Volunteering as a professional mentor, either as an individual or alongside your colleagues, offers you the opportunity to support young people at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) whilst learning about the barriers to social mobility they encounter.
Mentor applications for our Spring 2026 12-week mentoring programme are now closed.
If you are interested in volunteering for future mentoring opportunities with The Diana Award, please register your interest below. Please note, these are likely to be London-based, but it’s possible we may expand outside of London in future.
For any general queries regarding the mentoring programme, please contact the Mentoring team: mentor@diana-award.org.uk
“Mentoring provides me with a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Being able to contribute to someone else's growth and success is a privilege, and seeing the positive impact of guidance and support is deeply rewarding. Each mentoring session is an opportunity to not only impart knowledge but also to refine my own communication and leadership skills.”
“Donna has mentored with us for at least five cohorts and has not only been an amazing mentor in general by going above and beyond – such as by running CV sessions - but also by staying in touch with schools after mentoring sessions have finished to hold apprenticeship talks and more for the young people.”
“I have really enjoyed my time mentoring for The Diana Award, it’s opened my eyes too students who are at risk of becoming NEET. It’s helped me develop personal skills and provided me with tools to use in my day to day working environment, such as ice breakers for when we do student visits on our sites. I would love to mentor again, as this experience has shown me the value of giving my time and the benefit it brings to others.”
We are looking for mentors who have a passion for working with young people and an interest in youth-led social action, who have developed or are willing to develop active listening skills, an ability to see solutions and identify opportunities when working with young people in a group, and an ability to show resilience when faced with challenging situations.
Mentors must:
Volunteering as a professional mentor, either as an individual or alongside your colleagues, offers you the opportunity to support young people at risk of becoming NEET whilst learning about the barriers to social mobility they encounter. There are also opportunities to be involved in Career Lounges.
We run two Mentoring Programme cycles per year, one in Autumn and one in Spring. The mentor application process opens at two points during the year, between June-August and November-January.
To see an infographic explaining the mentor application, onboarding and programme cycle timeline through the year click here.
To see an infographic explaining the pathway from mentor application to mentoring within a single programme cycle (Autumn or Spring) click here.*
*Our Mentoring programme is currently closed to new volunteer mentors. Please express your interest here if you are interested in future mentoring opportunities.
If you meet the criteria in our person specification, we simply ask for a commitment of one hour per week for twelve weeks. Our Volunteer Manager, Diana Award Facilitators, and other volunteer mentors will support you every step of the way. During the programme, you will develop new skills, participate in youth-led social action, and gain valuable insights into the working world through fun and engaging interactive sessions.
The Diana Award Mentoring Programme is currently available to volunteer mentors based in and around London.
In our Spring 2026 cohort (now closed), our Mentoring Programme will be working with schools in the boroughs of Enfield, Hackney, Havering, Hounslow and Sutton.
Our Mentoring Programme is delivered in Autumn (October–February) and Spring (March–July). The programme consists of twelve group sessions, delivered primarily in secondary schools, further education settings, and alternative provisions. Sessions last around an hour and are delivered on the same day and time each week. Mentors come from a range of professional backgrounds such as the technology, finance, arts, and education sectors.
We also provide further careers skills development opportunities for young people across London. Our Career Lounges are delivered in collaboration with our volunteering partners, including companies such as KPMG and WeWork. They provide young people with insight into the world of work and specific employment sectors and organisations, improve knowledge of routes into further and Higher Education and employment, and further support the development of careers skills.
We couldn’t do what we do without the support of our Mentoring Partners.
