“Mentoring has been one of the most humbling and enriching experiences of my life. I have loved being a steadying person in my young person's life, and it has given me joy to watch her grow into a young adult with confidence, and I hope that one day she realises how fantastic she really is. In many ways, I have gained even more than I have given.”
Following the successful rollout of a mentoring scheme across four secondary schools, ɬ, working with MCR Pathways are now launching in five more schools enabling more young people to realise their full potential.
The programme will now launch in January 2026 at Lochgilphead Joint Campus, Tarbert Academy, Campbeltown Grammar School and Islay and Tobermory High Schools. This follows the recent recruitment of MCR Co-ordinators to lead the programmes across these schools.
ɬ Council and MCR Pathways are appealing for more volunteers to spend an hour each week listening to and encouraging a young person in their school. This hour can make all the difference to a young person and can help light their spark and build confidence to help them find their positive path in the future. You don’t need any special skills or prior experience with young people; all you need is commitment, empathy, and determination to make a positive impact.
Come along to an information session to find out more about becoming a mentor.
Councillor Audrey Forrest, Policy Lead for Education:
“Helping our young people thrive is fundamental to the Education Service. We have seen some fantastic success stories of how that one hour a week can change lives with the mentoring programme. The impact of the existing MCR Pathways work in our schools is positive so I’m delighted that our partnership is continuing as we launch in more secondary schools. This provides even more opportunity to bring about real change for our young people in ɬ.
Being a mentor really is life changing and I can say that because I mentor a young person every week. It’s incredibly rewarding to see them grow in confidence after each visit. We can all help in a small way, but it means so much. MCR Pathways say that when one person mentors, two lives are changed and that’s certainly the case for me. If you can spare an hour a week, please come along to the information sessions to find out how you can help.”
Sharon McIntyre, MCR Pathways Chief Executive Officer, said:
"We're thrilled to be launching into five more schools across ɬ, bringing our valuable mentoring support to more young people who need it. This is a significant step forward, furthering our existing strong partnership with ɬ council and expanding our reach across the area. We're particularly excited to introduce the programme to further island and rural communities to ensure more young people have access to the mentoring support they deserve, no matter where they are."
MCR Pathways are also looking for volunteers for Oban High School, Rothesay Academy and Dunoon Grammar.
Join the information sessions or visit for more information.
