The government’s flagship youth participation scheme the National Citizen Service has announced that around 100 charities and organisations are to share £20m in community activity grants.

The funding has been made available through a change in focus for the scheme, which was created by the coalition government more than a decade ago to offer young people residential experiences.

While this year the scheme is continuing to offer summer residential stays, it is also focusing on year-round opportunities in the community and online.

The community element aims to help young people become “world ready and work ready, according to the NCS Trust, which runs the programme.

More than 400 applications for grants to offer community schemes were assessed by the NCS Trust and its partners StreetGames and the National Youth Agency.

“These new experiences will complement NCS’ existing away from home residential offering by providing more opportunities for teenagers to engage in local activities that foster skills development, deepen their understanding of the community, and empower them to contribute positively to its improvement,” said the Trust.

“The grants will also support organisations that cater to specific groups of young people who may not have participated in previous NCS initiatives.

Changing Young Lives, Young Bristol and Children North East have been handed funding to deliver year-round activities for 16-17 year olds across the country over the next two years.

In addition, Girlguiding, The Children’s Society, Autismable, Dallaglio RugbyWorks and West Ham United Foundation will receive funding to work with targeted groups of young people in their local communities.

Meanwhile, Firvale Community Hub in Sheffield, who work with disadvantaged young people who have experienced social and institutional exclusion over a long period, has also received a grant, as has Barca Leeds, to work with a targeted demographic of young people in Yorkshire not in education, employment, or training.

“I am delighted to welcome a diverse range of local, grassroots and community organisations from across the youth sector to deliver reimagined NCS experiences,” said Mark Gifford, NCS Trust chief executive.

“This allows us to reach more young people than ever before, ensuring they are equipped with the skills and perspective to become work ready and world ready. Additionally, our grants for targeted experiences will enable us to reach underserved young people and communities.”

Gifford added: “Together, we will work towards creating a country of confident, connected, caring citizens where everyone feels at home.”

This latest funding award from the NCS Trust comes amid a drop in funding for the programme. At its peak the service was backed with £180m government funding a year, but last year’s government youth review instead committed £171m investment to the NCS over three years.

In January the NCS appointed the Youth Hostelling Association to provide its residential programme.

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