Thousands of Teach First teachers could join NCS movement
David Cameron will announce a new partnership between National Citizen Service (NCS) and Teach First to create thousands of new NCS mentors.
- New ambition for all Teach First teachers to volunteer with National Citizen Service from 2017
- As NCS reaches 200,000 participant this year, this initiative will help even more to benefit from the Prime Minister’s guarantee of a place
- Partnership between 2 leading social enterprises will ensure most disadvantaged communities gain vital skills for life and work
The Prime Minister will today (Friday) announce a new partnership between National Citizen Service (NCS), the fastest growing youth movement in the country, and Teach First. Teach First’s aspiration is that from 2017 all of its teachers will volunteer for NCS, unlocking many new mentors and leaders for the programme.
NCS brings together young people from different backgrounds to teach them about responsibility and serving their communities. They take part in a 4 week full-time programme including residential weeks and 30 hours of social action in their community. All of these activities create volunteering and leadership opportunities for adult mentors.
Teach First’s vision that no child’s educational success should be limited by their socio-economic background makes this a natural partnership for the charity, who believe exceptional leaders working in classrooms, schools and communities will end educational inequality.
Teach First, which this year recruited almost 1,700 top graduates, has set an aspiration to see all of its trainees from 2017 onwards taking part in NCS as volunteer mentors, generating thousands of hours of additional support for NCS participants. They could do the volunteering before, during or after their time on the Teach First programme. These teachers will have a range of ways to take part, from leading NCS participants on an outward bound week to mentoring them as they make a real difference in their local communities. The partnership, which will begin development immediately, will also create a new network of NCS ambassadors in schools, as members of the Teach First community encourage thousands more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to take up their offer of a guaranteed place on NCS.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
NCS is a fantastic opportunity for young people from different backgrounds to come together to gain life skills and give something back to their local community. Teach First’s mission to break down social barriers makes its teachers ideal volunteer mentors to engage with and inspire young people on NCS. This fantastic partnership will create thousands more opportunities for young people to benefit from NCS.
Ndidi Okezie, Executive Director, Teach First said:
Teach First is committed to fostering life-changing opportunities for children from low income communities. This significant partnership will help us and our community of schools to work more closely together to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, can take part in NCS and build the character and resilience all teachers know are so important for young people to succeed in life.
Michael Lynas, Chief Executive, NCS Trust said:
The amazing impact that NCS has on hundreds of thousands of teenagers is made possible by the energy and enthusiasm of their mentors. As we expand NCS so that every young person can take part, we are excited that Teach First teachers will now be using the skills they’ve developed in school to help young people learn the lessons you can’t teach in class.
NCS and Teach First are members of Step Up To Serve which is aiming to make social action part of life for more 10 to 20-year-olds by 2020.