The Challenge Network 2017

Throughout the year our Lunch Club have been working with The Challenge – National Citizen Service (NCS) to provide a number of activities for our clients.

NCS participants are young people aged between 16 – 18, and generally come in groups of approximately 10 young people and The Challenge staff.

As part of ‘The Challenge’ they partner up with a local community organisation such as St Albans. The young people come out and spend some time getting to know the clients and do a variety of activities such as arts and crafts, nail painting etc.

They then go out into public places such as shopping centres, promote our services and fundraise on our behalf. Having completed this they then return to the centre with resources purchased out of the funds they have raised and undertake more activities with the clients. Any remaining funding is then donated to the centre to date we have received in the region of £400.00 in donations.

In the most recent activity the young people interviewed the clients on camera, asked them about their life experiences and in particular what they were doing when they were 16 years old. This information was compiled into a video and a visual display.

The young people also put on a showcase which they present to other groups and use a variety of different modes to deliver their experiences including media, song and dance. They talk about their perceptions before meeting the elderly clients and how these have changed since they have been working with the clients. They also promote the benefits of volunteering in the community.

The Challenge are keen to come back and work with us again this year and we will be happy to have them back, the clients really enjoy having the young people and you can see the vibrant atmosphere in the dining room when they are here.