Open House, Wednesday August 27 at 5:30pm
SOHO: Space Of Her Own is an art-based program serving preteen girls ages 9 -12. The program offers participants year-long mentoring through engagement in creative art activities and meaningful projects. Each volunteer mentor makes a one-year commitment to the program, which fosters long-term relationships. This program utilizes evidence-based life skills curricula and the National Mentoring Partnership’s model program guidelines.
13 girls from the Friends Association in Richmond’s Gilpin Court Community will be matched with adult mentors who work with them in weekly art classes as part of the year-long program. Homework support, life skills, communication and anger-management classes are infused into every program day. The mentors are not professional artists. Mentors & girls learn artistic concepts and techniques together throughout the course of the program, working to create expressive and attractive artwork for the girls’ bedrooms. Projects will include personalized chairs and lamps, construction of creative storage units, embellished mirrors, photo frames, woven blankets, and wall hangings.
Loosely based on the popular television show Trading Spaces, girls and mentors work in teams to remodel participants’ rooms in the spring, being sure to include ample lighting and study space. The promise of a clean, bright bedroom is the program’s hook, hopefully promoting near-perfect program attendance. Mentors, program administrators, and seasonal volunteers are welcomed into the children’s homes during renovations. We will work closely with participating families and the Friends Association for Children to connect families to appropriate city services as needed. SOHO utilizes evidence-based life skills curricula and the National Mentoring Partnership’s model program guidelines.
Richmond SOHO is modeled after the successful program in Alexandria, which is a partnership between The Art League and the City of Alexandria Court Services. Alexandria SOHO was awarded the 2004 United Way Eureka Award by INOVA Health Services and has been featured in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Washington Post, and the recently published book, Healing the Inner City Child: Art Therapies for At-Risk Youth.
For More Information about how YOU can help (And you can, we promise!)
contact:
Sally Kemp –> sallykemp@visarts.org 212-4364
-or-
Marlene Paul –> marlene@art180.org 233-4180
