Dear Shetland Young Person,

We hope you are settling in well to your new academic year and enjoying being back in school.

Over recent weeks Shetland Islands Council, MCR Pathways and your school have been discussing the way forward for the Shetland MCR programme. We have been working hard to understand the changes taking place locally and nationally and how this impacts on the programme.

We’ve jointly decided the best thing to do is for us to review the programme and look at designing a programme for the future which meets Shetland young people’s needs better.

We will not be stopping your mentoring relationships during the review time. It just means
that over this academic year MCR will not be leading the programme, this will pass directly to your school and Youth and Employability Services team.

Your Pathways Coordinators, Keira and Jamie, will continue to be your contacts for any support you need. They will also be arranging your mentoring. So the person in school you are used to working with, will be the same key person you’ve already built a great relationship with.

If you already have a mentor match, your mentoring sessions will go ahead as normal, organised by the school. Mentors have been advised to keep doing what they do, and be with you for your hour a week together. Please continue to turn up to planned sessions.

If you have already started the process towards getting a mentor, you may be matched to a mentor, as agreed by the school. Keira and Jamie will continue to work with you on finding a
match from the mentors available.

For any support you need please contact Keira or Jamie. We will keep in touch with you when we have more news to share,

From all your North MCR Team.