Helping Glasgow’s Young People
The Glasgow City Chambers Banqueting Hall buzzed with friendly excitement on March 29th. A large crowd, made up of architects, teachers, directors, parking attendants and more – a cross section of Glasgow City Council – gathered because they all shared one vital thing in common: they were all actively helping Glasgow’s young people through mentoring. We hosted this Thank You Breakfast Celebration to show our appreciation for the Council staff and their involvement with the programme.
Partnering For a Cause
MCR and Glasgow City Council formed a revolutionary partnership in 2017 to transform the lives of care-experienced and disadvantaged young people. The Council committed 10% of staff to mentoring and while a significant headway has been made there are still another 1000 Glasgow young people waiting for a mentor.Council Chief Executive Annemarie O’Donnell opened the celebration and asked all those gathered to help recruit, reminding them that she is “calling on everyone to make mentoring their New Year’s Resolution.”
She also announced that she was leading by example. Annemarie was going to meet her young person for the first time soon.
“I’ve got a knot in my stomach about it but I’ve very excited.”
Alfonso, a mentored young person who has since left school, then told his story about the impact his mentor Greg has made on his life.
“I was a shy dude, I went to school only because I had to go to. I was going to give up because I didn’t have the grades and I didn’t know what to do. I knew I wanted to be an engineer but I didn’t know how to get there. Greg showed me the way. There are people who have their hope almost gone and you guys can help them.”
Mentors Matter
Many of us feel like we don’t have the right skills or have enough experience with young people to mentor. This insecurity holds us back, but everyone really does have something to offer. Aimie Bowman, an MCR Pathway Coordinator and former staff of City Property Glasgow, summed this up during her presentation.
“For anyone who thinks mentoring is outside their comfort zone – for many of these young people, coming in to school every day is outside their comfort zone.
Thank you for everyone in the Council who has signed up to mentor. While it’s not always easy and sometimes you may feel unsure, remember that you are making a crucial difference. One mentor, Christine Barlow from the Development and Regeneration Services, shared this story during the round table about the moment when she finally felt like she connected with her mentee.
“I didn’t know if mentoring was working. But one day after 6 months I asked her how her day was and then asked me how I was. It’s such a small thing, but it was the first time she had asked about my day. It was our breakthrough. Recently, she told me that her friend had signed up to have a mentor. I asked her if she had recommended her, and my mentee said yes.”
#GiveAnHour
MCR need double the number of mentors to help each and every special and talented young person who needs support. Mentoring can fit into your schedule – it doesn’t have to be the same time every week and the council is committed to their involvement. If you’ve been on the fence now is a fantastic time to take the plunge and join MCR. When one person mentors, two lives are changed forever. All it takes is one hour a week. Become a mentor today!
