What is it about?
This article provides a critical appraisal of the National Citizen Service (NCS) as a vehicle for youth social action in the changing social, economic and political landscapes in a post-Brexit society. It draws on recent empirical research findings in offering useful insights into practice interventions, the impact on young people, and contests the type of citizen envisaged within the NCS curricula and pedagogy. It suggests that we are witnessing the emergence of a form of neo-communitarian citizenship, which can be characterised as a distinct form of ‘active citizenship’ premised on neoliberal economic imperatives, resulting in a reconfiguration of youth work practice and accelerating the demise of young people’s entitlement to universal service provision.
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Why is it important?
Here are three reasons why the article is relevant: 1. Young people's lives are changing rapidly in an increasingly globalized and technology based societies. 2. In April 2017, the UK Parliament passed the NCS Act, placing the youth programme on a statutory footing; with £0.9 billion public funding. 3. There have been serious concerns raised by National Audit Office and House of Commons public scrutiny committee about the transparency, cost-effectiveness and safeguarding procedures of the NCS programmes.
Perspectives
This article takes a critical approach in evaluating the role of the NCS, and its impact on young people's citizen status. The is growing concerns about the impact of austerity measures on universal rights and youth services within the UK. Moreover, whilst statutory and voluntary youth services are closing deserves as a result of cuts to public funding, the NCS has been given statutory status and will receive almost £1billion of public funding upto 2021. The question need to be asked, why is the NCS being given preferential treatment? Despite major concerns about value for money, and its effectiveness it remains central to governement youth policy. I suggest that we are witnessing what can be termed neo-communitarism, a form of social capital (moral citizen) infused with neoliberal values (enterprising citizen). This model of subject-citizen has been central to governing in neoliberal times: its the need to reconfigure service delivery by the process of marketisation and privatisation of the social sphere. and to (re)articulate the meaning of citizenship based on entrepreneurial ability and self governing subjects.
Sean F. Murphy
Teesside University
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This page is a summary of: The rise of a neo-communitarian project: A critical youth work study into the pedagogy of the National Citizen Service in England, Citizenship Social and Economics Education, June 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/2047173417707760.
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