Rebecca Harris, MP for Castle Point, joined a group of local young people taking part in National Citizen Service (NCS), an open-to-all unifying experience shared by teens from different backgrounds which helps them become better individuals, and in turn better citizens.

During her visit, Rebecca met NCS participants in their fourth week of the programme where she learned about the fundraising project they’ve been running in Canvey Island, aiming to raise awareness of the dangers of using nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas.

Rebecca heard first-hand how NCS - the fastest growing youth movement in our country for a century - is helping to develop participants’ life skills, resilience and wellbeing while boosting community engagement. She said: “It was a pleasure to meet such an inspiring group of young people and see the great things they have already accomplished on programme. I look forward to hearing all about their achievements over the remainder of their time on NCS and the positive impact their social action has on the local community.”.

NCS is a flagship government initiative that provides young people aged 15-17 the chance to take on new challenges, experience exciting activities, make long-lasting friendships and develop vital skills that will support them later in life. It was launched to tackle three core issues of importance to society: social cohesion, social mobility and social engagement.

Sarah Hartley, NCS Marketing and Engagement Manager at NCS Ingeus, the regional provider of NCS said: “The young people were absolutely thrilled to meet Rebecca and tell her about the social action project they are delivering this week in and around Canvey Island. We’re delighted that she found the time to come and visit the programme, to talk to the young people about their project and to see firsthand the impact on local communities that NCS is having through youth volunteering.”

Over 400,000 young people have completed the NCS programme to date, giving up an incredible 11.7 million hours to social action projects since NCS started.

There are still places available for 15-17 years to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity. To sign up, go to www.ncsyes.co.uk.