Acclaimed school mentoring programme launches in Banchory Academy

Young people are matched with a mentor who will provide extra support.

MCR Pathways will work with care-experienced young people and other pupils who would benefit from the charity’s support by introducing them to the Young Aberdeenshire Talent programme in their schools. Young people are matched with a volunteer mentor to help them build confidence, overcome challenges and focus on a positive future.

At the core of MCR’s model 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 share their time to listen and encourage a young person.

Fay Gingell, MCR Pathways CEO, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Aberdeenshire Council to provide vital support to even more young people who need it most. MCR mentoring is not just making a significant impact on educational outcomes for young people across nine other Aberdeenshire schools, but also to their confidence and wellbeing. With this success, we are really excited to begin working in Banchory Academy.

“We are already looking for mentors who can commit their time to help a young person. Our volunteers come from all walks of life; anyone can be a mentor, they just need an hour a week and the desire to make a difference. We’d also love to hear from local employers who would like to support staff to get involved. Mentors and their employers gain significantly from the experience for relatively little time commitment.”

Judith Wight, Rector at Banchory Academy, said: “We are delighted that the school is participating in the MCR mentoring programme to support our young people. There is a lot of talent and expertise in the local community and we are very much looking forward to working with our community partners to allow our young people the opportunity to move on to a positive destination.”

The charity’s impact is measured by young people’s rates of staying-on for 5th and 6th year, attainment and progression to positive destinations.

For more information in becoming a mentor, visit www.mcrpathways.org or email [email protected]