Pupils at three Falkirk district secondary schools are set to benefit from a 'life-changing' mentoring programme.
Graeme High School, Falkirk High School and Bo'ness Academy will see volunteers work with care-experienced young people and other pupils to help them build confidence, overcome challenges and focus on a positive future.
Award-winning charity MCR Pathways has teamed up with Falkirk Council to make it happen.
The programme will see each mentor commit an hour of their time to meet in school each week - mentors are fully trained and share their time to listen and encourage a young person.
Fay Gingell, CEO of MCR Pathways, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be working with Falkirk Council and these three schools to direct vital support to the young people who need it most.
"MCR mentoring is not just making a significant impact on educational outcomes for Scotland’s young people, but also to their confidence and wellbeing, so we are really excited to begin working in Falkirk.
"We are already looking for mentors who can commit their time to help a young person.
"Our volunteers come from all walks of life; anyone can be a mentor, they just need an hour a week and the desire to make a difference.
"We’d also love to hear from local employers who would like to support staff to get involved. Mentors and their employers gain massively from the experience for relatively little time commitment."
The charity’s impact is measured by young people’s rates of staying-on for 5th and 6th year, attainment and progression to positive destinations.
Councillor Adanna McCue, spokesperson for Education said: "MCR Pathways is a fantastic programme to have running in three of our schools. This programme provides support to care-experienced young people to help them realise their full potential in terms of education and learning.
"We look forward to launching our school based mentoring programme initially within three high schools with the aim of rolling out a mentoring service to all high schools across the Falkirk Council area."
For more information in becoming a mentor, visit www.mcrpathways.org or email falkirk@mcrpathways.org
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