On Wednesday, November 5th, MCR Pathways hosted its first-ever Vital Sparks Inaugural Summit at the iconic Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Bringing together over 200 attendees, including leaders from education and policy, mentors, partners, young people, and board members, the energy was booming, even against the rainy Glasgow backdrop. This was more than a conference; it was a powerful call to action to achieve our bright, bold new ambition to change more lives through the power of mentoring. The day’s mission focused on amplifying the voice of young people, strengthening our foundations, and forging new connections as we launched our new three-year strategy.
The day started with a warm welcome from Susanne Richards, former mentee and Co-chair on the Young National Advisory Board (YNAB). A ‘living example of the power of connection,’ she set the tone by stating: ‘We know that talent is absolutely everywhere, but unfortunately, opportunity is not.’ Susanne then welcomed the Keynote speaker, MCR Pathways Chair, Maureen McKenna.
Keynote Speaker
Susanne then welcomed our Keynote speaker, MCR Pathways Chair, Maureen McKenna. Maureen, drawing on her distinguished career in education and her own mentoring experience, delivered a passionate address that defined the summit’s central purpose, telling attendees: “You’re here today because you’re committed to ensuring that potential in our young people is never, ever wasted. Regardless of where they come from.” She went on to lay the groundwork for the upcoming strategy launch, emphasising the new ‘Trusted Adult Guarantee’, a shift from a system where a child might find a champion, to one where they are guaranteed to have one.
Morning Workshops: Tackling Child Poverty and Reframing Corporate Parenting
Our morning sessions included a thought-provoking workshop on Tackling Child Poverty, co-hosted by Sistema Scotland, and a wonderful talk from Police Scotland on Reframing Corporate Parenting.
The Tackling Child Poverty workshop, co-hosted with Sistema Scotland (Big Noise), was hosted by Yve Barry, Policy and Public Affairs Officer – Young People, Jen Brash, Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Ed Holmes, Senior Musician at Big Noise Govanhill and Hannah Langford, Project and Administrative Assistant at Sistema Scotland. The session’s primary focus was to share the youth-led engagement that fed into the Scottish Government’s new 2026-2031 Tackling Child Poverty Plan. Speakers highlighted the stark reality that around 1 in 4 children in Scotland live in poverty , and the urgent need to frame this as a human rights issue. The core takeaway was the necessity of meaningful youth participation in policy, emphasising that true involvement goes beyond mere consultation. As one speaker noted, for young people, policy engagement means: “It’s not just being consulted with being made, need live.” This approach ensures decisions are “more relevant and effective.”
The second morning session focused on Reframing Corporate Parenting, hosted by PC Verity Ferry, who works in the Children and Young People team within Police Scotland’s Policing Together Division. Verity outlined Police Scotland’s commitment to support care-experienced people “throughout their lives” via their “engagement, language and actions”. The session culminated in a powerful panel discussion between PC Ferry and her MCR mentee, Raimas. This discussion provided a tangible example of the Trusted Adult Guarantee in action. Raimas confessed her initial perception of the police was that “They were pretty scary”. However, the mentoring relationship fundamentally changed that perspective, as she now sees PC Ferry as a friend and said, “I always speak to her as a friend, not as a police person.“ This shift showcases the potential of relational support to break down barriers between young people and authoritative corporate parents. We then had the opportunity to network with the attendees over some lunch before heading in to the afternoon breakout sessions.
Afternoon Workshops: Understanding AI and Young People and Leadership in Young People
The afternoon sessions began with a crucial discussion on Understanding AI and Young People, tackling the profound impact of technology on the generation that MCR Pathways supports. The session detailed how social media algorithms are often designed using “gambling psychology” to maximise screen time, noting that problematic smartphone usage is linked to mental health issues. The key focus was on how to flip this dynamic from exploitation to empowerment. The session concluded with the introduction of MCR’s own digital intervention, the Keytu app: a holistic tool designed to support young people with organisation, well-being, and future pathways. This initiative reframes the digital space as a tool for success, with one speaker stating the app is “dedicated to you actually being able to succeed in life.”
The afternoon session on Leadership in Young People was co-hosted by Jemma from the National Leadership Network (NLN) alongside MCR’s Jordyn Graham, Mentor and Young Person Engagement Officer, and Susanne Richards, and Gary Brown. The session emphasised the importance of nurturing essential skills like leadership, confidence, and teamworking by showcasing the hard work of young people who have volunteered in community projects that matter deeply to them. This hands-on focus is channelled through the Young Person Voice Programme, which offers students the opportunity to co-design a project directly with their Pathways Coordinator, allowing MCR to meaningfully engage young people and offer them the chance to create something truly their own.
The Power of a Trusted Adult Panel
Following the breakout sessions, attendees gathered for the Panel Discussion: The Power of a Trusted Adult, hosted by former MCR mentee Phoebe. The panel featured a diverse mix of leaders and practitioners, including MCR CEO Sharon McIntyre, Hermitage Academy Headteacher Douglas Morgan, Winning Scotland Chief Executive Zahra Hedges, Impetus Investment Director Bea Theakston, and MCR Mentor Becca Finch.
Phoebe opened the session by declaring the central truth of the Summit: “The trusted adult is not a luxury, that’s a necessity.” The panel explored what it takes to build this relationship, highlighting consistency and unconditional belief. MCR Mentor Becca Finch summarised the commitment beautifully, noting that for a young person, the core of the relationship is knowing the trusted adult will always “turn up every week, be glad to see them, and then turn up the next week.” This simple, non-judgemental presence was deemed the key to transforming self-belief and opening pathways to success.
Strategy Launch and Call to Action
Then there was the official launch of the MCR Pathways 2025-2028 Strategy, Bridge the Gap, led by CEO Sharon McIntyre. The strategy outlines an ambitious three-year plan focused on scaling the impact of relational practice. Sharon stressed the importance of the movement, noting the gap in educational and life outcomes between care-experienced young people and their peers is widening. The strategy’s four core pillars detail how MCR plans to work within its ecosystem of partners to close this gap:
- Expand Reach: to be there for every young person who needs us, wherever they are.
- Deepen Impact: ensure young people, mentors, supporters and partners feel valued and empowered. Strengthening these connections is vital to achieving success.
- Foundations: Strengthening our foundations that support everything we do.
- Collaborative Power: Build collaborative power and amplify voice.
The ultimate vision of success for this strategy is straightforward: every young person who needs a mentor has one. This outcome is supported by clear, measurable targets: we aim to support an additional 2,000 young people into mentored relationships, achieve an annual mentor and partner retention rate of 75% or higher, strengthen our Foundations through Investors in People accreditation, and ensure 90% of key decisions are shaped by the voices of young people and mentors. Achieving these goals means creating thriving schools, confident young people, fulfilled mentors, and partnerships that truly make a difference in every community.
We then heard from mentor Bald, who provided a personal perspective on his mentoring journey so far. Offering a perspective on the commitment, he highly recommended the experience, declaring that mentoring offers a lifelong connection for both the young person and the adult: “If you can get it right, it’s for life.”
The day culminated with a final Call to Imagine hosted by Mia Douglas, former mentee and member of the Young National Advisory Board (YNAB), asking attendees to identify tangible actions to make this vision a reality: “Imagine a future where the word ‘care-experienced’ is simply a footnote – a detail, not a destiny. Imagine a future where the postcode a child is born into does not dictate the limits of their potential. Imagine a future where every single young person is met with a trusted, supportive adult who sees their promise and believes in their future. A mentor who stays the course. Imagine a future where the vital spark within every child is not smothered by circumstance, but is instead fanned into a flame – giving them the confidence, the opportunity, and the courage to flourish in their own unique way.”
Now, with this vision fresh in your mind, we ask you to move from imagination to action. Like the attendees in the room, will you introduce the MCR model to one more school, find and recruit one more committed mentor, or champion the voice of a care-experienced young person in your organisation?
Read our Bridge the Gap | MCR Pathways Strategic Plan 2025–2028 and see all the ways you can get involved.
Further coverage of the summit is to follow on our website and social media channels.
