We all know that Scotland is most famous for its friendliness and sense of humour!
It’s this welcoming culture that goes a long way towards making Scotland the incredibly diverse place it is today. Although we have a strong national identity, this doesn’t stop us from warmly embracing new people and cultures.
Did you know there are more than 170 different languages spoken here too – from Punjabi to Polish, and Cantonese to Gaelic?
Here at MCR, we work with young people from all backgrounds, including asylum seekers who often have the same need for support from a mentor that can help them to settle and thrive.
In Glasgow, Sajid* at Bellahouston Academy is part of our programme. Like many pupils, he recently celebrated Eid and told us:
“Eid was great, unfortunately, we couldn’t mix with any other members of a different household. I got to spend the day at home with family.
Glasgow has different ethnic minorities and made me and my family feel welcome when we first moved here, we all love living here.”
Over in Edinburgh, our Pathways Coordinator Georgia at Wester Hailes shared:
“We are starting to work with asylum seekers and refugees here and they are very open to chatting with me. Breaking the barriers there with lots of laughs when Google translate is used too. Now our first relationship will start this week where language is the first reason why we matched this young person to help improve his English and his knowledge of Biology as he wants to become a doctor. This is going to be great and the school referred them as they knew where they could help benefit and enrich this young person’s life.”
We hope we can continue to build on the diverse, positive culture that makes MCR’s community so welcoming and encouraging for both young people and our mentors. We are also keen to hear from organisations who could support the need for mentors with specific language skills, such as Arabic and Polish. If this is something you can help with please get in touch!
