THE latest review of the care system for vulnerable children was announced by Nicola Sturgeon recently. The figures are shaming: people who have been in care as children account for half of the prison population and almost half suffer mental illness. To produce change, we must improve the prospects of young people in difficult situations as they are five times more likely to leave school at 16 or sooner.

For the past nine years, they have been the focus of MCR Pathways, a remarkable programme of volunteer help that supports 500 young people in Glasgow schools.

The idea is simple: by providing disadvantaged teenagers with a personal mentor to give help and encouragement, they will begin to recognise their potential and see a point to passing exams or securing a job. The lightbulb moment came when youngsters involved in the pilot scheme set up by MCR’s founder Iain MacRitchie were asked what changed their attitude to school.

One girl said: “Hur,” pointing to the senior staff member who had kept on her case relentlessly. Suddenly it was crystal clear that the only thing that kept a very troubled youngster at school was the personal relationship. The focus was switched from group support to individual mentors.

The effect was tangible. The staying-on rate in five schools rose to 79 per cent among mentored pupils, compared with 27 per cent for non-mentored ones but there was also a general increase in the schools where mentoring took place.

Glasgow City Council’s education department was convinced and, in a commitment to improving the chances for the most disadvantaged pupils, it has signed one of the biggest Public Social Partnerships, which will see MCR providing mentors in all 30 secondary schools in the city over the next three years.

That will require a considerable increase in mentors. There are 300 active in schools with more going through the screening, training and matching process. Mr MacRitchie would like 2,000 eventually. It is ambitious but, prompted by The Herald’s campaign or inspired by friends and colleagues, 1,000 have inquired about volunteering. It is a considerable strength that they form a wide cross-section of the population, with as many under 35 as over 65. The majority are between 35 and 55.

Some pairs find common interests promptly as a result of the matching process. I knew my young would-be journalist liked reading but I had not expected him to be clutching a1,000-page novel from the 1940s. Clearly, we would have enough to talk about.

Sharon McIntyre wore green tights for the first meeting with the person she was mentoring, hoping it would start a conversation. “When I first met my 14-year-old mentee, she was pacing round me and swearing a lot. The first thing she said was: ‘I can’t believe what you’re wearing’ and I thought: ‘Thank God’.” It was the beginning of a very positive relationship.

Others pass on skills such as chess. A young person who has a mentor working in an industry they are interested in has the equivalent of the family friend who provides advice and perhaps work experience. All mentors provide a listening ear; some suggest how to deal with bullies; and some help with school work. Sometimes building trust can be a slow process. It’s taken the best part of 18 months for my serious-minded mentee to laugh. One mentor says the highlight for him was when his mentee referred to him as “the guy who helps me get through stuff”.

When mentees don’t have much to laugh about, fun is an essential part of the mix. One mentor recalls a meeting which ended with her mentee asking to be excused early to collect a punishment exercise. In answer to the query: “What did you do?” came that teenage standby “Nuthin”. It was followed by a pause then a devastating: “That was the problem.” The mentor had to laugh in appreciation of the “perfect comic timing”.

There is no lack of commitment on the part of mentors. The First Minister appeared to be on the same page when she called for a commitment to our most vulnerable children, pointing that they don’t need a system that just stops things happening to them but one that makes things happen for them and gives them a sense of belonging. There is a model already in place. It just needs more of us for an hour a week.

Jennifer Cunningham, a former features writer with The Herald, is a mentor with MCR Pathways.

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.