v and The Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, together with local partners, will deliver National Citizen Service "Summer of a Lifetime" pilot

Thursday, 11 November 2010 12:00 AM

The expertise and track record of v and the DKH Legacy Trust in engaging and motivating young people, combined with the experience of local community partners, will be harnessed to give young people taking part in the National Citizen Service pilots a "Summer of a Lifetime".

v will be managing the partnership and will coordinate the delivery of the NCS programme through its network of partners to deliver 1065 places in a range of locations across England. v's partners bring a wealth of experience from a variety of settings, including the Voluntary Sector, Further Education Colleges and Local Authorities.

Commenting on the news, Terry Ryall, v's Chief Executive said,

"We're delighted to have been chosen as a delivery partner for this flagship government pilot programme. Together with our local partners across the country and through our innovative social media activities, we have inspired 100,000s of young people to volunteer in ways that connect with their lives. We are confident that this experience will enable us to offer engaging, attractive and relevant opportunities for the young people taking part next summer.
We know that young people are full of creative ideas and want to make a difference to their communities. We also know from our research and first-hand experience that once someone has taken part in social action it's likely to lead to a lifelong involvement."

The DKH Legacy Trust will bring a network of over 200 Olympic, Paralympic and world sporting champions who will be deployed to inspire groups of young people to undertake their National Citizen Service. Many of their sporting champions have a level 3 mentoring qualification and are well placed to work alongside local partners to support local recruitment, community projects and graduation events.

Dame Kelly Holmes said,
"I am delighted that my charity the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust is partnering with v to run a pilot National Citizen programme in 2011. I joined the British Army as a 17 year old. I remember not only the tough outdoor challenges I experienced but the team building, camaraderie, life skill development and the life-long friendships I made... there is no doubt, it played a big part in making me the person I am today. I believe The National Citizen Service Programme could provide young people with a unique opportunity and experience that not only engages them in physical challenges but also gets them to communicate and integrate with other young people whilst planning projects that they will deliver in their communities to benefit local people. I am very excited about our partnership and believe we can make this an unrivalled experience for the young people we reach".

v's partners are:

- Blackburn College
- Bradford Council
- City of Wolverhampton College
- Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust (National)
- East Durham College
- Focus (Leicester)
- Gateshead Voluntary Organisations Council
- Greater Manchester Youth Network (Manchester, Oldham and Bolton)
- Harrow Council
- Hertfordshire Council
- Learning Partnerships (Leeds)
- Make a Difference/Milton Keynes College
- Newham College
- Oxfordshire Council
- Portsmouth Highbury College
- Red Cross (Ipswich, Clacton, Isle of Wight, Thames Valley and Barking & Dagenham)
- Staffordshire Council
- Voluntary Organisations Development Agency (Tyneside)
- Voluntary Action Derby
- YMCA Stoke on Trent
- Youth Federation (Cheshire, Wirral, Warrington and Halton)

Ends

For further information please contact Paul Werb, Communications Manager, at paul.werb@vinspired.com, tel 0207 960 7011 or Jane Eggleton, PR Manager, at jane.eggleton@vinspired.com, tel 0207 960 7018 or pippa.bruce@shinecom.com, tel 0207 841 7065
Notes to Editors

1. v, The National Young Volunteers Service, aims to inspire a new generation of volunteers (aged 14-25) across England.

2. Big Society is what we do. We do it by creating a diverse range of volunteering and social action opportunities to help young people take action to improve lives, communities and the planet.

3. v's aim is to create a culture where volunteering and social action comes naturally and where the benefits of volunteering are understood and celebrated.

4. v is an independent charity launched in May 2006

5. See www.vinspired.com for more information on what we do and how we do it.

6. For more information on the DKH Legacy Trust please visit www.dkhlegacytrust.org

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