How can we best to build, support and expand civic service opportunities for young people as we emerge from the pandemic?
It is hard to overstate the effect of the pandemic on younger generations. Policymakers must now grapple with how best to help and prepare young people to navigate the disruption of the pandemic and the legacy of furlough, lost learning and unemployment. This invitation-only roundtable, held in partnership with NCS, will explore how to develop new models that better serve young people’s needs, and to build institutional capacity for the long term.
This roundtable is held in partnership with National Citizen Service (NCS), and will build on a panel event we hosted earlier this year with Baroness Barran, Minister for Civil Society.
“Year to Serve” programmes harness the strength of the next generation to find, face and take on the country’s toughest challenges, with paid employment to serve local communities wherever the needs are greatest. Such schemes meet multiple needs – they boost employability, encourage young people to build careers of community service, and build delivery capacity in everything from mental health to disaster response.
A new pilot, “UK Year of Service”, aims to adapt this model from long standing and successful examples in the US, France, Germany and Italy. Work placements range from promoting and providing Covid-19 vaccinations to replanting Scotland’s rainforest, and tutoring students to help them catch up on missed schooling. Such schemes require wage subsidies and spending on training and support, but employers have already shown themselves willing to shoulder some of this burden in the pilot. An estimated 300-400 18-24 year olds will take part in the programme, with the first starting their placements in August 2021.
