Partner and Volunteer Highlight: Space of Her Own (SOHO) - Empowering Girls Through Mentorship
In recognition of January as both National Mentoring Month and Alexandria Mentoring Month, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) shines the light on our community partner, Space of Her Own (SOHO) and its work with ACPS students.
SOHO empowers girls from underserved communities through one-on-one mentoring, employing art, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and life skills development to help transform lives. SOHO first launched in 2002, in partnership with the City of Alexandria, ACPS and The Art League with the goal of improving self-esteem and social competencies while building participation in out-of-school-time programs.
SOHO offers girls a safe, supportive space to try new things as they grow to become the best versions of themselves. Many of the lessons they learn and the skills they hone are universal and can be applied in the classroom, at home and with friends. “Mentoring has been proven to foster changes in youth that positively affect academic achievement, reduce engagement in risky behaviors and increase high school and college graduation rates,” said SOHO Executive Director Linda Odell.
SOHO uses art and STEM projects to help grow and nurture the skills and self-esteem of young girls, seeing those subjects as transformative catalysts. “It gives them the opportunity to express their creativity,” noted James K. Polk Elementary School (Polk) Principal Carla Carter. She recognized the benefits of SOHO years ago as a teacher at Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School (Jefferson-Houston) when a SOHO participant created a toy chest as a gift for Carter’s first child, which was then decorated by the students who put their pictures on it and and signed it. “It empowers them, and it gives them a purpose. It gives them the opportunity to express their creativity.” Carter said. Twenty-three years later, Principal Carter still has the light blue toy chest and plans to pass it on to her grandchildren.
“When we create art, we create a vehicle for conversation, self-reflection and connection,” noted Program Manager, Renee Liden. She said that while practicing visual art, students learn to embrace mistakes. “At SOHO, we dissuade girls - “mentees” - from starting over on projects that they're unsatisfied with,” explained Liden. “Instead, we practice working with what we have to improve our final product. Because of this, girls are proud of their expression and efforts rather than fixating on perceived imperfections. Art, therefore, reminds us that there is no "wrong" way to be ourselves.”
Liden believes that social media and the lingering effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to disrupted in-person learning, shaped a girlhood in the 2020s that looks remarkably different from what today’s adult women experienced. “Insecurity, bullying and loneliness are unfortunately prevalent in girls' lives today,” Liden said. Principal Carter also believes, however, that having mentors and safe places to go help girls separate between social media constructs and reality. “You can’t live up to what is portrayed in social media, it is unrealistic,” added Carter. Through SOHO, mentors have the power to help transform mentees’ mindsets by connecting with them about shared emotions and addressing life’s challenges.
Mentorship helps girls build a positive vision for their futures and equips them with the tools they'll need to get there. SOHO's group environment introduces girls to a diverse team of accomplished women and exposes them to career paths they may not have known existed. “In addition, SOHO mentors are fantastic cheerleaders and goal-setters. By challenging their mentees to break out of their comfort zones, and helping them achieve success with STEM and art projects, they enable the girls to realize their limitless potential,” Liden shared.
Carter said she has noticed how the girls who participate in the SOHO program establish a bond. “It gives them a sense of purpose. They recognize that this is something that I have committed to… I am a part of this team,” Carter stated. She said this type of commitment can provide a positive impact on school attendance and in the future carry over into their participation in the workforce.
SOHO is a strengths-based program, meaning that mentors recognize the unique attributes of each SOHO mentee, help them develop their talents and encourage them to shine – all of which builds self-esteem. For SOHO’s West End program, girls are referred by staff at Polk and Patrick Henry K-8 School and for the Old Town program, referrals are made from Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology and Jefferson-Houston. Twenty-six new fifth grade students are accepted to the program each year. Currently, there are approximately 78 middle and high school students and 80 mentors who participate in the SOHO Club.
Each Tuesday or Wednesday from October to June, you will not find SOHO participants bored at home. Instead, they are honing critical life skills like teamwork, accountability and leadership; all while playing games, exploring creative outlets and making new friends. For those special hours each week, they are not only fifth grade students; they are SOHO mentees. “And with that, the girls’ transformation from caterpillars to SOHO butterflies has begun,” Odell exclaimed.
Every June, SOHO celebrates the growth of each mentor and mentee's relationship with a promotion ceremony which recognizes the mentor-mentee pairs' transition to the SOHO Club. In this program, mentors and mentees spend time together outside of structured program activities and attend monthly SOHO Club events throughout the girls’ middle school years and beyond.
If you want to play an active role in helping to empower girls, build a community of caring adults, and practice being the best version of yourself, please consider joining SOHO as a mentor next school year and send an email to mentor@spaceofherown.org to be sure you do not miss out on SOHO's mentor information session.
For anyone interested in learning more about SOHO and/or other mentoring opportunities in Alexandria, consider attending the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership’s open house for prospective mentors on Thu., Jan. 30, 2025, from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Campagna Center in Alexandria.
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