Empowering Young Futures: How NCS Funding Helped Us Change Lives.
Over the past two years, we have been honoured to receive funding from the National Citizens Service to provide life-skills workshops to young people between the ages of 16-25 year olds in Devon.
Founded in 2009 and given Royal Charter Body status in 2018, NCS (National Citizen Service) is the only dedicated public body for youth, and a key component of the Government's National Youth Guarantee. The Trust have been instrumental in helping young people find their strengths and become world-and work-ready, through funding trips away from home, grant-funded programmes that take place in their community, and online experiences.
Sadly, due to lack of government funding, National Citizens Service is winding down this year, which will have a profound impact on the support provided to young people nationwide.
Over the two years that we have received funding, we have delivered 8 Life Skills courses, each running for 6 weeks, supporting 70 young people. We have delivered the workshops in Schools, Colleges and in Community Centres.
Our workshops have delivered assistance with:
· Mindfulness and wellbeing
· Cooking
· Team building
· Life admin – finances, licences
· Using public transport
· CV and employability
· Living independently
70% of the young people who have attended have also received help securing a fully funded provisional drivers license.
Over the course of the two years, we’ve received amazing feedback and are exceptionally proud to have helped these young people with such an important range of skills.
96% of attendees said the workshops really helped them feel more independent.
84% of attendees said they would use the skills they had learnt in their everyday life.
Our last Workshop under the NCS funding draws to a close at the end of March 2025, however we are seeking new funding from other key partners to continue these much needed Life Skills workshops.
“We’re very grateful to National Citizens Service for the support that we’ve received from them. As a newly developed charity two years ago, their funding was instrumental in helping us gain partnerships within the local community. Partnerships which have evolved and enabled us to flourish. We are very sorry to see the end of this service.”
Hannah Moon, Head of Trust, Life Chance Trust
We’d like thank School For Inspiring Talents, Newton Abbot College, King Edward VI Community College, Teignmouth Community College, Devon Care Leavers and National Citizen Service for welcoming Life Chance Trust into their settings to support their young people, and for their fantastic feedback. We’d also like to thank our wonderful workshop facilitators - Cara Baer, Chloe Sutcliffe and Claire Windmill for their help in developing and delivering the workshops over the last two years.