Transforming spaces and transforming lives, Space of Her Own (SOHO) serves fifth grade girls from under-resourced communities in Alexandria, Virginia. The program pairs culturally diverse, creative and resourceful women with girls in need of positive adult role models to help support and guide them make healthy choices and succeed in school and in life.

Mentors and girls meet weekly in a group setting, one evening per week, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., during the initial program school year. Together they enjoy dinner and work on art and carpentry projects like building shelves, constructing and wiring lamps and making pottery and self-portraits. They also participate in a series of team-building exercises to help develop the SOHO community and to identify ideal mentor/mentee matches. In the spring, mentors collaborate with families to give each girl’s bedroom or sleeping space a transformation, using items they have created together. The SOHO Club, for mentors and girls who choose to continue their relationships, provides monthly group activities and services throughout the girls' middle school years, helping to build long-term mentoring relationships and ongoing learning opportunities.

Next Steps to Becoming a SOHO Mentor

1. Space of Her Own uses the following application process to ensure that we are safeguarding our most important asset, the girls in our program.

2. Attend an information session

3. Fill out an online application

4. Be invited to an interview

5. Complete our background check process

6. Attend several mentor training sessions

7. Attend multiple SOHO sessions to get to know all mentors and mentees

8. Get matched with your mentee!

Please visit www.spaceofherown.org for more information.