Community-minded Suffolk teenagers have spent their summer supporting worthy causes, including charities helping survivors of childhood sexual abuse and the homeless.
This year’s National Citizen Service (NCS) scheme has seen groups of youngsters choose organisations, whose work they admire, to support with fundraising and volunteering.
One of the Suffolk groups, Team 4, selected Survivors in Transition, an Ipswich organisation helping adults who have experienced childhood sexual abuse.
Team 4 held a cake sale to raise around £120, which it used to buy materials to refurbish the charity’s counselling rooms in Fore Street. The group said it hoped this would help the charity offer a “long lasting positive impact upon their clients”.
“As a team we feel very passionate about this cause and, although there has been a lot of media coverage surrounding this sensitive topic, there are still many misconceptions and prejudices,” the group added.
“We wanted to contribute any way we could to raise the right awareness, even if it was just with a small fundraiser, so that we can move a step closer to a more supportive and accepting society.
“Furthermore, we wanted to publicise that there are places like Survivors in Transition that offer one to one therapy sessions for those in need and specialise in creating a safe, useful and supportive environment.”
Another NCS group, Team Wilson, has also been working in Ipswich, helping homeless people.
The group completed a sponsored assault course to raise £590, which it used to buy supplies for two types of care packages - food and hygiene – supplemented with donations from Ipswich shops. The group donated 50 shoeboxes filled with toiletries and non-perishable food together with money.
Susie Mills, locality manager and the Ipswich Locality Homelessness Partnership, praised Team Wilson’s for working “really hard” to help.
“The Ipswich Locality Homeless Partnership gave a number of presentations to Teams of NCS Students during July and August and this is the fabulous, fantastic result,” she added.
NCS is a scheme for people aged 15-17 years-old to “embark on exhilarating challenges”, support their community and build skills for work and life.
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