How NCS Gave Me A BFF
We asked you about the friends you made on your NCS experiences - whether it was someone brand new that you now can’t live without, or someone you already knew who you grew closer to. We spoke to Monika, whose friendship blossomed because of the shared experiences on NCS. Here’s her story…
Looking back over my time in school, we spent years with the same friendship groups, the familiar faces we saw everyday and rarely did we have the opportunity to meet new people. It works for some, but I became attached and dependent, with no courage to reach out to new people in unfamiliar situations.
The next steps after GCSE's can be very exciting; college, sixth form, employment. For me, this was overshadowed by one major fear; that I might be parted from my group of beloved school friends, who were naturally growing in different directions. I was extremely dependent on those I was close with, even choosing the same college as my mates to avoid losing them.
Before I stepped into the next phase of college, I took a leap of faith into NCS. At the start, it was all very new and daunting to be around so many same-age ‘strangers', even with the comfort of my established friendship group. I wanted to make friends, but walking up to someone new and initiating conversation felt impossible…I felt awkward and shy.
But I quickly found that there were so many opportunities to authentically socialise: activities, games and projects kept us so busy the awkwardness was soon forgotten! There was always something interesting to talk about with new people who all felt the same as I did. It was a very positive experience.
NCS was an opportunity to find something new and positive in what otherwise might have been a very daunting stage in my life. Fronteers where we all arrived as strangers, but left with mates for life.
On my first day of college, after NCS, none of my close friends were in my classes. For me this was terrifying; just walking through a corridor without a group made me desperately nervous. I remember waiting outside a classroom, tense and surrounded by total strangers. Scanning for familiar faces, I recognised a friend from NCS and did the impossible: I approached, initiated a conversation, and we quickly became best mates. The rest is history and, years later, we live together!
Social anxiousness might feel impossible to overcome, but it's more than possible. Practice makes perfect! It's never as bad as it appears in your mind and we all suffer the same anxieties. If you allow yourself the freedom to enjoy the opportunity for a new friendship, life becomes so exciting. It’s been five years since I went on my NCS experience and I still see some of the people around town, and give them a friendly wave! Thanks to NCS, I love meeting new people!
We also asked you on our socials why you love your NCS BFF’s and if you had any advice for people going on Summer ‘22. Here’s what you had to say…
“My friendship with my bff is unreal. We met doing the same activities and have been friends for a few years now. We talk all the time and I love talking to her. My advice for those going on NCS by yourself or making new friends is just be confident in yourself and be approachable and introduce yourself!” - Chelsea-Lousie
“I’ve not even started my NCS experience yet and I’ve made a friend. We met at the pre-programme ice skate event, and I asked for their snap and we clicked straight away!” - Gracie
“I made so many new friends on NCS and developed my friendships with people I already knew. My advice is honestly just be yourself, because you won’t be able to make the right type of friends if you aren’t completely honest with others” - Abby
