Rishi Sunak praises NCS young people making a difference

Rishi Sunak has praised the passion and commitment of a group of young people from Yorkshire who gave up part of the summer holiday for the benefit of the community.

The Richmond (Yorks) MP joined two groups of young people from North Yorkshire taking part in an NCS programme with Yorkshire Cricket Foundation through the EFL Trust.

The 30 young people, most of whom study at Richmond School & Sixth Form College, were taking part in the scheme which is designed to build skills and confidence in young people as they approach adulthood.

Two members of the group – Grace Kipling, 16, and Caitlin Briggs, 16 – had written to Mr Sunak about their social action project.

The students split into two groups to tackle two projects – LGBTQ+ awareness and a campaign to support mental health in schools following Covid.

Mr Sunak said:

 “I was most impressed by the enthusiasm of the students for the projects – which were their own ideas – and the determination with which they pursued their objectives.

“They were also having lots of fun while doing so, getting to work together in teams and making new friends.”

Mr Sunak spent time with the LGBTQ+ awareness group who had set up a number of fundraising stalls at the school’s Darlington Road entrance, including selling cakes and running a tombola.

Their aim was to generate enough money to cover the costs of creating a LGBTQ+ awareness mural at the bus stop opposite the school.

He also talked to the second group about their campaign to encourage schools and colleges to fund mental health support for young people after the pandemic.

They had created an online petition with the aim of securing a parliamentary debate on the issue and collectively completed 300 miles – roughly the distance from Richmond to Westminster – walking, cycling or on rowing machines and treadmills to raise money.

Grace Kipling, who worked with the LGBTQ+ group, said:

“It was nice to talk to him about our project. We showed him around our stall and explained our campaign. He loved the fact that the youth are getting involved and are passionate about having an inclusive community.” She said: “It was amazing knowing that he is here to support us and help spread the word about our campaign.”

Georgie O’Reilly, who worked in the mental health project team, said the NCS experience had been amazing. She said:

“I have been able to listen to so many people’s stories and understand how Parliament works, how petitions work, how to be able to have a voice and step out of my comfort zone and become more confident. It’s been amazing to meet a new group of people and see life in a different way,”

The EFL Trust’s Chief Executive, Mike Evans, attended the project alongside Mr Sunak, he said:

“Young people getting their voices heard is what NCS is all about and having the opportunity to present their projects to their local MP Rishi Sunak, will have given them huge confidence and something they won’t forget any time soon.

“Both social action projects are a huge testament to the passion and determination of both groups to make a positive change in their local area, Richmond.

“Despite the challenging times our network has supported thousands of young people through NCS giving them a platform to reach their potential, to get their voices heard and to make an impact in their community.”

Mark Gifford, the CEO of NCS, said:

“We’re delighted that local young people were able to spend time with Rishi discussing the projects they’re passionate about and sharing with him the things that matter to them.

“Young people today want their voices to be heard and to play a part in building the future that they will inherit and inhabit, so being able to share with their local MP what they have been doing for their community on NCS was really special.”

Yorkshire Cricket Foundation are part of the EFL Trust’s network of NCS delivery partners who, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, are supporting thousands of young people through NCS this summer.

This summer marks ten years since the EFL Trust and NCS partnered to deliver life-changing experiences for young people across the country through the social action scheme.

The programme, delivered by 64 Delivery Partners, has engaged more than 65,000 teenagers to date and these young people have volunteered over 1.9 million hours to their local communities. The programme is designed to help young people realise their potential, reach their future goals and in-turn, improve local communities through positive social action.