Co-operative Social Mixing as a Means of Positive Change: service-learning with the National Citizen Service
We know that positive mixing between groups can help build cohesion. However, what happens when there are no opportunities for mixing? Or, if there are opportunities in diverse contexts but individuals don’t mix? Or, if they do experience mixing, but such encounters are predominantly negative? Youth volunteering and service-learning programs, such as the National Citizen Service (NCS), may offer vital opportunities to overcome these obstacles.
KEY QUESTIONS:
- Can involvement in schemes like the NCS help build cohesion between different groups, and social
cohesion more generally?
- Does such participation help young people respond to experiences of diversity in their schools and
neighbourhoods? And can such schemes serve as a bridge in areas where mixing is absent, superficial, or
mostly negative?
KEY QUESTIONS:
- Can involvement in schemes like the NCS help build cohesion between different groups, and social
cohesion more generally?
- Does such participation help young people respond to experiences of diversity in their schools and
neighbourhoods? And can such schemes serve as a bridge in areas where mixing is absent, superficial, or
mostly negative?