The MCR Charitable Foundation was launched in 2006 to provide a menu of project management, leadership, advice and funding for sustainable rehabilitation, education and welfare projects. The Foundation’s MCR Pathways education project is a major initiative which best illustrates the active approach to initiate, help lead and deliver changes required to address social and education inequality and inclusion.
MCR Pathways is a national, award-winning mentoring programme. Our vision is that every care-experienced young person, or those who have experienced disadvantage, gets the same education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances as every other young person. Our school-based mentoring programme supports young people to find, grow and use their talents. We help young people to build confidence, broaden aspirations and explore their future pathways.
Spun out from the MCR Foundation, MCR Pathways has been a major focus for Iain for the past 15 years (including as a full-time volunteer for the past 7 years). Starting in a single school in Glasgow’s East End, MCR Pathways has now scaled to across over 120 schools in Scotland and England.
Education in both the developed and developing worlds is a key to unlock individual potential and contribution. The Foundation equally recognises absolute academic achievement as well as progress and incremental improvement. Awards and recognition as well as higher education and scholarship schemes are core to the Foundation’s activities, particularly with young people who have had social care support.
The Foundation has also supported students in Kenya to receive Secondary education.
The encouragement of business and commercial ventures is a cornerstone of building confidence and employment opportunities in deprived areas. Corporate connections and relationships are equally as important to help create jobs. The Foundation supports supplying critical local services from simple models selling household items and clothing through to more holistic, health, welfare and education initiatives.
Support for those committed to breaking destructive habits is a key remit of the Foundation. From our experience, not only do these individuals benefit from intense support, but more often when rehabilitated they provide the motivation and inspiration to others to follow suit.
The Foundation is committed to see the potential beyond the current circumstances and help deal directly with the collateral family damage. Projects overlap into some of the sports participation initiatives in addition to the support offered to community based self help groups, outreach workers and help with the provision of respite facilities.
