DAVID CAMERON LAUNCHES NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE

David Cameron has announced that a Conservative Government will set up a National Citizen Service for 16 year-olds.
National Citizen Service (NCS) will be a two month summer programme for 16-year olds, involving both residential and at-home components. It will be delivered by independent charities, social enterprises and businesses.
"I'm so excited about what we’re setting out today", Cameron said. "It’s been a long time in development – a lot of time and effort has gone into making it a reality – and I think it will be one of the proudest legacies of a future Conservative government".
A Conservative government will set for itself this ambitious goal: that over time, all 16 year-olds will take part in NCS. We want NCS to be a rite of passage for all sixteen year olds in Britain, and a shared experience that will bring young people from different backgrounds together. NCS will promote social mixing, help the transition to adulthood and promote community engagement.
Speaking at his first press conference of the election campaign, David Cameron described what the NCS is about: "We must give young people more to aspire to. More shape to their lives. More responsibility. More pride in themselves and what they can do. And we must all come together to do more about the national scandal of all this wasted promise. We owe it to the next generations."
Outlining how it would work, he said it was "a kind of non-military national service – a two-month programme for sixteen year-olds to come together in common purpose".
"It’s going to mix young people from different backgrounds, different ethnicity's and religions, in a way that doesn’t happen right now. It’s going to teach them what it means to be socially responsible by asking them to serve their communities."
I believe this is a great idea, and fully subscribe to these proposals. It is important that we engage the young people in our society, and this voluntary scheme will help many young people to develop important life skills.