Your mentor in the European Solidarity Corps is the person appointed by the host or support organisation to give you personal support. Mentoring consists of regular meetings between the mentor appointed by the host or support organisation and the participant, within as well as outside the place where the activity takes place. The meetings should focus on the personal wellbeing of the participants and should also guide and provide support to the volunteers in identifying the learning acquired during their experience. Personal support through mentoring should be provided to all participants in volunteering activities. Our guide on European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteering from start to finish walks through every stage, and your first steps as an ESC volunteer covers the weeks when you first meet your mentor.
Last updated: October 2026.
Who appoints your mentor?
Your mentor is appointed by the host organisation or the support organisation. Your mentor is responsible for providing to you support to carry out self-reflection on the learning, and for personal support. Our guide on the supporting organisation explains the organisation that prepares you at home, and how to become a host organisation for ESC explains the organisation that receives you.
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering all volunteers are matched with a mentor appointed by the participating host organisation during the activity. Our guide on Humanitarian Aid Volunteering explains where those projects run.
What do you talk about with your mentor?
Possible topics of mentoring meetings include personal wellbeing, wellbeing in the team, satisfaction with the tasks, practicalities, etc.. Mentoring is targeted towards the individual participant and thus the content and frequency of the meetings will vary according to the individual needs.
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering the mentor's role is to assist you with various aspects of your experience, integration into the project and the new community, recognition of learning, personal well-being, well-being in the team, satisfaction with the project etc.. Our guide on what to prepare before you go explains what to sort out before you leave for your project.
How often do you meet your mentor, and where?
Mentoring consists of regular meetings, and these meetings take place within as well as outside the place where the activity takes place. The content and frequency of the meetings will vary according to the individual needs.
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering you are expected to attend regular meetings with your mentor throughout your activity, and these sessions will provide you with opportunities for guidance, feedback and problem solving. Our guide on how long an ESC project lasts explains how long the activity in which these meetings take place runs.
In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, is your mentor the same person as your task supervisor?
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering guidance and supervision related to carrying out tasks assigned to you will be offered by a different person from the host organisation. According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, to encourage open communication and to maintain objectivity, mentors cannot be your direct supervisor or be involved in your day to day tasks. Our guide on the agreement you sign before starting sets out what each side commits to.
What is Reinforced Mentorship?
Reinforced Mentorship is an intensified mentoring process that might be necessary to support young people with fewer opportunities, if they are not able to implement an activity independently or with normal mentoring or tutoring support. Reinforced Mentorship is applicable to volunteering activities. Reinforced Mentorship involves closer contact, more frequent meetings and more time allocated to the implementation of tasks. Reinforced Mentorship guarantees a step-by-step support of the participants during project activities as well as outside working hours. Reinforced Mentorship enables the participants to gain as much autonomy as possible, thus contributing to the successful implementation of the project.
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, if there are any barriers that make your participation more challenging, if you feel that you have fewer opportunities such as learning difficulties, cultural differences or disabilities, or if you are not able to implement an activity independently or with just the regular mentoring support, you can benefit from an intensified mentoring process. Are you facing any social, economic, health, learning or other kind of obstacles? In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, the programme offers additional financial support to the organisations to better accommodate your needs as well as a range of support measures (for example reinforced mentorship, accompanying person etc.) to enable you to participate in activities on equal terms with other volunteers. Our guide on inclusion support explains the extra support for young people with fewer opportunities.
How does your mentor help you get something out of the project?
The meetings should guide and provide support to the volunteers in identifying the learning acquired during their experience. Your mentor is responsible for providing to you support to carry out self-reflection on the learning, and for personal support.
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering Youthpass is a tool that helps you identify and document the learning outcomes you will develop during your volunteering experience. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, the Youthpass certificate can help you when applying for other opportunities and jobs after the European Solidarity Corps experience, and you should request your Youthpass certificate at the end of your activity. Our guide on what Youthpass isexplains the certificate itself, how to put Youthpass on your CV and LinkedIn shows where it goes, and what comes after your project covers the months that follow.
Frequently asked questions
Does every ESC volunteer get a mentor?
Personal support through mentoring should be provided to all participants in volunteering activities. Mentoring consists of regular meetings between the mentor appointed by the host or support organisation and the participant. Our guide on your first steps as an ESC volunteer covers the weeks when you first meet your mentor.
How often will you meet your mentor?
Mentoring consists of regular meetings, and the content and frequency of the meetings will vary according to the individual needs. Our guide on how long an ESC project lasts explains how long the activity in which these meetings take place runs.
Can your mentor also be your direct supervisor?
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering mentors cannot be your direct supervisor or be involved in your day to day tasks, and this is to encourage open communication and to maintain objectivity. Our guide on Humanitarian Aid Volunteering explains how those projects work.
What if normal mentoring is not enough for you?
Reinforced Mentorship is an intensified mentoring process that might be necessary to support young people with fewer opportunities, if they are not able to implement an activity independently or with normal mentoring or tutoring support. Our guide on inclusion support explains the extra support for young people with fewer opportunities.
In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, is your mentor the person who gives you your tasks?
According to the Info Kit for Volunteers in Humanitarian Aid, in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering guidance and supervision related to carrying out tasks assigned to you will be offered by a different person from the host organisation. Our guide on the agreement you sign before starting sets out what each side commits to.
One person whose job is you
Our guide on leaving a project early at Youth Works Hub explains what happens if you end your activity before the planned date.
