A PROJECT that helps young people on the fringes of society has set a target of offering support to every vulnerable child or teenager in Scotland’s largest city after an army of 1,800 council staff were put on standby to act as mentors.

MCR Pathways, based in Glasgow, provides advisers and trusted confidantes for hundreds of the city’s young people on the fringes of society.

Iain MacRitchie, who founded the scheme 10 years ago, said he wants to give support to every child in the city after Glasgow City Council said yesterday at least 10 per cent of the workforce would be given an opportunity to take part.

They will be given paid leave for volunteering their time.

Mr MacRitchie said: “The education system is good, there’s no question of that, teachers are very committed, but what they are is time restricted.

“So they look at groups and any individual who cannot necessarily stay the course, if you miss a little bit, you drop off, you’re disciplined, you’re missing more than people maybe understand or realise.

“Everyone who needs it, who needs that additional support, doesn’t fit within the education system, the way the education system is set up.

“So while our immediate target is to recruit 1,000 mentors, we want everybody who needs one to get one.”

MCR Pathways is established in 15 city secondary schools and currently supports hundreds of young people.

Analysis in 2015/16 showed the return to school rate for S5 mentored young people across six schools was 87 per cent.

This compared to non-mentored care experienced young people at 31 per cent.

In 2015, 73 per cent of mentored school leavers went on to further or higher education and employment compared to the national average of 51 per cent.

The MCR model aims to raise attainment and aspiration in young people who do not have a steady adult influence in their lives.

Mentors commit to meet a child or young person for at least one hour a week over two years to offer guidance and support.

The target is to have 1,000 active mentors in place across Glasgow’s secondary schools by December next year.

Council staff who sign up to take part in the MCR scheme will be given paid leave for volunteering.

Liam Murray became involved with MCR when he was in first year at St Andrew’s RC Secondary, in Carntyne, and was paired with mentor Donna Cunningham in his third year.

Liam’s literacy skills at secondary school were at primary three level and his schooling had been interrupted due to moving between foster placements and homeless accommodation.

Ms Cunningham attended Liam’s university graduation and will attend the 23-year-old’s wedding. Liam is now a mentor himself.

With a degree under his belt and a full time job, Liam is an MCR Pathway success story - and has recently become a mentor.

He said: “I would be nowhere near any of that without this, nowhere near it.

“I 100 per cent credit this for turning things around for me. I can recognise how much I have changed and how it put me on a path to finding talents I didn’t know I had.

He said: “I’ve had strong help from my mum but ...it helped to have a person there for me every week who did not need to be there.”

Ms Cunningham added: “It is not about solving young people’s problems, it is about empowering them to find their own solutions to their problems.” and some very good heart-to-hearts and he was never allowed to use his situation as an excuse.

“The other beautiful thing about Liam’s success is that he broke the mould for his family and his two young sisters now studying, one at Glasgow Caledonian and one an HND.

“I look at Liam now and I am so, so proud of him.”

Iain added: “Glasgow has just radically redefined what being a corporate parent means.

“It is simply now about being a parent committed to helping all its care experienced and vulnerable young people on an individual basis to find, grow and use their talents.

“Through the MCR mentoring and talent taster programmes we will bridge potential with opportunity and policy with actions and results. The city’s young people will be defined by their talents and not their circumstances.”

Can you help a young person realise their full potential and be defined by their talent not their circumstances or postcode?

The Herald and Evening Times are supporting the Young Glasgow Talent campaign by MCR Pathways to recruit mentors and organisations for its schools based mentoring and talent taster programme.

The charity supports disadvantaged young people and especially those in or on the edges of the care system to realise their full potential through education.

Founded in 2007 and developed in one school over five years, the programme now supports over 500 young people aged between 12 to 18 in fifteen Glasgow schools, with a citywide expansion plan and national ambition.

More disadvantaged young Glaswegians are signing up for mentors to help them overcome barriers and inequality to be all they can be. One hour a week and a willingness to put a young person first are all you need. You'll make and experience a life-changing difference in helping a young person to find, grow and use their talents.

MCR Pathways will provide all the training and support you need. For more information or to register, please go to www.youngglasgowtalent.org, email info@mcrpathways.org or call us on 0141 221 6642. 

MCR Pathways is a pioneering partnership of the MCR Foundation and Glasgow City Council and actively supported by an increasing number of Glasgow’s key organisations including Wheatley Group, Glasgow Life, The Herald, Glasgow Kelvin College, SECC, University of Strathclyde, Santander and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. All are committed to closing the attainment gap and a radical improvement in the outcomes for the young people. The MCR Pathways’ vision is that disadvantaged young people will have the same educational outcomes, career opportunities and life chances as any other young person.