Every young person deserves someone in their corner. Because when someone shows up, believes in you, and never gives up, everything can change.
We are deeply passionate about supporting more than 5,700 volunteer mentors who help over 7,000 young people build confidence, see their potential, and re-imagine what their future can look like through the power of personal, relationship-based mentoring. We have a clear vision. We are relentless, determined, and fearless in achieving it.
Our vision is simple: every young person should have someone to help them find their way to a brighter future, whenever and wherever they need us. We will achieve this by connecting each young person with a trusted adult mentor — someone who sparks confidence, fuels ambition, and walks beside them on their journey to a brighter future.
Our mission is simple. Connections, powered by a trusted adult relationship.
Download our annual reportUntil everyone has someone. Our mission continues.
Download our strategyWill you take action to remove barriers preventing young people from accessing trusted adult mentors who can help them pursue brighter futures?
- Consult directly with young people - Commit to meaningful consultation with young people. Take their experiences seriously to help break down barriers to accessing a trusted adult mentor.
- Understand what support is needed - This isn’t a quick fix. Work with us to fully understand the challenges that can hold young people back from accessing help to pursue brighter futures.
- Champion the power of mentoring - Support and promote our mentoring work in your area. Help us connect with others sharing our passion to ensure every young person has a trusted adult mentor who needs one.
I will take action to remove barriers to pursuing brighter futures
Contact our policy teamThe best thing I got out of mentoring was I believe in myself a lot more. She really, really took into consideration what I liked, my dislikes, what I was interested in, what I wanted to be, what I wanted to do with my life. She pushed me forward in doing that because she knew I wasn't very confident, she knew that I didn't really believe in myself and that I didn't really have anyone else pushing me.
MCR Pathways Mentored Young Person
Our Strategic Policy Pillars
We are relentlessly passionate in ensuring the voices and needs of young people shape national discussions and decisions across the UK.
We work to understand and influence complex policy landscapes, positioning MCR Pathways as a vital partner for systemic change. We achieve this by building powerful alliances, hosting events, and presenting clear, evidence-based recommendations to elected representatives.
Our long-term goal is simple: to secure the systemic policy changes needed to help every young person realise their full potential through the mentorship of a trusted adult.
Our efforts to do so focus on four strategic areas:
Widening Access, Education and Employability
How we will achieve this:
- Early intervention to ensure young people are supported across their learning and development pathways.
- Relationship-based mentoring that provides consistent, long-term support to build transferable skills such as confidence, aspiration and communication.
- Work-based and educational opportunities in further and higher education institutions to build confidence and equal entitlement in these environments.
- Evidence impact to continue to advocate for mentoring as an effective strategy for improving outcomes for young people.
- Support and focus on transferable skills for young people develop confidence, communication, and resilience, which are crucial for both academic success and employability.
Child Poverty
How we will achieve this:
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Contribute to breaking generational cycles of poverty by improving educational attainment, attendance and opening pathways to positive, sustainable post-school destinations that lift young people out of poverty in the longer term.
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Provide stable relationships to holistically support young people dealing with the impact of poverty through our volunteer mentors.
- Promote employability through skills development, career exploration and connection to opportunities to increase incomes and sustainable career pathways.
- Advocacy for policy and legislation to ensure that child poverty continues to be addressed and is eradicated across the UK.
- Demonstrate value of investment on the societal and economic benefits of investing in young people experiencing instability, arguing for more comprehensive anti-poverty measures.
Children and Young People’s Rights
How we will achieve this:
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Advocate for mentoring for every young person who needs one across the UK.
- Improve outcomes through direct support for care experienced and young people who experience other instability across the UK.
- Provide equal platforms for young people to share their lived experiences for internal and external development such as influencing policy and legislation.
- Corporate parenting support to our partners by helping them to fulfil their duties through education and personal development.
- Campaign for Care Experience to be a Protected Characteristic across all public bodies and spheres of government.
- Champion the principles of The Promise and seek to see similar commitments to transforming the care system across the UK.
- Publish research with valuable data that can inform advocacy and highlight the need for various interventions to benefit the lives of young people across the UK.
Volunteering
How we will achieve this:
- Showcase impact of volunteering with MCR, both for young people and volunteers.
- Advocate for volunteer recognition by showcasing the profound impact of volunteer mentors, MCR contributes to a broader understanding and appreciation of the economic and social value of volunteering.
- Develop diverse volunteering opportunities and training to develop mentor’s transferable skills both within and outside their mentor role.
- Collaborate with Voluntary and Third Sector organisations to advocate for greater recognition, investment and need for Fairer Funding in the sector.