_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Project Background

Scotland’s most disadvantaged young people are facing a crisis of mental health, educational exclusion and poverty. In communities across Highland and the north of Scotland, teenagers are struggling with complex challenges that are harming their futures. Our research into the young people we support shows that 66% have experienced significant Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as parental neglect, abuse and trauma; over 22% are care-experienced or at risk of entering care; 43% are regularly truant or have been excluded from school; 70% have been referred for psychological interventions; and 91% report feeling socially isolated.

A recent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment by Highland Council identified young people who are care-experienced, those living in poverty and those receiving psychological care as groups requiring urgent additional support. These young people often lack positive role models, engage in risky behaviours and are at high risk of dropping out of school. Without early intervention, they face impoverished futures, disengagement from their communities, and poor mental health and wellbeing. These needs are mirrored in other disadvantaged communities, including areas within the 15–20% most deprived in Scotland, where Growing2gether operates in Highland, Aberdeen and Moray. All highlight the importance of youth volunteering and employment opportunities, early intervention, and action to address increasing mental health problems.

Following extensive consultation with young people, schools, local authorities and community partners, we identified what was missing: a group-based intervention that treats at-risk teenagers not as problems to be fixed, but as valued individuals with unique potential who can make a real difference. Young people told us clearly what they needed: 92% wanted a qualification, 79% needed support to achieve their potential and 83% sought opportunities to mentor children (2017 survey, 120 respondents). Growing2gether’s Early Years Mentoring Programme was developed in direct response to these needs.

Introducing Growing2gether’s Early Years Mentoring Programme

Since 2017, Growing2gether’s Early Years Mentoring Programme has worked with more than 3,000 children and young people across Scotland. Its distinctive early intervention model brings together teenagers who may be experiencing challenges in their own lives with younger children who would benefit from extra emotional support.

“I get stuck inside my head, thinking I’m not good enough, that I am going to fail in school and in life.” Growing2gether participant

Over the course of the programme, teenagers spend time in an early years setting, building consistent, nurturing relationships with younger children through play, conversation and shared activities. Grounded in positive and transpersonal psychology, which focuses on helping young people believe in their true potential, the programme is designed to benefit both age groups. Younger children receive focused attention and encouragement, while teenagers are given meaningful responsibility and an opportunity to recognise their own strengths, capabilities and capacity to care for others.

Positive outcomes for young people

Our recent evaluation findings indicate that this approach can deliver significant improvements in the wellbeing and development of participating teenagers. Across the primary outcomes, Growing2gether’s robust evaluation reveals that young people achieve significant pre- to post-programme improvements:

• a 14% increase in mental wellbeing;
• a 22% reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression; and
• a 16% increase in growth mindset (a can-do attitude).

These changes were statistically significant and associated with moderate effect sizes, suggesting meaningful improvements in young people’s psychological wellbeing and resilience.

Teachers also reported significant changes in young people’s confidence, self-efficacy, engagement with education and effort towards achieving their academic potential. Ninety per cent of teachers said that participating students appeared more confident, while 87% reported that students seemed happier and that the programme had supported them emotionally.

These findings suggest that the programme may be particularly valuable because it does not position teenagers simply as recipients of support. Instead, it enables them to take on a purposeful and trusted role in the lives of younger children. Through being relied upon, listened to and valued, young people can begin to see themselves differently.

The importance of relationships

The qualitative data from our evaluation help explain how these changes may happen. Young people, parents and staff repeatedly described the importance of the relationships developed through the programme, alongside increased empathy, stronger communication skills and a greater sense of connection.

One young person reflected:

“Helping kids fills me with joy and I learnt new things about myself.”

Another captured the pleasure of the experience more simply:

“I made lots of small friends.”

Staff also observed the depth and continuity of the relationships that developed. One member of staff told a young person:

“The bond that you made the first day in nursery clearly made a deep impact on the child, who sought you out each week.”

Parents similarly recognised how meaningful these encounters had become. One explained that their child:

“Felt really pleased that the children had built up a relationship with him and spoke of the delight at seeing them every week.”

The programme’s impact lies not only in the development of individual skills or confidence, but also in the experience of belonging within a network of caring and reciprocal relationships. Teenagers are given an opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of others, while younger children experience the consistency, attention and companionship of an older mentor.

Exploring the wider impact

Growing2gether is keen to collaborate with researchers to explore the programme’s wider and longer-term effects on children, young people, families, schools and communities.

The existing evidence demonstrates significant benefits for participating teenagers. However, the qualitative findings also point towards possible ripple effects. These may include benefits for younger children’s confidence and emotional wellbeing, changes in teenagers’ relationships with family members and teachers, and greater connectedness within schools and local communities.

Further research could explore how these relationships develop over time, what younger children experience and gain from the programme, and whether the confidence, empathy and sense of purpose reported by teenagers are sustained after their participation ends. It could also examine how the model works in different communities and educational settings, and how relational forms of early intervention can contribute to wider preventative approaches.

Building this evidence base would help Growing2gether deepen its understanding of how and why the programme works, while supporting its ambition to reach more children, young people, schools and communities across Scotland.

Growing2gether in numbers

Since 2017, Growing2gether has delivered the following outcomes and impacts:

• more than 3,000 children and young people have participated;
• mental wellbeing among participating teenagers increased by 14%;
• symptoms of anxiety and depression decreased by 22%;
• growth mindset increased by 16%;
• 90% of teachers reported that students appeared more confident;
• 87% said that the programme had helped students emotionally;
• self-efficacy and confidence in attempting new tasks improved by 62%;
• effort towards achieving the grades required for further education improved by 38%;
• 94% of young people valued the support they received;
• 88% said the programme helped them understand other people better;
• 85% gained confidence in their abilities;
• 82% felt more connected to others; and
• 96% would recommend the programme to other young people