Our Mentoring Programme supports young people to develop their careers skills, whilst making positive change in their community through social action.
We collaborate with professional volunteer mentors to deliver mentoring interventions and careers skills development programmes for young people aged 14-18 who are at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).
The Diana Award Mentoring Programme offers a twelve-week group mentoring and career skills development initiative for young people aged 14-18 who are ‘at risk of becoming NEET’ in Leeds & West Yorkshire and London. Collaborating with volunteer mentors, we provide professional guidance, career skills training, and encourage youth-led social action projects addressing community issues.
During the twelve-week pilot, young people will have the opportunity to apply for further support for their youth-led social action project through our Social Action Accelerator pilot. Two groups of young people from each region will be supported by The Diana Award staff and volunteer mentors for another five months. Staff and volunteer mentors will provide ongoing advice and guidance, as well as resources to support the implementation of the project, such as venue hire and equipment.
We also provide further careers skills development opportunities for young people across the UK. Our Career Lounge and Online Careers Fair projects are delivered in collaboration with our volunteering partners, including Salesforce Foundation, 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.
Click below to register your school for the Mentoring Programme, or to volunteer with the Mentoring Programme.
Do you want to volunteer as a mentor? Learn more about our Mentoring Programme and additional opportunities.
Are you a school based in London, Leeds and West Yorkshire? Register below for more information about the Mentoring Programme and your potential participation.
The UK is struggling with social mobility and equality of opportunity. Over the past three years, children and young people have experienced significant disruption to their education, whilst opportunities to improve social mobility have dwindled. Recent research from the Office for National Statistics indicates that there are an estimated 900,000 NEET young people in the UK- that is 12.6% of young people.
Therefore, through The Diana Award Mentoring Programme, we aim to:
Our Online Careers Fair project is delivered annually in collaboration with our volunteering partners and is available to all young people aged 11-18. Career Lounges provide young people in our twelve-week mentoring programme with enhanced career development opportunities through workplace visits.
The Online Careers Fair aims to provide every young person with the knowledge and skills they need to support their career ambitions.
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Our Career Lounges provide young people in our twelve-week mentoring programme with enhanced career development opportunities through workplace visits.
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The Diana Award Mentoring Programme leads on policy, research and advocacy work to showcase the power of mentoring to unlock the potential of young people and aid social mobility across the UK.
Further Research: The Diana Award has secured funding to commission a ‘Best Practices in UK Youth Mentoring Interventions’ report. The report is being developed to share evidence on effective UK mentoring approaches, aiming to create a valuable resource for mentoring organisations. This report will be published at the beginning of 2025.
Our London, Leeds and West Yorkshire Mentoring Programmes are 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 and education sectors.
During the twelve-week Mentoring Programme, young people have the opportunity to apply for further support for their youth-led social action project through our Social Action Accelerator Pilot. Staff and volunteer mentors provide ongoing advice and guidance, as well as resources to support the implementation of the project, such as space and equipment.
We also provide further careers skills development opportunities for young people across the UK. Our Career Lounge and Online Careers Fair projects are delivered in collaboration with our volunteering partners, including 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.
The Diana Award Mentoring Programme works with young people aged 14-18 at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Our eligibility criteria take seriously the risk factors which contribute to young people becoming NEET. These include, but are not limited to:
The Mentoring Programme is free to schools and students thanks to the generosity of our corporate and trust funders.
We are always looking for more funders to ensure that we can continue to provide our programme to disadvantaged young people. If you would like to fund the Mentoring Programme, please email us mentor@diana-award.org.uk.
We couldn’t do what we do without the support of our funding and volunteering partners.
For the Spring ‘24 cohort, the pilot project was based in Kingsmead School, Enfield. The project was led by two young people, Liyuu and Anastasia, who had completed the Autumn ‘23 12-week programme. The project focused on addressing homophobia and transphobia in the lives of young people.
Last year, mentees in Jersey planned and delivered their youth-led social action project with support from The Diana Award Staff, volunteer mentors and the wider community. Hooded Helpers challenged negative stereotypes and promoted positive messages about young people instead.
Motivated by their personal experiences and discussions in the Mentoring Programme about the Black Lives Matter Movement and negative portrayals of young people in the media, two mentees from The Global Academy came up with a plan.
