Teens think outside of the box for summer citizen challenge

Teens think outside of the box for summer citizen challenge

A total of 135 teenagers from schools in Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea joined the two-week stint of residential activities and social action run by Chelsea Foundation, which has been voted number one in London and ranks in the top 10 nationally.

The young people, aged between 15 and 17, completed a week’s stay away from home where they had to live and cook independently and work together in teams to navigate various challenges. Stamford Bridge hosted a series of workshops aimed at equipping participants with key skills such as public speaking, teamwork and enterprise, money management and career guidance.

During the programme’s second week, the eight teams completed 30 hours of social action, raising over £2,000 for homelessness and mental health charities including Mind UK, Shelter, Glassdoor, Centrepoint and Kick It Out. One of the week’s highlights was a bake sale and sandwich sale organised with Chelsea Foundation and Levy around the offices at Stamford Bridge, which brought in over £880.

“I loved working on the programme this summer and it was great to see the impact we were able to have in the community.”

Project officer Stephen Ganley

Participants were rewarded for their efforts with some fantastic prizes, including individual and team awards, a stadium tour, an invitation to watch the Chelsea men’s first team train at Stamford Bridge and a trip to Thorpe Park.

“We are extremely proud of the success of this summer’s NCS programme, and the credit has to go to our fantastic staff who truly empowered the participants to achieve their potential.”

NCS senior officer David Armstrong

The NCS graduates now have the chance to continue their community work as ambassadors on the NCS graduate programme Changemakers, with the opportunity to one day become NCS staff members themselves.

Autumn Residential Opening

Participants now have the opportunity to join them this autumn for their NCS model hosted by Chelsea FC in London. Participants will be hosted at their residential centre and kick off with a couple of days of team challenges and activities. There is a mix of fun activities aimed to push the young individuals out of their comfort zone, encouraging them to enjoy new experiences and make new friends along the way.

For the second part of the programme, there will be activities aimed at developing core skills such as independent living, by experiencing what it is like to live on your own for a few days and the responsibilities taken on. There will also be the opportunity to visit Stamford Bridge for a stadium tour and also to take part in an Enterprise Challenge and they will also welcome guests from UK Parliament to run activities to help build confidence and public speaking skills.