Beyond the Surface: Building Confidence and Brighter Futures Through Mentoring
25 August 2026
For 40-year-old Michelle Howie, life in Ayrshire has always been centred around growth, community, and uplifting others.
As a mum of two who recently returned to education, Michelle felt a strong calling to give back to her local area. Growing up in a local council estate, attending school in the area, and witnessing first-hand the challenges faced by local young people, she knew she wanted to turn that empathy into action.
When she joined MCR Pathways to volunteer as a mentor at CentreStage in Kilmarnock, she found the perfect platform to do just that. Her lived experience of growing up in Ayrshire provided an instant, authentic connection with the young people she mentors.
Balancing further education and weekly mentoring sessions with her recent crowning as Ms Great Britain Ayrshire, we caught up with Michelle to learn more about her experience.
Connecting Through Passion for Beauty and Creativity
When Michelle was first matched with mentee, Lucy, she instantly recognised a young person with immense potential – all she needed was a little support to see it and where it could take her.
Thanks to MCR Pathways’ matching process, the pair also bonded over a mutual love for beauty, hair, and creative arts. Leveraging her background as a beauty lecturer, Michelle uses hands-on activities like nail art to build a comfortable connection.
“For me, mentoring means making a positive impact on someone’s life. It’s listening, allowing their voices to be heard, and giving these young people just a space and a week to have someone they can trust and have reliability from” says Michelle.
“I think in forming the connection initially, I have to thank the matching process, because when I was matched, they really listened to my skills and my life journey and matched me up perfectly with a young person that really relates to me. Instantly, Lucy was interested in all things beauty and hair. With my background being a beauty lecturer, we instantly had that connection, and we’ve just built on common things that we love and it’s just grown from there.”
Watch the first part of Michelle’s video interview below.
Confidence is key to personal development
As we mentioned earlier, Michelle was recently crowned Miss Great Britain Ayrshire.
Michelle’s experience in pageantry taught her a fundamental lesson: everyone can benefit from support when it comes to personal development. Having been guided by her own mentors, she experienced how vital trusted advice is. That journey helped rebuild her own self-confidence – a strength she actively passes back to Lucy during their weekly catch-ups.
Reflecting on her Miss Great Britain Ayrshire journey, Michelle says “I think the experiences that I have through Miss Great Britain Ayrshire have helped me to bring that back to my mentoring weekly and reminding Lucy of all the experiences that are out there if you want to go and chase them.
“I also think it’s about my confidence. That’s been something that I lost all my confidence not so long ago, and I have been building it and building that self-belief again as I’m reminded of that through Miss Great Britain and my weekly meetings. It’s something that I’ll remind Lucy of as well.”
Watch the second part of Michelle’s video interview.
Become a Volunteer Mentor Today
In closing, Michelle is keen to convey the point that you don’t need a crown or special qualifications to change a young person’s life in Ayrshire, just an hour a week, patience, consistency and a non-judgemental mindset.
“I think what I would say to local people is, if you do have that one hour, you can make an absolutely huge difference to the local environment. These young people are our future and they need our guidance.
“I think we’re at a time in the world where there’s loads of social media and there’s loads of negative influences on our lives, and I think a lot of them just need that trusting, respectful adult that’s there, relatable and reliable. It would make a huge difference to so many local lives.”
Can you spare one hour a week to make a lifetime of difference? Become an MCR Pathways volunteer mentor today and help shape the leaders of tomorrow.
