The First Minister welcomed the young people to her official Bute House residence and spent time with them privately, listening to their ideas for the Scottish Government, what they would change in the world, and the many ways in which mentoring has had a positive impact on their experiences.

One of the young mentees, Aiden, shared with the First Minister how his life has changed since working with an intandem volunteer mentor from Ypeople. He said: “Everyday was the same until I met Michelle. She changed everything, she just got me, she told me to never stop being curious.”

Two of Ypeople’s intandem mentees, Aiden and Josh, had the opportunity to speak personally with the First Minister. Josh had the honour of being appointed the First Minister’s Depute for the evening, and Aiden explained that he was nervous about the event: “It’s not every day you get the chance to speak to someone with so much power and influence. However, Nicola was really kind, she told me this wasn’t my only chance to speak with her. And it is ok to take time to think about my words.”

intandem – a Scottish Government funded programme from Inspiring Scotland - matches young people with trained volunteers to build positive, supportive and secure relationships. Young people are encouraged to bond with their mentors in a fun and safe environment with the longer-term aim being to create a secure lasting relationship of at least 18 months or more.

As a leading Scottish charity Ypeople is responsible for running the award-winning service in both North Lanarkshire and Glasgow and has supported the initiative since it was launched in 2016.

Janet Haugh, CEO at Ypeople, said: “We know how crucial it is for all young people to have support as they make the transition from childhood and adolescence into adulthood. Having at least one long term relationship with a positive adult role-model can make all the difference to a young person.

“We were delighted to extend our mentoring services in partnership with Inspiring Scotland when intandem launched in 2016. This year we will expand upon that work further, allowing us to support more children across Scotland. Ypeople’s work has a hugely positive impact on the lives of the people we support and it’s wonderful to see that recognised by the First Minister.”