The Mentoring Programme also encourages young people to participate in youth-led social action, with mentors and mentees working together to develop projects tackling issues that directly impact them and their community.
Participation in youth-led social action can support young people in the development of their careers skills, improving education and employment outcomes and enhancing social mobility. 81% of young people participating in social action believe it will help them get a job in the future.
During the 12-week Mentoring Programme, young people can apply for further support for their youth-led social action project through our Social Action Accelerator Programme. Two groups of young people from each region will be supported by The Diana Award staff and volunteer mentors for a further six months by providing ongoing advice and guidance, as well as resources to support the implementation of the project, such as space and equipment.
Young people and volunteer mentors attend Social Action Support Forums in their local area at the beginning and the end of the programme.
Young people and volunteer mentors attend monthly online Social Action Support Forums, networking with other young people engaged in meaningful and impactful youth-led social action projects.
Young people will share their youth-led social action projects at the Social Action Support Forums as well as through The Diana Award Mentoring Programme newsletter.
We encourage young people to also share their projects at local and national events, including National Mentoring Week.
Young people and volunteer mentors will attend Social Action Support Forums in their local area at the beginning and the end of the programme (October and February, March and July).
Young people and volunteer mentors will attend monthly online Social Action Support Forums throughout the programme (November, December and January, April, May and June). During these online Forums, they will have the opportunity to network with other young people engaged in meaningful and impactful youth-led social action projects.
At the February and July Social Action Support Forums young people will share their youth-led social action projects as well as through The Diana Award Mentoring Programme newsletter.We will encourage young people to also share their projects at local and national events, including National Mentoring Week.
Our Social Action Accelerator Programme is supported by the #iwill Fund. The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high-quality social action.
Adam took part in the Mentoring Programme in January 2017 and his social action project focused on knife crime; how devastating it is, how it destroys families and negatively effects individual’s lives.
Through The Diana Award’s Mentoring Programme, which connects pre-GCSE teenagers with Mentors from the world of work, Shomara planned and produced a social action project around the subject of racism and mental health.
Ryan completed the Mentoring Programme in July 2017. “Our project was on knife crime and this is something we were really passionate about.
