At the start of July, we came together to celebrate the incredible impact of mentoring in Surrey, with a special end-of-year celebration event hosted at Sunbury Manor School.
Since the programme’s launch, we’ve seen significant progress. To date, nearly 600 young people have been supported, with volunteers contributing over 7,600 hours. Mentors have made an incredible impact: Not a single young person participating in MCR Pathways mentoring across the South East of England has fallen into the NEET category.
The celebration event provided a chance to reflect on the life-changing support our Surrey volunteer mentors have delivered since the programme launched in 2022. It brought together some of our inspiring young people, the MCR Pathways Surrey team, and members of our central team, including Deputy CEO Melodie Crumlin.
The room was full of energy, with conversations, laughter, story sharing and reflection on the year gone by. One of the most powerful moments came when the young people who attended were asked what the best thing about having a mentor is. Their responses captured exactly why we do what we do.
Proudly, one young person said, “My favourite thing is having someone to talk to me, and to listen.” Another shared, “It’s a nice break from school, and it’s great having someone in my corner.”
As well as celebrating our mentors and mentees, the spotlight was shone on our Pathways Coordinator at Hinchley Wood, Carra Kane, for her fantastic support. Carra has been there not only for her mentors and young people, but for the wider team too.
Lizzie Parkes, Regional Operations and Events Manager, spoke at the event: “We’re now in our third year of supporting young people across Surrey, and I’m delighted to share that 206 young people are currently being mentored, with a total of 385 participating in the MCR Pathways programme across our seven schools.
A couple of months ago, we launched the programme at Oakwood School in Horley, and we’re thrilled to announce that King’s College in Guildford will be joining us in September 2025. This progress wouldn’t be possible without you.
We’re incredibly grateful for your dedication – both to your young person and to the MCR Pathways Programme as a whole. Thank you for being part of this journey and we’re really excited to continue working with you in the future.”
We are currently working in 7 schools across Surrey, which will increase to 8 schools in September. To keep up with the growing need, we urgently need more mentors.
Mentors come from all walks of life, careers and experiences. You do not need any specific qualifications or background, just an hour a week and a willingness to make a difference.
Being supported by an MCR Pathways mentor has proven to have a positive effect on young people’s educational engagement and attendance. We published in our most recent impact report that 82% of young people engaged in the charity’s programme moved on to university, college or employment after school, compared to 69% of their non-mentored peers.
If you have an hour each week that you can share to further this incredible impact, we are in need of mentors across Surrey.
Sign up today at mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor.
