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26 January 2012 08:51
COMMUNITY
Lincolnshire’s young people get vInspired
A group of young people from Lincolnshire have been selected to represent the East Midlands at a national awards ceremony which celebrates the successes of young volunteers.
Thirteen teenagers from Boston and Spilsby who took part in the National Citizen Service programme have been announced as the East Midlands’ finalists of the vInspired National Awards 2012.
vInspired recognises the achievements of young people between 14 to 25 and honours the time spent, skills learnt and the difference made through volunteering. The group will travel to London for the awards on March 22nd, where they will compete against shortlisted winners from eight other regions for the national title.
The group were involved with last summer’s NCS programme along with over 70 other 16-year-olds from the region. NCS aims to promote a more cohesive, responsible and engaged society by bringing young people from different backgrounds together to make a difference in their communities. It is a voluntary programme for 16-year-olds which focuses on their personal and social development which includes challenging activities, from away-from-home residential experiences to a self-designed social action project.
Among the NCS scheme activities were team building exercises with the RAF, Money Sense clinics delivered by NatWest, driver training and media skills workshops at the University of Lincoln. The 16-year-olds also took part in employability skills sessions run with local employers, in which each young person was given the opportunity to take part in a mock job interview and received feedback on their performance.
As part of the voluntary aspect of the programme, the group spent 30 hours redesigning their local athletics club as well as organising clean up projects at a local allotment and school.
Gemma Whitehead, 16, who took part in NCS last year, says, “I’m so glad I got involved with the NCS programme and it’s great to be nominated for the vInspired National Award. NCS gave me the opportunity to take part in some fantastic activities and learn new skills, as well as making some friends along the way.”
Marc Clowes, who mentored the winning group, says, “This is a great achievement and I am very proud of the young people I mentored. Everyone is really looking forward to attending the awards in London and it is great for the team to receive recognition for their hard work throughout NCS.”
This year’s NCS programme, run by the Lincolnshire and Rutland Education Business Partnership, is looking to recruit over five hundred young people and over fifty mentors to take part in the scheme by the end of March.
Sarah Hastings, Enrichment Team Leader of the Lincolnshire and Rutland EBP, says, “The NCS programme is a fantastic opportunity for young people to try new things, learn new skills and give something back to the community where they live. With more young people competing for university places, apprenticeship and jobs taking part in programmes such as NCS are a great way to make sure you stand out from the crowd.”
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