James Crabtree: Bring back the idea of national service

We haven’t seen its like since Britain had an Expeditionary Force. Every summer an army of well-heeled young Brits fan out across the world to dig wells in Kenya, teach English in Nepal, and build hospitals in Peru. Unlike those who fought in 20th-century Europe, this 21st-century force is all officer corps, no conscripts: a floppy-haired army of Tarquins.

Gap years have become a cherished tradition for the fortunate. Liberal-minded parents reward all those A*s by ponying up the £5,000 needed to jet off from Terminal 5 for a spell mind broadening. There is good theory behind the practice – development projects in socially-mixed groups, and under careful adult supervision, can teach young people discipline and confidence. Gap years run by reputable charities, like Raleigh International, also encourage mixing by subsidising teenagers from poor backgrounds.

But, often, the real gap is between expectation and reality. “Gappers” are overwhelmingly privileged. Half of public school kids take one, but only a small fraction from the state sector. Those not bound for university can’t afford it; even those from middle class backgrounds, facing rising tuition fees, must now work build up a war chest for university. The result? Only the wealthy have a shot at an experience meant to round out their character and résumé.

Even worse, last year the respected international development charity VSO blew the whistle: most gap year projects do little to help development in poor countries and are run by unscrupulous operators out to lighten parents’ wallets, but indifferent to the responsibility they owe to the volunteers, or their host countries. The result is voluntourism, “badly planned and supported schemes that are spurious – benefiting no one apart from the travel companies that organise them” as the VSO said.

Is there a better way? In the forthcoming issue of Prospect, the MP Frank Field and I lay out a plan to replace the gap year with a compulsory period of national civic service for all young people. The idea is partly designed to fight the recession: putting young people to work and so warding off looming youth unemployment. But it would offer the best of the gap year experience: professionalising voluntourism, and creating opportunities in the UK and beyond for all young people alike to get the chance to grow and serve. Under our plan every teenager would be paid a modest wage to spend at least six months mentoring children, helping the sick and elderly, or working on environmental or international development projects. It would be expensive – but no more so than sinking billions into unnecessary Trident submarines.

The idea is popular with the public – 64 per cent back it, according to a recent poll. Gordon Brown supported national voluntary service in opposition, while Cameron’s Conservatives have announced plans for a national programme for every teenager, lasting for six weeks.

But six weeks is not enough. Politicians should be bolder. Imagine a national programme that helped millions of old people, mentored thousands of children, and taught our anomic young people that they are part of something bigger than themselves. It’s certainly a cause big enough to justify retiring Tarquin and his merry band.

James Crabtree is the deputy editor of Prospect