28 young people from Derby County Community Trust’s NCS Changemaker programme came together to support Amnesty UK’s Football Welcome initiative throughout April.

The campaign aims to support refugees and asylum seekers, and the teens taking part have been doing their bit to create positive change with NCS (National Citizen Service), the country’s flagship youth programme for 16–17-year-olds.

Participants collected donations for welcome boxes which included toiletries, stationery, and small gifts to be provided to refugees who are new to the Derby area through local charity Upbeat Communities.

The young people collected and packed 45 boxes which will have a real impact on new residents in the area.

Emma Pilgrim, Events and Projects Manager at Derby County Community Trust, said: “We were really inspired by how well the young people worked together to collect, pack and produce so many boxes for new residents in Derby.

“They even took the extra time to wrap the boxes and include a welcome message so that the box would be received as a gift, which was a really lovely touch.”

Maddie De Soyza, Communications and Fundraising Officer at Upbeat Communities, added: “It’s been fantastic to work with the young people on NCS again to make a difference to those who are arriving in Derby.

"Receiving a warm welcome when in a new place, separated from friends and family, makes a world of difference to those rebuilding their lives in the UK. We’re so thankful for these boxes which will help us to provide the best possible welcome for new arrivals in our city."

NCS Changemakers is an extension of Derby County Community Trust’s summer programme which allows young people to make a difference in their communities all year round

Those involved will also be taking part in the two-week summer project, which will take place in July and August and give over 400 young people the chance to complete a social action project for a cause of their choosing.

Over 600,000 young people have benefited from the NCS programme to date, giving over 15 million hours to social action projects in local communities across the country.  There are still some spaces available on the NCS Summer ‘22 programme – find out more at wearencs.com.