Findhorn charity Growing2gether invests Berry Burn Community Fund grant in child mentoring

A Findhorn-based charity is investing £7000 in help for local teenagers and toddlers.

The grant from the Berry Burn wind farm Community fund will help Growing2gether support secondary school pupils mentoring children in nursery or primary schools.

Charity co-CEO, Gavin Morgan, explained that pupils from Forres Academy are paired with children from Applegrove Primary for programmes in September and next January.

He said: “We are so grateful to receive this generous grant - it’s great that Berry Burn Community Fund recognise the work we do to benefit youth and families.

“The mentoring programmes help reshape families and communities. Parents who once saw their children struggle with self-doubt, disengagement and mental health challenges now witness them stepping into leadership roles, taking responsibility with confidence.”

He added: “This shift radiates outward; when teens feel empowered, their families experience less stress, stronger communication and newfound hope.”

Growing2gether’s intensive 16-week programme is delivered in nurseries where participants mentor a child each for 1.5 hours each week.

After nursery, the young people attend 1.5-hour group peer sessions where facilitators encourage them to apply the lessons they learned to their own lives.

These life skills sessions include emotional literacy, relationships and barriers to achievement. The programme leads to accredited SCQF Level 4 Personal Development qualification ‘Self in the Community’/`Self Awareness’.

Forres Academy English teacher, Miss Dorothy Ross, praised the programme.

“Growing2gether has helped pupils believe in themselves as their strengths are recognised,” she said. “It helps build their self-confidence.”

A young carer on the programme said: “I finally feel like I am OK as a person. Helping another child has taught me a lot about myself and helped me try harder at school.”

And a participating nursery teacher claimed her children’s self-confidence has increased by being mentored, adding: “They build positive bonds with the young people and our more vulnerable children gain much-needed one-to-one time."

Since forming in 2017, Growing2gether has helped 2700 young people and another 2700 children in Moray, Highland, Aberdeen, Dundee and Aberdeenshire.

For more information visit https://www.growing2gether.org.uk/