My NCS Experience: Harrison

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With Summer ‘22 just around the corner, you might be wondering what your experience is really going to be like. Well wonder no longer, take it from the people who have been there, done that, got the t-shirt (literally!). This is Harrison’s story…

I heard about NCS when a couple of people organised a virtual meeting for my school. 
 
The reason I wanted to spend part of my summer holiday with NCS is because I felt that it would be something interesting to talk about with employers, education instructions and future friends. I ended up doing NCS at a different time to all my other friends and looked forward to being able to be surrounded by all different people.
 
My favourite activity would either be the day at Go Ape or my social action project! With Go Ape, I really enjoyed climbing, jumping and flying with all of the new friends I had made. It was a great experience to be able to support each other and encourage each other to come out of our comfort zones (especially those with a fear of heights)! We also had a type of puzzle activity where we had to work together to get multiple keys to then open the final box.

For our’ social action project, we decided to raise money for St. Richard’s Hospice by holding a tombola and selling drinks. I was responsible for making freshly-squeezed orange juice which sold out very quickly! I enjoyed this day because it made all of us feel like we were able to provide some fun for people, while also raising money for a charity we felt passionate about.
 
One really beneficial part of my experience was Loud Speaker. This was where we were taught how to speak in public effectively and ensure we are heard and understood. It was really helpful for people who struggled with giving presentations in front of lots of people. To help those who weren’t keen on the idea of giving a presentation alone, they were done in our original groups to make everyone as comfortable as possible.

For those who are thinking about signing up for NCS, I say go for it. You might surprise yourself, you may not, but it is all about developing yourself as a person and how you interact with others.
 
After my summer experience, I just couldn’t leave NCS. I joined Changemakers, as well as the Youth Voice Forum. All of this allows me to have actual change in the community and help improve the lives of others, especially young people.