13 February 2024
Thousands of marginalised young people in targeted areas of England will soon benefit from improved access to quality enrichment activities, as the first organisations to participate in a pioneering enrichment partnerships pilot – overseen by National Citizen Service (NCS Trust) and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) – are announced.
In November 2023, NCS and DofE revealed that they had been chosen to oversee a £2.7 million Enrichment Partnerships Pilot (EPP) for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Education (DfE).
Fourteen organisations have now been commissioned for the pilot, which will give thousands of young people in schools across the North East, North West and East of England, the chance to participate in high quality enrichment activities, ranging from sports and arts to volunteering and outdoor experiences.
With a focus on 200 secondary schools within Education Investment Areas, the selected grantees will work with schools and local organisations to connect young people with a wide range of opportunities and activities that have been co-designed with young people themselves to ensure the offer is relevant and inspiring.
The grantees include:
- North West: Manchester City Council, Youth Fed, PIE, Altus Education, Salford City Council and Children’s University.
- North East: NE Youth, Youth Focus: North East, Durham Wildlife Trust and Groundwork North East.
- East of England: UK S Futures, Portland College, Villiers Park and Notts County Foundation.
Kevin Franks, Chief Executive of Youth Focus: North East, said: “We look forward to working in collaboration with our national, regional and local partners in making a positive impact on the lives of the young people and organisations we serve”
Welcoming the new grantees to the partnership, Mark Gifford, CEO of NCS Trust, said: “Alongside The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, we’re excited to leverage the expertise of several youth sector organisations, as well as local authorities and multi-academy trusts to deliver the Enrichment Partnerships Pilot.
“They’ve each seen the value in supporting schools, including many in the most underserved communities, to boost their enrichment offer. Efforts will soon be underway equipping young people with the experiences and skills to become work ready and world ready.”
Ruth Marvel, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: “These exciting partnerships open the door of possibility for thousands of young people in some of England’s most disadvantaged areas. They will improve links between schools and their local communities to give young people access to experience that will boost their well-being and help them develop crucial skills and grow in self-belief and resilience.”
Further grantees in the North East and East of England areas are expected to join as EPP grantees in the coming months, following a reopened application window.
Over the past decade, more than 800,000 young people have benefitted from an NCS experience, dedicating over 18 million hours to community based social action, while gaining invaluable life experiences.
Every year, over 550,000 young people from all walks of life participate in a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) programme. Each DofE experience is unique, enabling young people to explore who they are, grow in confidence and develop the skills and self-belief they need to successfully navigate life. The DofE is delivered in schools, colleges, community organisations, hospitals, prisons and more, all over the UK.
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For more information, please contact:
NCS press office – email media@ncstrust.org.uk or call 020 3920 8576.
DofE press office – email media@DofE.org or call 01753 727420
About NCS (National Citizen Service)
NCS offers a range of experiences for young people that support them to become world ready and work ready — through growing their confidence, independence and skills; connecting them with people from all walks of life; and empowering them to make a difference in their communities and wider society.
NCS is managed and supported by NCS Trust, our central team who are constantly working to make sure that NCS delivers impactful experiences to as many young people as possible. NCS is funded by the UK Government through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as a core part of the National Youth Guarantee.
About the DofE
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award helps young people build life-long belief in themselves, supporting them to take on their own challenges, follow their passions, and discover talents they never knew they had. It is delivered in schools, colleges, community organisations, hospitals, prisons and more, all over the UK.
In 2022/23, 323,676 young people started their DofE, with participants giving more than 3.5 million hours of volunteering in their communities. The DofE charity is working to give more than one million young people the chance to participate in a life-changing DofE programme by 2026. Find out more at DofE.org.
What are Education Investment Areas?
As part of the government’s Levelling Up agenda, the Department for Education identified 55 communities for intensive additional support where school outcomes are the weakest. These Education Investment Areas (EIAs) will receive targeted investment, support and action that help young people from all backgrounds and areas to succeed at the very highest level. Resources will be focused on schools in the north, the Midlands, the east of England and the south-west for the next decade.
