Mentor Stories - Annemarie O'Donnell

Our Chief Executive, Annemarie O'Donnell first started mentoring with MCR Pathways back in 2018. She decided to get personally involved after working alongside them to promote the initiative to our staff. Annemarie said "I was really impressed by the positive impact MCR was having on the city's young people and specifically by reports of increased attainment and improved confidence of those young people involved with MCR. Their approach and work have had an enormous impact on career paths and life achievements of young people involved with them.

"One of our council values is 'to be fairer and more equal, giving everyone the chance to flourish and improve their life chances and choices'; mentoring with MCR gives us a real opportunity to put this into practice. It provides an avenue for us to support young people in the city who need it the most - and it is such an easy thing for us to do - but it is life changing for the young people involved.

"I would encourage staff to consider getting involved as it not only benefits the young person but enhances your own personal skills.  As a mentor you will develop your listening and communication skills and your awareness of the challenges faced by young people today. Within your own network of friends and colleagues it is usually possible to identify opportunities that would benefit your young person, such as job shadowing or workplace visits. As a mentor, I get immense satisfaction seeing my young person grow in confidence and open up about their challenges and ambitions.

"If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a mentor, I would encourage you to please speak to your MCR ambassador. You can find their details on our MCR Staff Page. The council fully supports MCR Pathways and where possible staff will be given the time needed to meet with their young person. Why not have a chat with your manager and see how it could work for you."