When you become a mentor with SOHO, we ask you to meet our girls where they are and guide them to where they want to be. Along the way, you will both develop new skills, be challenged in unexpected ways, and have fun!

Before we match you with one of our girls, we want to make sure SOHO is the right match for you. If you decide SOHO is the right fit for you after reading The Mentor Commitment, please sign up for our mentor interest list. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at mentor@spaceofherown.org.

The Mentor Commitment

Being a mentor means being there for a child.

As a SOHO mentor, you must be able to attend a meeting one night a week, either Tuesday or Wednesday, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. during the school year and less formally during summer months. The minimum commitment is 12 months.

Our volunteer mentors are required to be positive adult role models and live or work in D.C. Metro or Northern Virginia. No special skills are necessary; training is provided. Our goal is for you to form a lasting bond with your mentee, so we ask that all SOHO mentors plan on living in the area for the foreseeable future.

We hope that your mentoring relationship will continue after the first year as your mentee transitions into middle school and beyond.

If you continue your relationship beyond the initial program year, you will receive continuing support from SOHO program staff, including participation in monthly activities hosted by SOHO Club.

Role of a SOHO Mentor

Being a mentor means doing the little things, because someday, they’ll lead to really big things.

During the first year of the program, SOHO plans and organizes weekly meetings so you can concentrate on building a bond with your mentee. After getting to know your mentee for a few months, you are encouraged to spend time together outside of SOHO’s formal meetings.

Every week, you’ll show up for your mentee by arriving to SOHO on time, having dinner with her, listening, and collaborating on projects together. Over time, you’ll build the foundations for a transformational relationship. You and your mentee will nurture each other’s creativity and find common interests, pursue activities that you both enjoy, and learn to celebrate moments of discovery and self-expression together.

SOHO mentors:

Help girls develop positive self-esteem and confidence in their unique abilities
Encourage girls as they participate in arts and STEM activities
Help girls identify their strengths and the resilience to succeed despite obstacles
Expose girls to new activities, experiences and career paths
Guide girls to cultivate a strong sense of responsibility for their actions
Model behaviors that will help develop strong characters
Demonstrate the skills necessary to build healthy relationships
Provide girls with a sense of safety and belonging

Characteristics of a SOHO Mentor

Being a mentor means helping your mentee establish and achieve her own goals

Before deciding to become a mentor with SOHO, there are some important questions that we encourage you to ask yourself:

Am I able to arrive at SOHO each week, promptly at 5:30 p.m.?
Do I enjoy listening to and learning about others?
Am I flexible and able to adapt to new situations?
Do others consider me reliable and consistent?
Do I enjoy learning new things?
Am I interested in the arts and STEM?
Am I open to working with a girl who may come from a different background and culture, have different beliefs, or is growing up under different circumstances than I did?

Learn more about how SOHO girls are selected.

If you are able to answer these questions with a resounding “Yes,” then SOHO may be the right fit for you.

Next Steps to Becoming a SOHO Mentor

Space of Her Own uses the following application process to ensure that we safeguard our most important assets – the girls in our program. Please note that while we recruit mentors year-round, we do not typically accept/place new mentors after the school year has begun.

Attend an information session held mid to late Summer for the upcoming school year. If you do not see an information session listed here, please contact mentor@spaceofherown.org to learn more. Sign up for our mentor interest list or follow us on Instagram and Facebook @spaceofherown
Fill out an online application
Be invited to a virtual interview with SOHO program staff
Complete our background check process
Attend several SOHO sessions to get to know every mentor and girl
Get matched with your mentee

E-mail mentor@spaceofherown.org with any questions.