Mentor Spotlight: Marjory’s 11-Year Journey
21 August 2026
Having been involved with MCR Pathways for 11 years, Marjory knows the firsthand power of simply showing up and listening.
As part of our mentor recognition programme, Sharon McIntyre, CEO at MCR Pathways, sat down with Marjory to reflect on her incredible journey and the impact she has had through the power of mentoring.
As Marjory celebrates her eleventh anniversary, we discussed her journey and the impact she’s had.
Q: What inspired you to get involved with MCR Pathways, and specifically, to work with young people when you first started mentoring?
A: I remember seeing an article in a Glasgow-based magazine which doesn’t exist anymore. It showed that the mentoring project was about to start. I’d worked in youth work across the city and it caught my eye. I thought it sounded like a good idea and I liked the way it grew organically. It started in one school. When I started it was just 5 schools, it grew from something small and wasn’t something from the top down.
Q: Could you share a particular experience from your mentoring journey, a moment that really stands out for you?
A: I think there’s been lots, but just small things like my first mentee, I’ve been involved with three. My first young person called me by my name. I know it sounds like a small thing, but it felt like an important moment. There have been so many with all the young people I’ve mentored. My current young person, I’ve seen her take part in a school show and go from hiding in the back of a choir and then seeing her a year later at the front singing a duet.
It’s also about the small things, just seeing young people start to come out of their shell and talk a bit more. It’s all about listening to them. I think at the very beginning I was maybe going in to try and solve their problems, but then quite quickly realised it’s not what you’re there for. You’re there to listen to them and that’s the most important thing. I think once I realised that it was a kind of light bulb moment.
Q: What is it about the programme that has kept you engaged and committed for so long?
A: I just think it works and that’s it in a nutshell. It’s not about giving something back. It’s a two-way street, but mostly I just think it works.
I know there’s been a lot of research to show that it does work, I’ve seen three young people really grow, which is not down to me, but I’ve loved being a part of that.
Q: Mentoring is often a two-way street. How has your role as a mentor changed or developed you personally or professionally?
A: I’m not sure about that, but I think it’s helped me not to be too quick to jump in to try to “fix” things. To be more considered in my responses to potential problems. It’s helped me listen a bit more.
Q: In your opinion, why is mentoring such a vital service for young people today?
A: I think as time goes by, there are some services that were available 10 years ago that aren’t around now. Mentoring is an addition to the support young people have in place, it’s not a substitute for something else.
We’re not part of a statutory service, but we’re an additional service for young people. We’re not substituting family members, social workers, or teachers. We’re something a bit different and I think there are lots of different pressures and young people are being bombarded by things from all over the place like social media, misinformation, and bullying. We can sometimes be a kind of rational voice, ‘Let’s be cool for a minute and think about this.’ It’s one hour a week to sit back and look at stuff calmly with your young person and that in itself can be an advantage.
Q: What is the one piece of advice or encouragement you would give to someone considering becoming a mentor?
A: The first thing I would say is do it. The other thing I would say is don’t think you need to be “instructing” or a brain box to be a mentor!
Q: What does mentoring mean to you?
A: I’m proud of it. I really am. I think it’s so good to be part of something that works. When I was involved in youth work, I liked it. But you couldn’t concentrate on one young person. It’s a luxury to be involved in one young person’s life at a time.
Become a Trusted Adult Volunteer Mentor
There are many young people waiting for a mentor like Marjory to help them realise their potential and find a path to a brighter future.
Find out more: https://mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor/
