KIRKLEES Council is piloting a new volunteering scheme for young people.
And school leavers have seized an exciting opportunity to have an impact on their community whilst making new friends and taking part in challenging activities this summer.
Kirklees is one of only three councils selected to pilot the National Citizenship Scheme (NCS) – a new Government programme to develop the skills and potential of 16 and 17-year-olds.
The NCS brings people together from different backgrounds to tackle an outdoor challenge during a week-long residential course before they return home and develop their own project to make a real difference in the local community.
The programme runs for three weeks and participants then work for 30 hours in their spare time, putting their new skills into practice.
A group of Kirklees school leavers spent a week at Robinwood Activity Centre, North Wales, enjoying team building activities such as zip wiring, raft building, high and low ropes.
Once back home, they spent a week at Storthes Hall Student Campus, Huddersfield, discussing team work, what community meant to them, project management and life skills. Week three was spent at Dewsbury Town Hall, planning their community project.
The young people then put their plans into action by transforming the sensory gardens at Orchard View, Mirfield – a respite home for children with disabilities.
