The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Helping young people make a breakthrough
INSPIRATION: New Dundee charity pairs pupils with mentors
A new Dundee charity is aiming to transform the lives of young people who have been through the care system by helping to improve their education and employment prospects.
Breakthrough was established last year thanks to a £1.3m grant from Northwood Charitable Trust, which will initially fund the scheme for four years.
The project is based on the work of Glasgow-based mentoring programme MCR Pathways and is supported by Dundee City Council and DC Thomson.
It has three main elements. Group work is delivered to S1 and S2 pupils to help build confidence, self-esteem and their relationships.
Pupils from S3 onwards are then matched with mentors who have volunteered to help support and advise the young people.
Breakthrough also offers pupils work placements to give them a real experience of working life and help them decide their career path.
Jenny Paterson, who was appointed as the chief executive of Breakthrough in March, said: “Our primary focus is on care experienced pupils of secondary school age, helping them to improve their attendance and what they achieve at school.
“Mentors from the wider community are being matched with the young people and meet once a week.
“Having someone who turns up routinely, listens to them and doesn’t let them down is hugely important as many of the young people have had adults let them down before.
“We also look to give the participants a real taste of what it’s like to work. It’s led by the young people who can see the benefits it makes to their peers.”
Jenny said she had been delighted at the number of mentors who had come forward but said more would be required as the project expands from two to six secondary schools after the summer holidays.
She said: “The mentors go through a vetting process and training and a lot of thought goes into who the young people are paired with.
“We are currently working with 80 young people across the two schools in terms of group work and matched mentors.
“It would be great if we have a more diverse range of mentors – younger people and older people. We are working with Abertay University to have some student mentors.
“The mentors we have are fantastic – they can see they are making a big difference and some are already planning to mentor other pupils in the future.”