National service isn't the answer. AIBU?

[D3LAN3Y]

The conversation keeps cropping up time and time again. Should national service make a come back?
I have some relatives (generally older) who seem to think the younger generation could really use something like National Service to "sort themselves out" because they seem to think too many are rude/work shy/lazy/disrespectful etc.
I think it's a load of shit. I have two kids. Most of the teenagers I know happen to be good kids. I don't think they are a lost generation and anyone who works in retail already have done a form of national service in my eyes.

The tories have tabled an idea of a voluntary idea of national service but surely if they are pushing the idea to sort out "troubled youth" it wouldn't hit the audience it intended?

YABU - National service would help
YANBU - ITS A JOKE.

www.lbc.co.uk/news/penny-mordaunt-national-service/

Well she's not wrong about mental health and the effect covid has had is she. I think much like anything it would be great for some, not for others. It's not compulsory so that's good. I think it largely ignores the amount of volunteering teenagers already do.

I think the problem would be who would have to do it....boys only? Boys and girls? What about all these people who identify as all sorts of things. It won't fix anything and there will be a loop hole. Dh had to do national service in his own country. He was unlucky and had to fight and was put in a lot of dangerous situations. Its hardened him a lot..not completely but has definitely defined his personality. Whereas his brothers got.lucky and where either village parole and admin and they are all proper shits and horrible. Not that simple I think!

It's always an amazing coincidence that the people who put forward ideas like this...... are always outside the criteria that would have to do it......

I think a form of National Service would be incredibly useful for many teens, perhaps not a military based one but something like mandatory D of E type of experience where you volunteer, provide a community service for your town, do some outward bound type of activity, something which could be made accessible and that is funded would be fantastic.

If all 13 year olds had to spend some time once a month litter picking, learning skills to make things to benefit their community making benches or community gardens helping to conserve the local woodland I think towns would have a lot fewer issues as the teens would have more pride for where they lived.

The government isn't proposing Military Service but thinking of extending and making the (already existing) National Citizens Service for 16 year olds semi compulsory with "opt out" rather than "opt in".
It's a couple of weeks of PGL style camp plus some volunteering.
🙄

The 'older generation' has been thinking this since conscription vanished. 1962? Its part of the human condition to look at youth and believe they're feckless, lazy, troublemakers, etc. Every era of history will have a reference to this. I doubt the Army would thank anyone for a collection of unwilling young. 'Youth is wasted on the young'.

I like this.

Ghere are areas where kids run wild , setting up fires to bins, bullying corner shops, throwing rubbish around on purpose etc.
Local community based community swrbocw would be great

Singleandproud - That's a very good post.

I think it would be great for some, but not for others. I work with a couple of ex servicemen and I must say their work ethic, no nonsense attitude and ability to just get the job done is admirable. Both men are very sufficient, they cook, do housework and generally just get on with stuff. I think for young men with no focus, goals or career aspirations, it could be a good thing.

Perhaps the older generations need something like this to 'sort themselves out', because God knows enough of them are rude/lazy/work shy/ entitled/disrespectful/ discourteous. . . .

My late father was one of the last to do National Service. He said it was shit. Some of the young kids hanged themselves because they couldn’t take the bullying and ridicule from the officers and fellow recruits. There wasn’t much to do so they wasted a lot of time and the regular service people hated the conscripts.

As to building communities etc - kids that want to smash stuff up won’t suddenly get community minded by being press ganged into litter picking - and fucking good luck getting them to do it.

I think teens would have more pride in where they lived if they weren't going to schools that might collapse on them which are underfunded so they don't even have the basic supplies with a teaching staff that is understaffed, underpaid and overloaded with admin and pointless changes to curriculums that change on the government's whims.

They might have more pride in where they lived if they weren't vilified on Facebook Town pages for daring to hang around, if they weren't constantly being called lazy, work shy and disrespectful

They might have more pride in where they lived if they weren't living in a time where people in professional jobs are struggling to make ends meet never mind people in the service industry, manufacturing etc. If student loans weren't so high and lead to jobs that don't even pay enough to get a mortgage

I don't think litter picking and building a bench is going to fix the massive public service and infrastructure issues in the UK which are negatively impacting every age including teenagers.

@Singleandproud what you describe is the already existing National Citizens Service for 16 years in the summer after their GCSEs (or equivalent).
It already exists but is badly promoted so lots of people have never heard about it.
Personally I think 16 is too late. It should start at age 12 or so and be more than the current 2 or 3 weeks.

Yeah those kids are certainly going to be willing participants ha ha ha

Like single and proud post, I think it's a great idea and should be for any young person not in education, work or training already unless there are serious reasons who it would not be suitable for them.

Might be if you catch them early or find a way to force.

Theese things should be taught from young age tbh

Not even my 76 year old Dad did National Service! It ended in 1963, how old is the person you are talking to?

I am the only person on this thread who has heard of the National Citizens Service (NCS)?
Because I am the only one mentioning it.

From gov.org website....

@Needmorelego nope not the only one who has heard of it but I would guess that the relatives suggesting "national service" to sort the youth of today out are nor referring to a NCS type scheme

Oh the picture isn't there....

@Insommmmnia yes but the news article in the OP is about the government extending this scheme. Not sending lads off to war.

Both my grandsons did the NCS and enjoyed it but you wouldn't have found them out vandalising, drugging, drinking and generally being a pita for everyone so I don't know how helpful that is, they went willingly.

@Needmorelego yes I know. But posters on the thread are generally concentrating more on the first half of the OP rather than the second. Doesn't mean you are the only person to heard of the scheme though there's been other threads on here recently