Originally Published by Glasgow Live
Big names in Glasgow’s business, education, third sectors and local government are coming together to support youngsters through a mentoring charity.
MCR Pathways, a pioneering school-based mentoring programme, has appointed some of the city’s most experienced business figures to its new National Advisory Group to help drive expansion of the programme.
Founded in Glasgow in 2007, MCR Pathways supports young people in or on the edges of the care system through a model of weekly one-to-one mentoring which can have a life changing impact not only on the mentee, but also the mentor.
Industry leaders from The Wheatley Group, University of Strathclyde and Glasgow City Council are among those who will now support MCR Pathways’ ambition to expand nationwide the ground-breaking mentoring and talent development programme.
The new group, from the fields of education, business, the third sector and the local government, are also set to help to fully embed the programme within the Scottish education system.
Over the last 18 months, MCR Pathways has doubled the number of young people it supports to over 1,300 and currently operates it’s ‘Young Glasgow Talent’ programme in all 30 secondary schools within Glasgow City Council.
The charity is aiming to reach 2,000 of the country’s most disadvantaged young people and operate in 10 local authorities within the next two years. To help make this ambition a reality, MCR Pathways today unveiled its new National Advisory Group, which comprises:
- Martin Armstrong, Chief Executive, Wheatley Group
- Professor Sir Harry Burns FRSE, Professor of Global Public Health, University of Strathclyde
- Kenneth Ferguson, Director, Robertson Trust
- David Hillier, Associate Principal and Executive Dean, University of Strathclyde Business School
- Maureen McKenna OBE, Director of Education, Glasgow City Council
- Annemarie O’Donnell, Chief Executive, Glasgow City Council
- Lena Wilson CBE, Non Executive Director RBS Group, Intertek Group and Scottish Power Renewables
- Sandy Begbie CBE, Group Organisation and Culture Integration Director, Standard Life Aberdeen
- Ali MacLachlan, UK Director at The Wood Foundation
- Iain MacRitchie, Founder & CEO MCR Pathways, Chair of MCR Foundation, MCR Holdings
The new group will support MCR Pathways founder Iain MacRitchie to deliver on the vision that every care-experienced and disadvantaged young person in Glasgow, and soon Scotland, can enjoy the same education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances as every other young person.
Iain MacRitchie said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce and to warmly welcome our new National Advisory Group for MCR Pathways.
“We’ve been able to attract the support of some of the very sharpest minds in Scotland but, more than that, we’ve enlisted people who absolutely buy in to the MCR model and who are as committed as we are to the expansion of the work we do across Scotland. Their skills and experiences are simply world class and will have a huge impact on both practice and policy matters. We have some fantastic plans and individuals who get things done.
“We all want to live in a Scotland where every disadvantaged young person is defined by his or her potential and talent and never their circumstances. I very much look forward to working towards that ambition with MCR’s new National Advisory Group.”
To find out more about MCR Pathways, please visit their website HERE.
