National Citizen Service is a costly error
Monday, September 27, 2010
The National Citizen Service (NCS) will be launched next summer, but it has hardly been a hot topic among youth workers -- I guess we have enough on our plates with redundancies and project closures.
Neither is there any enthusiasm among young people I work with. Those who have heard about it seem to assume it's something to do with the Army Cadets - one said he didn't want to spend next summer standing in line and getting shouted at.
Attempting to counter the militaristic overtones of national service, the government's project outline focuses on community action and voluntary work. But it falls into the trap of tokenistic participation, laying out a packaged programme for young people to consume without any real input.
Other elements are just bemusing. The brief states that "a set of structured tasks involving visiting and helping the local community" will "be completed in a residential setting away from home". Is it facetious to ask how the young people will help their "local" community while staying miles away?
Years ago I was involved in a pilot summer scheme with the similar aim of intensive work with Year 11 school leavers. The funding was attractive, but the project inevitably diverted my time away from other young people and tied us all up in extensive paperwork. It wasn't all bad - we had fun spending the money and met some new 16-year-olds. But from that experience I foresee problems for whichever youth work organisations take on the NCS, even if they can lose the boot camp image and attract some young people.
Where will they find the skilled and experienced workers who are available for a few weeks in the summer but don't need year-round employment? How will they avoid neglecting the other age groups they would usually work with over the summer? How will they all manage to book enough spaces at the busy outdoor centres? How will participants feel when all the support and attention is withdrawn in the autumn?
At this time of reduced funding for work with young people, it's revealing that the government is focusing on a quick-fix scheme that comes from adults who see "the youth" as a problem. Meanwhile, core youth work, with its highly engaged and involved young people, is being diluted, commissioned out and in some places closed down altogether. As trade union leader Doug Nicholls said, there is already a young citizen service - its called the youth service, and it needs protection.
From the Frontline is written by a London-based detached youth worker