Concerns over funding for youth charities have been raised after the government announced that it would close the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme and the not-for-profit organisation that manages it.
Yesterday, culture secretary Lisa Nandy announced that the government would wind down the NCS from March 2025 as part of plans for a new national youth strategy, which will be co-produced with young people.
The government said it would work closely with the NCS Trust, which runs the programme, “to ensure an orderly closure of the NCS programme and retain valuable learnings from the trust’s experience in the sector”.
Its decision to close the NCS was criticised by those involved in setting it up and charity UK Youth, which runs a network of more than 8,000 youth organisations.
Jacob Diggle, chief impact officer at UK Youth, said the closure of the NCS and a lack of renewal of the Youth Investment Fund would “take hundreds of millions of pounds out of the sector, which is already on its knees”.
“This includes funding for about 250 youth organisations which were expecting NCS funding from April next year,” he said in a statement.
“Closing, rather than repurposing, the NCS will risk wasting millions of pounds and years of momentum.”
Former PM: ‘A deeply backward and regrettable step’
The NCS programme was established by David Cameron’s government in 2011 as part of its “big society” agenda to bring together local communities by helping young people.
In 2013, the NCS Trust took over managing the programme.
Cameron wrote on social media that the decision to close the programme was “a deeply backward and regrettable step”.
“Much like young people, organisations need to grow, evolve and adapt to new challenges and changing times,” his post reads.
“NCS has constantly adapted to meet the times, not least during the pandemic, which impacted young people in such a devastating way.
“NCS has never been more vital, empowering our young people to be united in their diversity, with the skills to get on in life and the compassion to support each other.”
Michael Lynas, who helped set up the NCS and became NCS Trust’s first chief executive in 2013, also said he was saddened by the government’s decision to stop funding the NCS.
“Back in 2009, I began working on something that would change not just my life, but the lives of more than a million young people,” he wrote on X.
He added: “For some, it gave them the confidence to realise their potential, be that getting a job or going to university.
“For others it connected them to their power to make a difference to others through social action. For many it helped them to build friendships with people from very different backgrounds.
“So out of this sad day, let us celebrate the young people who are the stars of these inspirational NCS stories and the incredible team at the NCS Trust and hundreds of local youth organisations who made these stories possible.”
NSC Trust ‘disappointed’
In a statement on its closure, NCS Trust said it was “sad and disappointed” by the government announcement.
“NCS was founded to help build a more cohesive society through supporting young people at a crucial moment in their lives, through connecting young people across many walks of life, building their skills and confidence, and empowering them to make a difference in their communities.
“We’re immensely proud of the impact we have had for young people. Together with hundreds of youth sector partners and thousands of youth sector staff, we’ve delivered over a million experiences to young people, and participants have taken part in over 18 million hours of volunteering.
“As one of the most rigorously evaluated youth initiatives in the country, NCS has consistently been shown to have a positive impact on young people – who report improved wellbeing, greater optimism about the future, increased understanding of those who are different to them, and a greater commitment to get involved in social action and volunteering.”
The NCS Trust added that “there has never been a more important time for the kind of work that NCS delivers”, with young people facing “an increasingly uncertain future due to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on their generation”.
Government: ‘Difficult decision’
On its new youth strategy, the government said that it plans to put “the views of young people at the centre of decision-making on policies that affect them”.
The strategy will prioritise the delivery of “better-coordinated youth services and policy” at local, regional and national levels, ensure that “decision-making moves away from a one-size-fits-all approach and rebuild “a thriving and sustainable sector”.
“This will help deliver on the government’s missions, spreading opportunities, making our streets safer and taking pressure off health services,” the government said.
The government will establish a youth advisory board to help it throughout the development process as well as engage with youth organisations, industry leaders and academics specialising in youth issues.
Nandy announced that over £85m will be earmarked for “more youth facilities” including £26m for youth clubs to buy new equipment and undertake renovations via the Better Youth Spaces programme.
In addition, £100m from the next tranche of the Dormant Assets Scheme will be used to deliver youth outcomes between 2024 and 2028.
Ruth Marvel, CEO of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said the national youth strategy must “build on the NCS Trust’s learning to date, to ensure meaningful funding is invested where it will have the most impact”.
NCVO executive director Saskia Konynenburg said “our sector is ready and willing to engage in the consultation on the new youth strategy to achieve the most impactful programme possible for both young people, and communities”.
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