Originally published in the Evening Times
Could you cause a Ripple Effect?
That’s exactly what mentoring programme MCR Pathways is looking for with its new campaign to encourage more people to become volunteer mentors.
MCR Pathways helps disadvantaged and care-experienced young people achieve the same education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances as all other young people.
The Ripple Effect campaign was unveiled by a group of mentored young people with the help of Iain MacRitchie, the founder of MCR Pathways and Annemarie O’Donnell the chief executive of Glasgow City Council, who is also a mentor.
The launch took place in the Glasgow Science Centre, in front of an audience of partners, mentors and members of the public.
“The Ripple Effect reflects the incredible power in small actions which can create a wave of change that resonates for a lifetime.
At the core of the MCR Programme are 50-minute weekly mentoring sessions between a young person and their mentor, who listen and provide encouragement.
The programme was established in Glasgow in 2007, and has the backing of the Scottish Government and the local authorities in which it operates.
It currently supports almost 2000 young people each week. Iain MacRitchie, founder of MCR Pathways, said: “We are delighted to have launched our 2019 campaign.
“We have already seen in Glasgow, and other local authorities across Scotland, that mentors can make a life-changing difference to our most disadvantaged young people.
“At the same time they gain massively from the experience.
“It might sound like a small thing, but that positive relationship changes everything.
“Our schools, communities and organisations too, all see the difference and feel the impact in the next generation.
“The stats don’t lie – before mentoring, only 54 per cent of care-experienced young people left school to college, uni or a job – now 86 per cent of mentored young people do.
“We would be delighted to hear from people across Scotland who are interested in becoming a mentor.
“The Programme has a proven to be a positive, and transformational experience for both young people and their mentors.”
