For the fifth year running, young people, who have just finished their GCSE’s, are heading out on NCS for the experience of a lifetime.

Over the last few days, Inspira who delivers and manages National Citizen Service in Cumbria and Lancashire has seen more than 300 young people begin the first week of the three week programme . Over 3000 are expected to go out over the whole summer.

“It is an amazing experience for 16 and 17 year olds,” says Dave Todd, Contract Manager for Inspira.” NCS brings together young people from different backgrounds and helps them develop greater confidence, self-awareness and responsibility. Over the years we have seen and heard about how many young people have benefited so much from this programme.”

NCS encourages personal and social development by working on skills like leadership, teamwork and communication. It helps build young people’s skills for work and life, while they take on new challenges and meet new friends.

While on NCS, participants develop a social action project to deal with a local issue they’re passionate about, and spend 30 hours putting the project into action in their community. Last year young people in Cumbria and Lancashire totalled 108,420 social action hours.

The programme runs in the spring, summer and autumn. There are a few places left in both Cumbria and Lancashire, to find out more visit www.ncsnorthwest.co.uk