Call for volunteers across Renfrewshire as children’s charity launches new mentoring programme for vulnerable young people
Aberlour Child Care Trust has launched a new mentoring programme in partnership with Renfrewshire Council to provide support and guidance for young people who are young carers or who are living in care, whether they are looked-after at home, staying with foster parents, or living in a residential setting.
Aberlour Attain – Renfrewshire will match looked-after young people across the region aged between 8 and 18 with a trained Aberlour mentor who will act as a consistent and positive role model to help them realise their full potential in life.
Sarah-Louise Davies, Programme Manager of Aberlour’s new mentoring programme in Renfrewshire, said:
“Our vision is for every young person living in care, whatever the setting, to have the same opportunities and experiences in life as every other young person. The key focus is to raise attainment. Our programme takes a complete 360 approach to mentoring, meaning our volunteer mentors will provide support and guidance in any aspect of their mentee’s life, whether that is helping them revise for exams at school, providing guidance on career opportunities or talking through any other problems they may be facing.
“Over the next few weeks and months we hope to recruit around 120 mentors to support children and young people across Renfrewshire. I’d encourage anyone interested in making a difference in a young person’s life to get in touch to find out more; it may just be the best thing you’ve ever done.”
Colin McGill, Managing Director of Turbochange Ltd and one of the service’s newest mentors, commented:
“As a Business Coach and Managing Director of my company, I have been working with Aberlour’s management teams for the past year. This has allowed me to understand the plight of so many vulnerable young people. While I know the work that I have done will help shape a better future for many young people, I was deeply touched by some of the statistics around life quality and expectancy and felt a strong desire to do something directly to help a young person develop the belief that they can create a positive future. This motivated me to join the Aberlour Attain Mentoring programme.”
The new mentoring programme is part of Renfrewshire Council’s wider commitment to closing the region’s attainment gap. Recent statistics indicate that a quarter of school-aged children in Renfrewshire live in some of the most deprived communities in Scotland .
Renfrewshire Council Depute Leader Jim Paterson, Convener of Renfrewshire’s Education and Children’s Services Policy Board, said:
“We are very pleased to be working with Aberlour on this new mentoring programme. We are highly committed to raising attainment for all across Renfrewshire and our new mentors will provide young people with invaluable support and guidance, helping them to excel and reach their full potential in life.”
If you would like to find out more about becoming an Aberlour mentor, please get in touch by emailing volunteering@aberlour.org.uk or calling Aberlour Attain – Renfrewshire on 0141 260 9180.
