NCS...A reflection
Back in summer 2013, we took a group of 15 young people away on the National Citizen
Service Programme (NCS). Here, Andrew Moore and Amber reflect upon their experiences...
Andrew:
My 3 week NCS trip has been the best experience of my life. I met some new friends and
they were all very friendly. It was fun spending 3 weeks with them. We did adventurous
activities on Week 1 such as, Archery, Kayaking, Canoeing, Caving, and most importantly
working together as a team to achieve our goals. When we finished our missions we could
chill back at camp. We stayed in a very nice building called Marrick Priory in North Yorkshire
which had lots of acres of land and a very nice playground which had tunnels, Rock climbing,
Archery Targets, and many other nice things.
Week 2 we went to a Sheffield University called The Edge and we stayed there for a week.
Our main goals every day was to make our own breakfasts, wash up and look after our
selves. We were even given our own room and key which we had to look after. We did
activities such as drama and acting, drawing and creativity, and sporting activities. For me I
met some more wonderful friends from another group and course. They organised sporting
events and it was all thanks to them we had fun doing all the sports like Javelin throwing,
Welly throwing, Egg Tossing ( I took part in that and didn’t get yolked ) and some other
wacky fun sports. I really enjoyed getting to know the sports group. They were really
friendly and a pleasure to spend most of my free spare time to have a talk and natter. We
got to know each other and talk about our lives.
Week 3 we ended on doing community projects. We did D.I.Y painting a scouts hall, and we
sure had a laugh and had lots of fun. On Occasions I actually got painted as well as the wall.
Finally we had a Graduation Ceremony. I reunited with all my friends and leaders. We got
Certificates and other rewards and we had a disco dance at the end. I am going to miss
everyone I have met during this adventure. I would also like to Thank all my Leaders. It was
thanks to them they made this possible.
For anyone thinking of doing NCS, I would really recommend it. Because I had lots of fun and
the time of my life.
Amber:
During the summer of 2013 I took part in the National Citizen Service (NCS). The first week
we were away from home at a residential called Marick Priory doing various outdoor
activities. NCS has helped me to work on some of my fears such as open water and tight
spaces. The most challenging activities for me personally were caving, canoeing and raft-
building. Although these were the ones I feared the most, these are the ones which to my
surprise, turned out to be the most enjoyable and the most memorable.
Raft building was particularly good as we had to work as a team to come up with ways to
build the safest raft and once it was finished, we all got on and rode it in the water together.
Although I was nervous about canoeing and raft building due to being in open water- These
are the two which were overall the most enjoyable. Whilst out in the water we had races
against each other which brought out everyone’s competitiveness!
Caving was the one which were the most physically challenging. We entered the cave
through a very small hole in the ground and then had to literally crawl/shuffle on our hands
and knees for approximately 10minutes before we could begin to stand. It was very dark,
damp and the space was very tight. Our team all worked well together and encouraged each
other to keep going. When we reached the end of the cave we sat on rocks and looked up at
icicles hanging from the roof. There were also rocks shaped in to things such as the Walt
Disney castle.
The second week we were based at the University of Sheffield where we had a slight feel of
what it will feel like when some of us go on to University next year. We stopped in the
university’s accommodation, and had a weekly budget which we had to spend on breakfast
for the flat for the week. Over the second week we took part in various leadership skills
activities and a lot of the NCS participants created, and took part in a talent show, providing
entertainment for all.
The third week consisted of participating in a community project decorating a church and
doing a bit of gardening. We had to work hard as a team in order to get everything finished
by the end of the week.
The NCS season ended in October with a graduation ceremony held at the Octagon Centre
in Sheffield, where all NCS participants graduated on stage with a certificate signed by the
PM. The night consisted of each NCS group looking over their time on the programme, and
the night ended with a disco.
My NCS experience has been at times challenging, exciting and I have thoroughly enjoyed
spending time with friends in the residentials, learning new skills, overcoming fears and
meeting new people. I am very grateful to all the leaders in our group as well as the staff at
Marick Priory for providing us with new experiences, and helping us along the away.
I would definitely recommend NCS to others and my advice would be to go for it! Participate
in all the activities as they are soon over and it creates memories that you can look back on
in the future.