A pilot scheme to help care-experienced and disadvantaged young people in Argyll and Bute during their school lives has won the backing of councillors.
The MCR Pathways project will undergo a trial at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh, Oban High School, and Dunoon Grammar School during the 2023/24 school year.
Its vision is to ensure that every care experienced young person, or those experiencing disadvantage, has equity and opportunity for educational outcomes, career development and pathways.
Councillors endorsed the plans at a meeting on Thursday.
Raymond Porter, MCR’s national partnership director, told the community services committee: “The pupils we support are care experienced. We also try to ensure that we look at young people who have some other disadvantages that thankfully the majority of us do not suffer.
“I was very keen to come here today. I think it is vital to building relationships and quite frankly, I am tired of speaking ‘on the TV’ to people about it.
“We had a pandemic which upset all our lives, but what we want to do is sit with a young person and converse with them, support them and engage with them.
“This is for one period a week. I have two young people who I have mentored in Castlemilk, one of them for two years and one for four years, and it is so apparent the impact you have on their lives.
“You sit and talk with them about what is on the TV, what they had for dinner, hobbies and interests, and it is remarkable what it does.
“Our success is measured around when the pupil leaves school, and their attainment and after school destination.”
Yvonne McNeilly, the committee’s chair and the council’s policy lead for education, said: “Many of us will recall times in our lives when there was just the right person there at the right time, if you were lucky.
“But there are so many young people not experiencing any of that. The key element is that you have somebody interested in you, maybe for the first time in your life.
“You actually feel this person really wants you to do well. That is absolutely priceless and to see that change in a young person is incredible.”
Cllr Audrey Forrest added: “It is very rare that I come to council meetings and feel emotional, but that was a superb presentation.
“We know how important a constant adult is to children, and that is why it is so important we are able to do this.
“It fits in so beautifully with the things we are doing already – the counselling service, general health and wellbeing input and guidance staff.”
A report in advance of the meeting said that from S3 onwards, every young person identified for the programme is partnered with an adult mentor.
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