Tag: MCR Pathways

Mentor scheme to improve life chances for young people

A £19.4 million Scottish Government fund will support a six year mentoring programme to help young people reach their full potential.

MCR Pathways charity will roll out its successful Young Scottish Talent mentoring programme and social enterprise and charity Columba 1400 will expand its values-based Leadership Academy for Young People, working in partnership to improve education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances.

A network of volunteer mentors – drawn from business, civic society and the wider public – will offer tailored support to young people through schools as lockdown eases. They will be trained to develop strong relationships that are at the heart of the programme and key to helping young people achieve their full potential.

The programme will be delivered in partnership with local authorities that wish to participate and will be part of the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee, to provide long term support where it is needed most.

Education Secretary John Swinney said: “Our young people have endured an extremely challenging 12 months coping with the disruption to school life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For some young people, this period has impacted them disproportionality, which is why we have introduced the young person’s guarantee.

“Improving the education and life chances of all our children and young people is the defining mission of this government, which is why we are funding this mentoring support package that will enable young people to reach their full potential.”

Marie Clare Tully, Chief Executive of Columba 1400, said: ‘We are delighted that the Scottish Government is enabling Columba 1400 to deepen the reach and impact of our Leadership Academies.

“We can now welcome more of Scotland’s impressive young people on a shared journey to explore their own values, and values-based leadership.

“The core values of Scotland’s young people will be crucial in ensuring that our communities thrive post COVID-19. Columba 1400 is honoured to play a part in creating the conditions for change – enabling Scotland’s young people to transform their schools, their communities and the future of Scotland.”

Graeme McEwan, Chief Executive of MCR Pathways, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Scottish Government is supporting the expansion of the Young Scottish Talent mentoring programme to thousands more inspiring young people across the country. This recognises the transformational impact of mentoring and the key role it will play in post-Covid recovery in our schools and local communities.

“We look forward to partnering with our local authorities and schools to work with volunteer mentors across the country to help our young people find, grow and use their talents and be all they can be.”

The ambition of the Young Person’s Guarantee is that, within two years, every person aged between 16 and 24 will have the opportunity to study; take up an apprenticeship, job or work experience; or participate in formal volunteering.

MCR Pathways is currently operating in 72 schools across 12 local authorities. Young Edinburgh Talent has been running in Craigroyston Community High School since 2019 and in 2020 the programme was extended to 9 schools across the capital.

This proposal would see it increase to potentially 300 schools over a 6 year period.

MCR Pathways to provide 300 disadvantaged young Scots with internet access

MENTORING charity, MCR Pathways, is helping to provide a digital lifeline to the country’s most disadvantaged young people living in homes without computers and internet access.

It is feared these young people are being left behind adding to a growing crisis in the attainment gap. MCR will especially focus on school leavers to support them individually through this unprecedented period of uncertainty and anxiety.

Since lockdown in the UK, the award-winning mentoring charity has connected over 1,300 young people with their staff and mentors via video calls, live chat and emails.

As one young person, Chloe, said of her mentor: “You need someone to remind you that you can do it, that you’re going somewhere and that the only thing that will get you there is not giving up.

“That’s what a mentor does. Being isolated in lockdown, it’s even more important to know that the work you’re doing is for something, that someone believes in your future and just that someone actually cares.”

Now, helped with funding from the Scottish Government and JP Morgan, MCR will provide internet accessand computers for up to 300 young people who live in households without access to the vital support network of the school and their mentors.

Working in partnership with local authorities and schools, MCR will extend its comprehensive virtual mentoring programme further across the country.

Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Aileen Campbell, said: “MCR Pathways provides crucial support for children and young people across Scotland so it’s fitting that we are able to provide this funding during Mental Health Awareness Week to allow them to continue to provide this support digitally during the current pandemic.

“We need to continue to support all of our children’s health and wellbeing, but even more so disadvantaged children, who often rely on school life for a safe, nurturing and supportive environment. This additional funding will enable more children and young people and their families to maintain the vital mentoring relationships that have been developed through the programme.”

Iain MacRitchie, founder of MCR Pathways, said: “Since the start of the lockdown, our team has worked tirelessly to maintain the crucial relationships between volunteer mentors and our young people.

“Sadly, lockdown has highlighted deep-rooted inequalities with some young people being unable to access the internet and do any school work from home. With schools to remain closed until after the summer, we needed to act now to prevent young people from feeling isolated and disconnected.

“We are delighted to have secured funding from the Scottish Government and JP Morgan to enable us to provide internet access and equipment for at least 300 young people. The strong relationships between our school staff and young people have enabled us to quickly identify those most in need, and to reconnect them with their mentors.

“This now marks the longest time young people have been absent from school and we have yet to quantify the impact on all sections of society. One-to-one support and the dedication of our committed teachers is desperately needed to limit the serious and significant challenges faced by our disadvantaged young people during lockdown. We simply cannot allow the attainment gap to widen even further.

“Our commitment to helping every care-experienced and disadvantaged young person in Scotland secure equal education and life chances, is stronger than ever. The impact of the virus on our young people is huge and every inequality is exacerbated, but it has also made us even more determined to do whatever it takes for each and every one of them.”

Hang Ho, head of Global Philanthropy, J.P. Morgan, said: “It’s more important than ever to support these young people. In the current environment, the internet is crucial for accessing learning and essential school resources.

“Ensuring young people stay connected to their mentors and continue to benefit from that relationship has never been more critical.”

The programme has received praise from mentors and young people for the range of virtual meeting options it has introduced to facilitate ongoing relationships.

MCR mentor Bernadine Blair recently had her first video call with her mentee whom she normally meets weekly at Bannerman High School, Glasgow. She said: “It was so good to catch up with my mentee.

“To me, it was like catching up with a friend that you haven’t seen for a while and was lovely! We discussed anything and everything.

“I think it is really important to continue face-to-face conversations during these strange and difficult times as there is more pressure on individuals, not only physically with social distancing, but mentally.”

Bernadine’s mentee was equally pleased at the opportunity to meet online: “Meeting by video chat was the best experience I could have had with my mentor, it was great chatting to someone from outside my family.”

At the core of the MCR programme are mentoring sessions between a young person and their mentor who is fully trained to listen and encourage a young person.

Building caring and trusting relationships is at the heart of the recent Care Review Recommendations and MCR mentoring is a highly effective way for this to be implemented.

Mentoring programme rolled out across capital

THE City of Edinburgh Council and award-winning charity, MCR Pathways, have joined forces to expand a life-changing mentoring Programme throughout the capital.

The annoucement follows the recent Care Review’s recommendations which highlighted the vital need for relationship-based practice in schools, including mentoring, to better support young people with experience of the care system.

The Care Review Report states: “Mentoring has a significant positive impact on children and young people who receive it, with evidence that it can improve educational attainment. Schools must also be supported to encourage and develop mentoring relationships for those who would benefit.”

MCR Pathways will help disadvantaged young people in Edinburgh, including those who are care-experienced, to build aspirations and fulfil their potential.

Edinburgh’s commitment is to support and inspire 500 young people, over the next three years – to want to stay on in school, get the most from their education and progress with confidence to college, university and employment of their choice.

The expansion in Edinburgh follows the publication of ScotCen’s independent three-year study on MCR Pathways’ relationship-based mentoring programme.

The study found that MCR mentoring is making a statistically significant impact on educational outcomes for Scotland’s most disadvantaged young people.

ScotCen found mentoring delivers a 25.3 percentage point increase in the number of care-experienced young people progressing to a university, college or a job. In another measure, the attainment gap was closed.

MCR Pathways’ Young Edinburgh Talent has been successfully piloted at Craigroyston Community High School since October 2018 and will immediately be rolled out to a further eight schools – Broughton High School, Drummond Community High School, Forrester High School, Gracemount High School, Leith Academy, Liberton High School, St. Augustine’s High School and Wester Hailes Education Centre.

At the core of the MCR programme are weekly mentoring sessions between a young person and their mentor, who commits an hour of their time to meet in school each week. Mentors are fully trained and give their time to listen and encourage a young person.

Building caring and trusting relationships is at the heart of the Care Review Recommendations and MCR mentoring is a highly effective way for this to be implemented.

MCR Pathways is now looking for more volunteer mentors to get involved and help reach young people across the city. Andrew Kerr, City of Edinburgh Council’s CEO is leading by example with his commitment to become an MCR mentor, whilst encouraging his colleagues to sign up.

Andrew Kerr, chief executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I am thrilled that many more young people, throughout Edinburgh, will be able to benefit from mentoring and the wider MCR Pathways programme. This programme works and we have already seen the huge success it is having at Craigroyston Community High School.

“I encourage fellow Council colleagues and members of the public to get involved and help us improve the lives and futures of our city’s young people. Together we have the power to help them flourish.

“The recent Care Review highlighted the vital need for positive nurturing relationships to support care-experienced young people and I believe that, with this partnership, MCR Pathways will play a vital role in helping us fulfil our corporate parenting role.”

Established in 2007, MCR Pathways provides support to almost 2,300 young people throughout Scotland each week. Going citywide in Edinburgh is the latest development of MCR Pathways’ national rollout.

The Scottish Government is now being called on to make MCR mentoring a permanent feature of the education system and a right for every care-experienced pupil.

The recently-published Independent Care Review has emphasised the necessity of incorporating education, Third Sector and other caring adults into Scotland’s reformed Care System and giving vital support to schools for them to encourage and develop mentoring relationships.

Iain MacRitchie (above), founder of MCR Pathways, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Edinburgh City Council and secondary schools to launch the Young Edinburgh Talent programme in the Capital.

“We are seeing across Scotland the transformational difference that positive relationships and role models can make to young people, not to mention the powerful and positive impact it has on the mentors.

“Our work in Edinburgh is an important and fantastic milestone in our journey. It enables us to help more young people who will flourish with the one:one support an MCR mentor can bring. We are very excited to be working with council colleagues, schools, and our partner organisations in Edinburgh to help our most disadvantaged young people to be determined by their talent and never their circumstances.

“Our vision is that every care-experienced and disadvantaged young person in Scotland gets the same education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances as every other young person. With the strength and depth of our partnerships with Local and National Government, we can make this happen across the country.”

Audrey Cumberford MBE – principal, Edinburgh College, said: “Edinburgh College is really pleased to see the formal introduction of the life-changing work of MCR Pathways to Edinburgh Schools.

“We have been working closely with Dr Iain MacRitchie and his team, over the last 18 months, to create a physical home for the organisation in our Granton Campus and many of our lecturers and support staff have been selected and trained as willing mentors, waiting to be matched to the right young person.

“The college would highly recommend mentoring to all of our educational and industry partners in Edinburgh as a brilliant way to support our young people to rise to their potential!”

Further information on the MCR Pathways programme and how to become a mentor is available at www.mcrpathways.org.

Volunteers will be fully trained – they just need to give an hour per week to change a life.

Case studies

Three students from Craigroyston Community High School

Mentee, Danna, and her mentor, Sarah 

Danna was 14 when she was matched with her mentor, Sarah, a retired university professor. At the time Danna was a quiet student and lacking in confidence.

Danna says: “I was a bit confused about what I wanted to do with my future. But like when I got my mentor it’s kind of opened new doors and I now see the different opportunities and what I can do in the future. I appreciate education a lot more now because I realise that coming to school can actually be extremely beneficial for me.”

Sarah has already noticed a difference in Danna’s confidence and focus and the pair enjoy meeting weekly. Sarah says: “Danna is much more outgoing and she’s been through some tough times and, she’s come through the other side. She’s on track for being the best she possibly can be and also being happy.”

Carol-Ann

Carol-Ann was matched with her mentor, Maddy, last May. At the time, she had poor timekeeping and didn’t always take school seriously. Now, Carol-Ann shares that her mentor is a great listener and helps reassure her when things aren’t going too well. She’s become a lot more engaged with school and the pair work together to overcome challenges and help Carol-Anne focus on her future.

Reece

Reece has just recently met his mentor. He was particularly keen to be matched with someone who has similar creative interests, such as cooking and writing. Reece tells his MCR co-ordinator in the school, Laura Keast, how pleased he is to see his mentor each week, being “one of the best things about school just now” and Laura has already seen a difference in attendance.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sign up to support mentoring charity

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has helped launch a pioneering partnership which will see uniformed and support staff act as role models to care-experienced and disadvantaged young people across Scotland.

By joining forces with school-based mentoring charity MCR Pathways, the SFRS has become the first emergency service organisation to sign up to the programme. Continue reading Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sign up to support mentoring charity