You may remember an article posted earlier this month about Abby Lucas, Programme Manager, Highland and Western Isles, North Region representing MCR Pathways UK heading to Iceland Innovation Week 2025.
We’re delighted to say Abby has returned from her trip safe and well, having joined global innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors to explore transformative innovation, share learning and best practice as well as forge new connections over the past week in Reykjavik.
Abby joined leaders from over fifteen businesses and social enterprises from the Highlands and Islands (pictured below), funded by the Northern Innovation Hub, dedicated to supporting enterprises to develop, grow and build resilience to benefit local communities, and funded by the UK Government as part of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal.
MCR Pathways secured investment as an ‘enterprising’ organisation from working collaboratively with Highland and Islands Enterprise to attend this event. Our partner, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) was also instrumental in that collaboration. SDS ensured we are connected to emerging HIE opportunities for learning and development across sectors to serve the region.
Reflecting on the overall experience of Iceland Innovation Week
Having had a couple of days to reflect on her experience overall, Abby said: “I was incredibly lucky to be part of an eclectic and fascinating array of events taking place over 3 days in venues all over the beautiful city of Reykjavick, around the theme of innovation. Each turn offered the chance to network and share the work we do with young people at MCR Pathways, with delegates from startups and investors from across Northern Europe and on our own doorstep.
“This event was all about innovation with a focus on the ethical, the creative, the brave and the resilient; proving to the next generation that they can reach for the moon and that there are solutions to so many things that remain within their control. To quote one speaker, ‘Design and innovation is a sign of human intention to do good and make better.’
“The format took place as panel discussions, intimate workshops, larger conference settings, stands and informal networking around leisure – ranging from the more conventional to what felt like a true reflection of the Icelandic flair for being quite way out there and a lot of fun. Think Eurovision and it wasn’t far off at times!
“What blew my mind was the breadth of projects going on across Iceland, the UK, the Nordics and beyond to try to secure a better world for our young people who will soon be stepping up to take the reins – with our own local region sitting right in the centre of that innovation.”
Forging new connections, enhancing learning and collaboration.
The visit provided a very important opportunity to not only forge connections internationally but within the Highland and Islands Group many of whom agreed having a mentor would have been so important in earlier life, Abby continues: “Our Highlands and Islands group, included a seaweed specialist from Skye literally aiming to put it on the moon (as well as in soap), a menopause app designer, a SCIO with a focus on using football to teach and integrate Gaelic language in Inverness, a marine biologist from Oban breeding worms to clean the seas, a computer scientist building a tech design workshop for young people in Orkney to name a few.
“It was an abundantly positive outlook on the opportunities within reach locally for our young people in renewable energy, tech, science, gaming, sport and languages, design and the environment. All strangers at the start but getting to know our group pretty well over the week, I know that each person’s career journey to this point was not along a straight and simple path.
“Not everyone finished school, they definitely didn’t all go to university, they struggled with neurodiversity and dyslexia and family breakups and bereavement and times of huge self doubt. Almost everybody is not doing the job now that they thought they’d be doing when they were 18 or even at 25. These were adults who have found their way now and make amazing role models, but all agreed they could have done with a mentor as a teenager.”
Gaining insight from mentorship programmes in Reykjavik
The visit provided an opportunity for Abby to learn more about mentoring programmes on the ground in Reykjavik, who continues: “I spent an excellent morning at the University of Iceland with Juan Camilo, a Colombian immigrant who came to Iceland 10 years ago, who now runs the mentoring programme for the university. Second and third year students mentor first generation high school students in S5 and S6 on campus, familiarising and giving them confidence and inspiration to aim for further education. This certainly felt like a framework we could look deeper into at MCR Pathways.”
Our sincere thanks to Highland and Islands Enterprise (Northern Innovation Hub), Skills Development Scotland and Highland Council in making this happen.
If you would like to know more about becoming a partner in Highlands and Western Islands, please contact Abby: abby.lucas@mcrpathways.org
If you’d like to find out more about becoming a volunteer mentor, please visit: https://mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor/
