The Challenge

“I liked making the video because it’s the most independent and creative thing we’ve done so far on NCS, we bonded more as a team too”

Young person in Brampton

100,000 young people take part in the National Citizen Service programme each year, but they often don’t know they’re part of something so big, and don’t have opportunities to meet or interact with teams in other parts of the country. There are also increasingly stark divides between young people who grow up in urban and rural areas, with limited understanding of each other and each other’s worlds.

“Changing Places seems like a great way to get young people inspired and thinking about what they can do for their social action phase. It’s so important for them to think more deeply about the area they live, especially in context to where other young people live.”

Wave leader in Bicester

The Solution

Changing Places – a national campaign inviting young people all over the country to build up a picture of what it’s like in their area. By creating short videos, they showcase what they love and would like to change about their areas, and by watching other team’s contributions, they discover what it’s like where other teams live.

Stats and Facts

“The worksheet is really clear and easy for young people to follow – I think the storyboard and roles were particularly helpful”

Team leader in Oxford

  • 1200+ young people piloted Changing Places activities in 48 towns in summer 2018
  • 113 videos created showcasing what young people love and would love to change about their local areas
  • 48 towns across the UK featured by young people
  • 4 acrobats and 2 dogs made it into the videos
  • 4108 hours were collectively spent completing the activity
  • 285 young people involved in pre-pilot tests
  • 41 people involved in co-creation sessions
  • The Shift team travelled 4776 miles during observations

Research

Comment

Changing Places Pilot Summary

Changing Places is a national campaign for young people on the NCS programme, aiming to unite young people in different parts of the country in speaking up about what they love and want to change about their local area.