This summer all 16-year-olds are being offered the opportunity to get involved with the second year of the National Citizen Service (NCS).

They will gain valuable life experience and new skills, make friends from all walks of life and prepare themselves for their futures – while playing a part in making their communities better.

NCS takes place over three weeks full time during the summer and then 30 hours spent making the local community a better place. This year 30,000 places are available nationally.

NCS promotes:

• A more cohesive society by mixing participants from different backgrounds;
• a more responsible society by supporting young people’s transition into adulthood; and
• a more engaged society by enabling young people to work together to create social action projects in their local communities.

Some early findings from the pilot last year suggest that 96% of participants said they felt more confident and 86% said they felt more responsible for making a difference in their community.

To book a place for this summer and to find out more please go to http://nationalcitizenservice.direct.gov.uk/ or http://www.facebook.com/ncs