MCR Pathways

MCR Pathways is a school-based mentoring programme that connects young people who need additional encouragement and support, with a caring, adult mentor. We recruit, train and support volunteer mentors who meet their mentees weekly, in school, for a minimum of a year under the Young Scottish Talent Programme. 

Mentoring is at the core of the MCR Pathways Programme. Mentors are matched with a young person who they meet for an hour a week to listen and provide encouragement. Mentors help their young person engage with their education and build the self-belief they need to leave school to a positive destination. An independent survey by ScotCen found that 81.6% of mentored school leavers progressed to positive destinations (full-time employment, further education, or higher education) compared to 56.3% of care-experienced non-mentored young people.

The Young Scottish Talent programme is run by the school’s Pathways Coordinator who helps young people by running mentoring, group work, and Talent Tasters.

School Spotlight: Irvine Royal Academy (youtube.com)

Mentoring

Young people in the YST programme can be matched with their own mentor from S3 onwards. Pupils meet with their mentor once a week, for a school period and receive guidance, encouragement and support. Mentoring is focused on helping young people to build confidence, self-esteem and goals for the future. 

Group Work

S1 and S2 young people work with their Pathways Coordinator and participate in weekly group work sessions. These are focused on building confidence and life skills, and also improving Literacy and Numeracy levels. This allows the Coordinator to also get to know the young people and chat to them about having a mentor when they reach S3.  

Talent Tasters

Talent Tasters are a chance for young people to try out work, further and higher education and cultural experiences through manageable, bite-sized sessions. They are designed to engage and inspire pupils with hands-on learning opportunities. Talent Tasters are organised for S3-S6 young people. They provide more opportunities for young people to find their talents and focus on the pathways to achieve their ambition.
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We are actively looking for volunteer mentors across North Ayrshire If you are interested in becoming a mentor please visit our website to register for more information at www.mcrpathways.org