§ Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's policy is on the extension to secondary school pupils of millennium volunteers under the active citizens in schools initiative; how many have been recruited; what assessment has been made of the take-up of volunteers; and if he will make a statement. [165333]
§ Alan JohnsonThe Active Citizens in Schools (ACiS) pilot aims to build on aspects of the Millennium Volunteers (MV) programme and encourage 11 to 15 year olds in schools to make a commitment to volunteering in line with the citizenship curriculum, encourage them to become Millennium Volunteers when they reach the age of 16 and help to engage them in the wider democratic process. Over 4,000 young people have been involved in ACiS. The interim evaluation suggests that ACiS has to date been encouragingly successful, particularly in terms of the number of young people involved and the diversity of opportunities that have been developed. The DfES is planning to roll out the initiative through the extended schools programme from 2004.