This Volunteers’ Week 2026, we are spotlighting the incredible people who make our programme possible through the power of mentoring: our Trusted Adult Volunteer Mentors.
Being a mentor isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about showing up.
Sarah, a mentor at St Andrews RC Secondary School, Glasgow, which was where our mentoring programme’s story began back in 2007, proved exactly that through her journey with her mentee, Lucy.
The Mentor’s Perspective
When Sarah first met Lucy in November 2022, she was told by the Pathways Coordinator that Lucy was a “quiet, thoughtful young person who would benefit from a consistent trusted adult in her life.” Walking into that first meeting, Sarah admits she was just as nervous as Lucy. When she arrived, Lucy barely lifted her head and her replies were short and quiet without any eye contact.
Building the foundations
Sarah decided after struggling to get the conversation flowing, a simple deck of cards may do the trick, and it did. The distraction turned into conversation – nothing deep at first, but enough to build a foundation: chat about school, her cadet trips, the usual teenage news. Each small, ordinary conversation helped build trust. As months passed, Lucy slowly opened up and Sarah discovered a sharp, quick-witted, genuinely funny young woman with far more potential than she realised. She was capable, clever, and perceptive, and just needed a helping hand to feel more empowered. It wasn’t laziness. It felt like she had decided not to dream, long before life should even require such a decision.
“I made it my personal commitment: I would show up every week. Whether we spoke for an hour or sat in comfortable silence, Lucy would always know I was there.”
Sarah shared her own story, leaving school at 16 with no qualifications and her family’s roots in a community in Glasgow where opportunities are less evenly distributed, to show that a postcode doesn’t define potential. Your school, circumstances and past — none of it limits what you can achieve. She saw something change in her when she heard that story. Sarah was instilling belief in Lucy that the opportunity was not lost.
The Impact
These weekly sessions became the catalyst for a future Lucy hadn’t previously imagined for herself, and all because Sarah decided to volunteer just one hour a week. Lucy, who originally dismissed the idea of heading to university, began studying harder, achieved strong Nat 5s, and tackled her Highers with determination. Then came the moment Sarah will never forget.
One day in January 2026, Lucy told Sarah: “I just got a conditional offer from Stirling Uni.” Sarah sat in her car and cried and thought back to that quiet girl with no confidence, no sense of possibility – now reading an email telling her she could succeed. That hard work matters. That background does not determine destiny. That dreams, when given a chance, can become real.
Lucy has since received conditional offers from the University of Glasgow and Edinburgh Napier as well. She is studying hard for the grades she needs, and she now understands that if she puts her mind to something, she can achieve it.
“Lucy has hugely benefited from mentoring and this has helped her to reach new aspirations, without mentoring this wouldn’t have been possible. The extra opportunities Sarah has provided for Lucy, has instilled a work ethic in Lucy and broadened her horizons. As a school, we have also experienced seeing increased aspirations with Lucy’s sister, previously disengaged, she has seen how much Lucy has benefited from the extra support from mentoring and she has returned back to school.” – School Link St Andrews RC Secondary School.
We are so grateful for our mentors and need more mentors like Sarah for young people across the UK to help young people like Lucy see what’s possible.
Become a Trusted Adult Volunteer Mentor like Sarah
There are many young people like Lucy waiting for a Trusted Adult Volunteer Mentor to help them realise their potential.
Find out more: https://mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor/
This story has been anonymised to protect the privacy of those involved, and stock imagery has been used.