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.
We run two Mentoring Programme cycles per year, one in the Spring (March-July) and one in Autumn (October-February).
To see an infographic explaining the mentor application cycle timeline click here and for a mentor application pathway infographic click here.
Mentor applications for our Spring 2025 cohort are now closed. If you missed the opportunity to apply, you can express your interest in the next Mentoring Programme which will run in Autumn 2025 (October 2025 – February 2026).
“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.”
Mentors who have a passion for working with young people:
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 and Online Career Fairs.
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.
If you meet the person specification in the Application Pack, we simply ask for a commitment of either one hour per week for twelve weeks or two hours per month (5 months), depending on the programme. Our Coordinators, Facilitators, and Volunteer Mentors will support you every step of the way. During the programme, you'll 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 the London region. Due to the loss of a core funding source, we are currently fundraising to sustain the programme in the Leeds & West Yorkshire region.
If you would like to express your interest in mentoring with us in either London or Leeds & West Yorkshire in the future, please use the online form.
If you or your company would be interested in supporting the Leeds and West Yorkshire Mentoring Programme, or if you’d like to learn more about ways you can help, please reach out to us at mentor@diana-award.org.uk.
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 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.
