at the same time giving back to the local community through a social action project, which they plan and deliver themselves, counting as 40 hours of voluntary work.

NCS also involves an outdoor pursuits residential week, allowing the mixed groups to get to know one another and build confidence, and second residential week in university-style accommodation, during which young people learn how to manage a budget and attend lectures and activities to build a range of varied skills.

The aim of NCS is to show young people that volunteering can be fun and can help them to develop themselves. The scheme complements Bolton School’s Community Action programme, which encourages all students in the Sixth Form to volunteer for a minimum of 20 hours during the academic year, with many Year 12 students exceeding this and going on to complete 50 and 100 hours and more.

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