Eliott

“I knew I wanted to go to college after my GCSE’s but I had no idea what I was going to do with the long Summer ahead of me.

“When YG came into school to talk about the opportunity, I didn’t hesitate. That’s one thing that the experience taught me; grab every chance while you can, because you won’t necessarily get given it again.

“I made friends with people that I never would have spent time with otherwise, friends that I still meet up with four years later. NCS brings together so many different people, it taught me to be open-minded and to work well with people from all different walks of life. We got the opportunity to try amazing activities; coasteering was hands down the best experience of my life. To be able to do those types of things, at just 16 years old, was immense.

“Since my initial experience on NCS with YG I have been off to college and I’m now at University studying Performing Arts. I work part-time at the weekends in my local theatre and regularly volunteer at festivals and events. I have no doubt that my time on NCS helped me with all these achievements, giving me the courage to meet new people, the skills to manage my time and the motivation to make every opportunity count.

“So when I was given the chance to come back and work as an NCS Programme Leader with YG I jumped at it. It’s great being able to pass my experience on and watch the newbies change over the course of a few weeks. NCS has really made me see how important it is to support your community and I’m proud to take on a role that gives more young people the chance to do that. NCS really was the Summer of my life and has gone on to shape my future.”