Mentoring to help young people get back on track
ABERDEEN-based Kellas Midstream, the independent energy infrastructure company, has selected MCR Pathways, the award-winning mentoring charity, as one of their nominated charities.
MCR currently support young people in six Aberdeen secondary schools and four schools in Aberdeenshire with plans to expand this to ten schools by the end of this year.
Kellas Midstream is committed to supporting their staff in becoming MCR Pathways mentors by providing their people with time off for mentor training, meeting their matched young person for one hour each week (during term time) and facilitating regular virtual get togethers for their mentors – to share ideas and inspiration.
Currently there are six Kellas Midstream mentors matched with young people from four local schools, who give one hour each week to meet (virtual or in-person) a young person from a local school. Two other members of the Kellas Midstream team are waiting to be matched.
The team of Pathways Coordinators running MCR Pathways’ school mentoring programme is hoping to find new volunteers to match with their young people in the next school year.
At the core of MCR’s model are weekly mentoring sessions between a young person and their mentor, who commits an hour of their time to meet in school each week, although most meetings have taken place virtually during the last year. Mentors are fully trained and give their time to listen and encourage a young person.
Right now, MCR Pathways is looking to recruit many more volunteers to help reach the young people in need of encouraging adult support across the region.
The charity’s impact is measured by young people’s rates of staying-on from 5th year, attainment, and progression to positive destinations. It takes 2-3 months to go through the steps of becoming a mentor, so they are keen to encourage members of the community to sign up today to be matched with a young person after August.
Further information on the MCR Pathways programme and how to become a mentor is available at www.mcrpathways.org. No qualifications are required, mentors just need to give an hour per week to change a life.
