MCR Pathways started with a simple, clear belief: That young people’s talents, and ambitions should define them, not their circumstances.
Nearly twenty years ago, this approach was born out of frustration at the limits of the care system and wasted potential. What began as single minded determination has grown into a movement driven by the belief that there is a better way.
From the outset, our commitment was to build something with, by, and for young people. We began with a single idea and piloted it in one school for five years, ensuring young people shaped every step. From that foundation, thousands of young people and mentors have since benefited—each journey reinforcing the power of mentoring.
From those first steps taken, MCR Pathways today supports 7172 young people, supported by 5734 mentors across 157 schools and communities across the United Kingdom.
Connection and making positive changes remains at the heart of our work, we will forever focus on the vital spark of potential and awakening ambition. MCR Pathways is not just a charity for young people. It is a movement with them, for them, and because of them. And we are just getting started.
Timeline
2007
2007
MCR Pathways started with a simple, clear belief: Young people’s talents, and ambitions should define them, not their circumstances. What began as single minded determination has grown into a movement driven by the belief that there is a better way. Our movement began at St Andrew’s RC Secondary in Glasgow’s East End, where care-experienced pupils were achieving far below their peers. A small team, including Founder Iain MacRitchie and dedicated educationalists Donna Cunningham and Bruce Malone, provided dedicated, individualised support to help build each young person’s confidence, belief and develop their talents.
2014
2014
It soon became clear that pairing each young person with a reliable, supportive mentor was vital for providing stability. We were clearly onto something as momentum behind our movement started to build With backing from Glasgow’s Executive Director of Education, MCR Pathways expanded into five additional schools, increasing support to 350 young people across the region.
2016
2016
As our reputation for delivering proven impact grew across Glasgow, our programme was introduced in a further nine schools, helping us to reach 600 young people. With mentoring now embedded in 15 schools, equating to half of the city, we continued to inspire more individuals and organisations to get involved. That year, the number of mentors reached a record 500.
2017
2017
It takes a village to raise a child: that’s why partnerships were and remain vital in building further momentum behind our movement for change. Together with Glasgow City Council, we formed a pioneering partnership to bring mentoring to every young people that needed it across the city over the next three years. Inspired by the young people themselves, mentoring was rolled out to all Glasgow secondary schools in November 2017, doubling our reach from 600 to more than 1,200 pupils.
2018
2018
For the first time, it was time to look beyond Glasgow: So, our national expansion began with introducing our mentoring programme to the North of Scotland driven by evidence of need. Better still, our Impact Report, published with data from Glasgow City Council, showed impressive results: 86% of mentored care-experienced young people progressed to a positive destination—college, university, or full-time work—compared with 50% nationally. By year’s end, we were supporting over 1,500 young people nationwide.
2019
2019
We continued to build on our success by looking further afield into areas where we could grow our programme in Scotland. We established further partnerships nationwide, extending into schools across West Dunbartonshire, South Lanarkshire, North Ayrshire, and Edinburgh. And that was only the start of greater ambitious plans.
2020
2020
Not even the COVID Pandemic could stop our momentum: It was a time when it was needed, more than ever. Despite a challenging year filled with uncertainty for young people, we launched in new areas including Clackmannanshire, Shetland, and Perth & Kinross. We also expanded our reach to nine schools in Edinburgh and six in Aberdeen. MCR Pathways responded to reach every young person and ensured mentoring was maintained through the pandemic.
2021
2021
Although echoing many of the challenges of 2020, we continued to adapt, grow and respond by launching in the Highlands and, for the first time, in English schools in Hertfordshire. We also expanded to six schools in North Ayrshire. Things were starting to build in developing a UK movement for change – our passion for connection and positive change was inspiring many to join in changing lives through the power of mentoring.
2022
2022
We expanded into Dundee, East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife and Inverclyde. As the ‘new normal’ became a reality, we remained determined to build on momentum to support even more young people to achieve their potential through the power of mentoring. We also started to think about further exciting possibilities in reaching and supporting greater numbers of young people whenever and wherever they may need us in the future.
2025
2025
MCR Pathways today supports 7172 young people, supported by 5734 mentors across 157 schools and communities across the United Kingdom. In launching our bold, vibrant new strategy, our relentless passion in reaching and supporting greater numbers of young people through the power of mentoring, leads to piloting community-based and post-school mentoring services with CentreStage in Ayrshire and Forth Valley College.