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NCS: Local Community Experiences

pictures of young people taking part in activities

What is NCS?

NCS (National Citizen Service) Local Community Experiences are free youth programmes for Year 11 students, 16-17 year olds, and young people up to age 25 with an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

Through fun, hands on, team challenges and activities, NCS helps you build skills for work and life, take on new challenges, help the community, and meet new friends.

Our programmes involve 48 hours of part-time activities over 9 to 12 months. Activities are available across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and you can sign up at any time.

NCS experiences video

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Benefits of NCS

  • Grow your strengths and confidence
  • Build your independence
  • Boost your work readiness and CV
  • Make a positive impact on the world
  • Gain experience for job/apprenticeships interviews and university applications
  • Gain accreditation and recognition through digital badging
  • Meet new people and form amazing friendships
  • Have fun
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How to sign up

You can sign up to a NCS Local Community Experience at any time.

  1. Choose an experience you would like to get involved in from the list below.
  2. Fill in our interest form, on this form you will be able to select the experience you are interested in.
  3. We will pass your details on to the chosen experience provider.
  4. The experience provider will contact you to give you more information and get you signed up.

If you would like to know more about how we use your information, please read our NCS Local Community Experience Privacy Notice

Hear2Listen: Cambridge city

Location: Cambridge Regional College, Cambridge Campus, CB4 2QT

Times: Tuesdays, 12 noon to 2pm, specific dates to be confirmed

Experience 1: life skills and independence

This experience is all about learning life skills including mental health, neurodivergence, budgeting, meal planning, podcasting, and modern problem- solving skills.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

This experience will involve sessions ranging from CVs, interviews, virtual interviews using VR technology, assessment centres and understanding your payslip, entrepreneurship escape rooms, and podcasting.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

This experience is about understanding your local community, identifying needs, project planning, volunteering, and making a difference in your community.

Cambridgeshire County Council: Ely

Location: Centre E Youth Hub, 24 Barton Road, Ely, CB7 4DE.

Time: Dates and times vary. These will be sent to you when you register interest.

Experience 1: life skills and independence

Young people will learn vital skills around looking after your home, physical and mental health, upcycling and cooking. Fun team challenges will be based on budgeting, communication skills and time management.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

Teams will experience creating their own business, including designing the company logo, slogan, branding and marketing. There will be opportunities to shop for resources, make a prototype on a limited budget and pitch the company to local community members.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

This experience focus’ on planning and delivering a project which gives back to the local community. Young people get to know the community and its needs, enabling them to make decisions and project manage.

Youths of Fenland: choose from Chatteris, March or Wisbech

Locations: Chatteris - The King Edward Centre, March - Neale Wade Academy, Wisbech - The Robert Hall
Times: times and dates to be confirmed upon choosing a location

Experience 1: life skills and independence

This experience will focus on young people getting to know themselves and understanding their identity. Young people's feelings and views on their community/society will be explored, alongside life skills.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

This experience will focus on young people looking at future aspirations, types of careers, budgeting, finance and social media. There will also be a focus on laws and bylaws, communication and healthy positive relationships.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

Young people will explore social mobility, the community they live in and how they feel about their community/society. They will also plan and complete a social action project.

20Twenty Productions: March

Location: March Town Hall, 16 Market Place, March, PE15 9JF
Time: Times and dates to be confirmed

Experience 1: social action and employability and work readiness

Make a difference: This experience covers the 5 ways to wellbeing. Young people will learn about the 5 ways to wellbeing and how to implement them into their daily lives. From this the young people will create an event for the community based on the 5 ways to wellbeing. The event will be completely designed and carried out by themselves.

Experience 2: life skills and independence

Learning to cook: Participants will achieve their level food 1 in hygiene. They will learn how to cook and prepare three meals on a budget; this will be supported by a qualified chef.

Experience 3: employability and work readiness

Save the planet!: Participants will be confident to know what and where they can recycle everyday packaging. They will take part in activities which will involve reusing everyday items to make something new including upcycled fashion.

Fusion: Huntingdon

Location: Huntingdon Youth Child & Family Centre, Sallowbush Road, Huntingdon, PE29 7AF
Times: 6pm to 8pm, term time

Experience 1: life skills and independence

This experience will cover topics such as budgeting, cooking, self-care, time management and guided reflection.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

This experience will focus on confidence building and raising aspirations. There will also be opportunity to look into types of jobs, expectations of job roles and how to apply to jobs with applications, CVs and cover letters.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

This experience will include the young people being able to plan and then complete their own social action project for in their local community.

Inspire2Ignite: St Neots

Location: Specific venue locations to be confirmed
Time: Times and dates will be confirmed if you pick this provider

Experience 1: employability and work readiness

‘Go to Market’. Young people will be split into teams to create and build their own business. The business will then have the opportunity to sell their products and/or services at St Neots Farmers Market.

Experience 2: social action and volunteering

'Solving Socio-Economic Challenges in St Neots’. Young people will work closely with St Neots Initiative (SNI) to create transformational change in the town. Young people will identify challenges the local community are facing, create solutions to solve those problems and pitch their findings to the SNI board.

Experience 3: life skills and independence

'Curious about Ice Cream’. Young people will build a brand for an ice cream cart service, negotiate with the supplier, develop pricing for their ice cream, and create a menu to entice customers. They will discover food hygiene and licensing, and pitch for space at an event or co-working building, to sell their product.

Hear2Listen: Huntingdon

Location: Cambridge Regional College – Huntingdon campus, PE29 1BL
Times: Thursdays 12pm – 2pm, specific dates to be confirmed

Experience 1: life skills and independence

This experience is all about learning life skills including mental health, neurodivergence, budgeting, meal planning, podcasting, and modern problem- solving skills.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

This experience will involve sessions ranging from CVs, interviews, virtual interviews using VR technology, assessment centres and understanding your payslip, entrepreneurship escape rooms, and podcasting.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

This experience is about understanding your local community, identifying needs, project planning, volunteering, and making a difference in your community.

KICK: St Ives

Location: The Bridge Church, St Ives, PE27 3LE
Time: Tuesdays 7.30pm to 9pm, term time.

Experience 1: life skills and independence

Activities will promote good mental health & wellbeing, physical activities, communication skills, resilience, life skills such as cooking, self-care and organisation skills.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

Young people will take part in activities including CV writing, time management, organisational skills and project development, alongside raising confidence, aspirations and learning more about employment opportunities and pathways.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

Sessions will include forming a youth panel, identifying areas of improvement for young people's lives, developing solutions to issues and planning new projects/programmes. Volunteering at other youth clubs will also be on offer.

The Young Technicians Academy: Yaxley

Location: Crusader Court, Eagle Park, PE7 3PU.
Time: times and dates to be confirmed.

Experience 1: life skills and independence

The pre-planning phase’. During these sessions young people will start their festival stage and planning project. They will participate in workshops to learn project management, leadership, and team coordination. The young people will develop a unique concept for their festival zone and stage and begin their planning.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

‘The execution phase’. During these sessions young people will begin the execution of their festival plans. They will also take part in workshops focusing on resource management, budgeting, communication, professional relationships and networking.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

‘Pre-festival and festival phase’. These sessions include making sure everything is in place and finalising festival zone and stage plans. The young people will set up and run their stage and zone, overseeing all aspects and managing anything that may arise.

Sports Connections Foundation: Huntingdon, Brampton or Peterborough

Location: There will be experiences in Huntingdon, Brampton, and Peterborough.

Time: Weekly session during term time, times and dates to be confirmed upon a location choice

Experience 1: independence and life skills

Young people will be able to take part in, help organise and run football projects and matches. There will be opportunities for young people to referee, run warmups and cool downs, and get involved in the game while learning essential life skills. Skills will include, time management, public speaking, confidence, teamwork, leadership, and delegation.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

Young people will be able to learn about football and sport career development, and will have the opportunity to work with Hunts FA, visit the training ground, and talk to the coaches about football progression. The young people will continue to be able to take part in and help organise football matches.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

Young people will work with the leaders and choose a charity they wish to support. The young people will then organise and take part in a charity football match. Previously organise charity matches have been done at the Emirates stadium.

Waterbeach Action For Youth: Waterbeach

Location: Tillage Hall in Waterbeach, CB25 9NJ
Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm, term time only

Experience 1: life skills and independence

During this experience, young people will gain skills in cooking, budgeting, decision making, time management and forming healthy relationships.

Experience 2: social action and volunteering

Young people will have the opportunity to volunteer at the Wednesday club and peer support the younger groups who are in years 7 to 9. They will also run social action projects and can use the pop up youth café for this.

Experience 3: employability and work readiness

Young people will have the opportunity to learn with Urban and Civic. They will look at interview skills, employment roles, developing towns/construction, and the surrounding environment.

Romsey Mill: Cambourne

Location: Cambourne Soul Youth Centre, CB23 6FZ
Time: Tuesdays, 6pm to 7.30pm, during term time

Experience 1: life skills and independence

These sessions would explore life skills, readying the young people for work and independence. Sessions could include budgeting, cooking, basic first aid, interview skills, and conflict resolution.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

Team building activities giving young people the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones, build confidence and reflect on their own skills including teamwork, leadership and initiative. These would likely involve going out of the youth centre.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

Young people can be involved in activities such as supporting a local charity, help vulnerable families with their garden, or basic household painting. Young people could also volunteer with local charity events, such as a fundraising quiz or helping to organise and facilitate a 10K race.

Cambridgeshire County Council: Fulbourn

Location: Fulbourn Youth Hub, Recreational Ground, Fulbourn, CB21 5BS.
Time: 7pm to 9pm, term time.

Experience 1: life skills and independence

Young people will learn vital skills around looking after your home, physical and mental health, upcycling and cooking. Fun team challenges will be based on budgeting, communication skills and time management.

Experience 2: employability and work readiness

Teams will experience creating their own business, including designing the company logo, slogan, branding and marketing. There will be opportunities to shop for resources, make a prototype on a limited budget and pitch the company to local community members.

Experience 3: social action and volunteering

This experience focuses on planning and delivering a project which gives back to the local community. Young people get to know the community and its needs, enabling them to make decisions and project manage.

There are also a variety of experiences on offer in Peterborough. To find out more about what is on offer please contact the Peterborough NCS Team at ncs@peterborough.gov.uk

Contact us

For more information please email ncscambs@cambridgeshire.gov.uk . You can also call the team using the numbers below.

NCS Programme Manager - Kim Jeffries
Phone: 07920 029496

NCS Programme Coordinator - Natalie Taylor
Phone: 07825 905841

NCS Senior Programme Assistant - Becky Nerou
Phone: 07551 279218

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