Preston North End is celebrating the NCS [National Citizen Service] programme with a themed matchday for the visit of Coventry City.
NCS is a government-backed programme which allows 15 to 17-year-olds to build their confidence and independence and develop life skills through a variety of exciting activities and challenges, centred around residential, adventure and social action.
As part of our celebrations of the NCS programme, which Preston North End Community and Education Trust has delivered in partnership with the EFL Trust for several years, we will be welcoming officials from NCS to our Coventry City fixture.
Tickets have also been allocated to our Change Makers participants, a programme for young people who have graduated from NCS and wish to continue making a positive difference in the community.
Players will also wear NCS t-shirts as part of their pre-match preparations to showcase the benefits of the programme to those in attendance at Deepdale.
In the summer, PNECET supported 73 young people to graduate from its NCS programme, with a number of those successful participants progressing to the Change Makers programme.
Speaking about the success of the summer programme recently, PNECET Community Partnerships Coordinator Jessica Riley said: “Our participants have been involved in plenty of workshops, doing a lot of team challenges and planning various social action projects.
“The benefits for the students post-Covid and coming out of the restrictions are that a lot of them have been at home not doing much and had restrictions within schools.
“They’ve been getting out and about, getting to know each other a bit better, making new friends, and gaining independence as well, which is a big thing on social action projects, because a lot of them have not planned a project before. They’re working as a team while all having a role and responsibility to carry out.
“We’re pleased to have helped 73 young people to graduate from NCS in the summer and are now enjoying working with our Preston Centre of Sporting Excellence learners to help them reap the same benefits ahead of their studies this academic year.”