"The Prime Minister, David Cameron is passionate about the National Citizen Service and what it has achieved."

The National Citizen Service brings together 16-year-olds from different backgrounds in a programme of challenge and learning, enabling them to develop the confidence they need to become more involved with their communities and to become responsible citizens.

Last summer they joined thousands of others - engaged in social action projects across England involved in the government initiative.

In Yorkshire, youngsters from Barnsley staged a Paralympic Sports Day for disabled children.

And in London the National Citizen Service volunteers at Leyton Orient took the residents from an old people's home in Leytonstone on a day trip to Southend.

MP Tim Loughton, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Children and Families, praised the 'incredible' work done by the graduates and said the scheme is close to Prime Minister David Cameron's heart, with the aim of the service - to get young people helping others.

"David Cameron is passionate about the National Citizen Service and what it has achieved," said Loughton.

"We hope that the National Citizen Service will soon become a rite of passage for every 16-year-old, to the point where we anticipate there will be enough young people graduating every year to fill Wembley Stadium six times over."

Pam Hetherington, a retired manageress and voluntary worker who lives at Doreen Capstan House where the NCS volunteers from Leyton Orient helped out, said: "I've lived on housing estates for most of my life, and I was often wary of young people.

"The way they would gather in groups on a street corner could be quite intimidating and seemed unsociable to an older person.

"But the young were chatty, polite and very caring - and now my old perceptions of young people have changed completely because of what I experienced through meeting these youngsters on The National Citizen Service scheme.

"It is a wonderful opportunity for young people to become involved with their community."

The Football League Trust General Manager Mike Evans said: "The National Citizen Service has shown that young people are inspired to do amazing things, particularly when challenged and outside of their comfort zone."

This summer, fifteen Football League community trusts are offering over 1,000 places for 16 year-olds as the scheme continues to grow.

The three week programme includes two residential weeks, after which the teenagers spend 30 hours delivering a social action project for the benefit of the local community.

The 15 community trusts delivering NCS in 2012 are AFC Bournemouth Community, Barnsley, Albion in the Community (Brighton and Hove Albion), Charlton Athletic Community, Grimsby Town Football in the Community Sports and Education Trust, Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme, MK Dons Sports and Education Trust, Norwich City Community Sports Foundation, Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United Community Sports Project, Scunthorpe United Community Sport and Education Trust, Sheffield Wednesday Community Programme, Stevenage FC in the Community, The Tigers (Hull City), The United Initiative (Sheffield United)