Oldham Athletic Community Trust

NCS at Oldham Athletic Community Trust (OACT)

What is NCS?
OACT are a delivery partner of the National Citizen Service (NCS). NCS is the chance for 16 to 17 year-olds to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience during the summer and autumn school holidays, taking part in the country’s fastest-growing youth movement. 2021 is now our second year delivering NCS, and we hope it will be our biggest and best programme yet!

Why take part in NCS?

• NCS lets you experience new and exciting activities away from home, making a host of great new friends in the process.
• NCS can offer you valuable skills such as resilience, public speaking and teamwork that can help you stand out with your CV and UCAS applications, and prepare you for adulthood.
• NCS gives you the chance to give back to your local community by taking part in your very own social action project, making your voice heard and preparing you to be an active citizen.

Testimonials from Autumn 2020 NCS Graduates (OAFC Academy)

“The NCS project was great because it gave us an insight to different people and the way society functions. It was important to give back to the local community in Oldham, and to give a helping hand to others who may be struggling in the community. We also got to take part in go-karting which was fun and it allowed us to bond and enjoy ourselves.” - Junior

“What I enjoyed most about NCS was definitely visiting the homeless shelter as it gave us the opportunity to see how the homeless have turned their lives around for the better in a positive manner, it made me realise how we really take things in life for granted.” – Asa

For more information on our NCS programme, you can contact us directly on:

• holly.espie@oact.org.uk
• 07926590679
• wearencs.com/sign-up-to-ncs

To see the impact NCS can have, check out all of our NCS content on our YouTube channel! 

NCS School Partners and Summer 2022!

We are delighted to be working with a number of schools, colleges and alternative education providers across Oldham to deliver the Summer 2022 National Citizen Service (NCS) Programme. These partner providers are as follows:

• Blue Coat CofE School
• Co-op Academy Failsworth
• Crompton House CofE School
• E-Act Royton and Crompton Academy
• Kingsland School
• Oasis Academy Oldham
• Oldham College
• SMS Changing Lives

Since September 2021, we have already worked closely with Oasis Academy Oldham and Co-op Academy Failsworth to provide our bespoke Skills Booster programme to 30 pupils, and we look forward to working with more of our partner schools to provide this fantastic opportunity for their pupils to develop key knowledge and skills.

As we look towards Summer 2022, we are excited to work closely alongside each of these to provide the opportunity for young people aged 16-17 to take part in our NCS programme this August. The programme is a jam-packed 2 weeks, split into 4 unique phases. Our programme kicks off on Monday 15th August, and can be broken down as follows:

Week 1 – Monday 15th August 2022 – Friday 20th August 2022

Phase 1 (Be Epic) and Phase 2 (Live Life).

Week 1 will take place at YHA Trafford Hall, Chester on a residential basis. This first week, encompassing the first two phases, will be packed with a range of outdoor activities such as rock-climbing and abseiling which will help you to connect with new people and make new friends, coupled with a variety of workshops and activities which can help you to develop your independence, gain an insight into the world of work, and have your voice heard.

Week 2 – Monday 22nd August 2022 – Friday 27th August 2022

Phase 3 (Do Good)

Week 2 will take place at a local venue in Oldham, on a non-residential basis. This phase is all about gaining a better understanding of, and doing good within, your community. You’ll pick a cause or charity that you and your team care about, and plan and implement your very own social action project which looks to tackle this and leave a lasting legacy.

And after all that, you of course deserve to celebrate your achievements! This is Phase 4 (Go Party), where you can come back together new friends and old friends to reflect on a fantastic Summer.

To sign up to NCS, head to www.wearencs.com or call 0800 197 8010.

We will also be recruiting for seasonal staff across a variety of roles, so keep your eyes peeled for more information on this in the coming months.

If you want to learn more about NCS, whether you are a young person, a teacher, or a parent/guardian, you can contact us on holly.espie@oact.org.uk.

You can see some of our 2021 NCS Highlights on our YouTube channel by clicking HERE or watching the video below.

Summer 2022 NCS Team!

Holly Espie - NCS Manager / Wave lead

Laura Barlow - NCS Assistant Wave lead

Adam Steeple - NCS Team Leader

Laura Osborne - NCS Team Leader

Alamin Hussain - NCS Team Leader

Kyle Horton - NCS Assistant Team Leader

Alex Jones – NCS Assistant Team Leader

Mayesha Rahman - NCS Assistant Team Leader

On top of our core NCS programmes, we are delighted to be able to offer our partners schools and colleges the NCS Skills Booster programme. This offer aims to support students to re-engage and return to learning following disruption due to the pandemic, offering personal development opportunities through allowing them to gain key skills for their next steps after Year 11 or 12 and wider life.

We are excited to have worked with numerous pupils across both Co-op Academy Failsworth and Oasis Academy Oldham already during the Autumn term to deliver sessions to their Year 11 pupils on a range of important topics. We have covered everything from money management, CVs, cover letter and interview skills, and careers and progression to citizenship, diversity and inclusion and political engagement. We can’t wait to continue this, and work with even more of our partner schools, into 2022!

Skills Booster is completely free of charge to schools and students, and can be delivered completely flexibly to local needs. If you are a member of school or college staff interested in learning more about Skills Booster, please contact holly.espie@oact.org.uk.

Changemakers allows young people to continue having an impact on their local community beyond their NCS experience. All of our NCS graduates are offered the opportunity to become a Changemaker, where they have the chance to meet even more new friends, continue gaining key skills for life and education, and take on regular social action projects to support their local community. Our first ever Changemakers project aimed at reducing loneliness and isolation among elderly people at Christmas is well underway, with participants planning a Christmas party and gifts for care home residents.

Our Changemakers programme is also open to 15-17 year-olds who have not taken part in NCS, but who want to make a difference in their local area, so if you would be interested in getting involved please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!