Voices of Her Own, Spring 2024, Issue 8

voicesof her own

Building a Community of Care

Letter from the Editor

Written by: Renee Liden

Hello, Reader!

My name is Renee, and I am honored to be SOHO’s newest Program Manager. I love the feeling of starting fresh- New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays, I can’t get enough of “Sunday reset” videos onTiktok, and spring is becoming my new favorite season (it’s much better inAlexandria than in my frigid Illinois hometown!). Even my name, Renee, comes from a Latin term meaning “reborn,” and is closely related to the word “renaissance.”

One of my favorite parts of SOHO is how the program offers participants the tools to jumpstart a creative renaissance in their own lives. In so many ways, SOHO creates opportunities for fresh starts. Whether by inspiring new creative hobbies, teaching new skills, applying fresh coats of paint, or blossoming new positive relationships, SOHO helps to refresh spaces, minds, and hearts.

It’s been incredible watching mentors, mentees, and families embrace new beginnings with open arms. SOHO girls are changing for the better all the time, and their transformations remind me that you don’t need to wait for a new year, a new environment, or even a new job to start fresh. With a supportive community behind us, we can all begin our own renaissance; right here, right now.

I so look forward to meeting more members of the SOHO family.You can often find me walking along the waterfront, hanging out in Del Ray, or riding Capital Bikeshare all around Alexandria- if you see me, please say hello!

All the best, Renee Liden

Cover Story . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Building a Community of Care

What is a community? We asked our Space of Her Own (SOHO) fifth graders this question, and they worked together to come up with the following definitions:

“Acommunity is a city with friends and family that can help each other through good and bad times and can learn from one another.”

-

Tuesday SOHO girls

“Acommunity is filled with diverse people that help each other by being kind and recycling to make it a better place to live.”

- Wednesday SOHO girls

SOHO strives to provide a community of care that is supportive, kinds, diverse, and educational for each of our extraordinary girls, their families, and their mentors. We would not be able to do this without the larger community of care provided by amazing Alexandrians.

One of our SOHO Club girls recently told us that, “Lots of SOHO girls face significant challenges at home, like I do. SOHO is our home away from home, and a place where we all feel heard, valued, and safe.” One of the most important ways to ensure that SOHO girls feel this sense of security and empowerment is by filling our community with caring adults.

We recently asked our SOHO fifth graders to identify adults who care about them.Along with parents, grandparents, and teachers, many girls were quick to include their SOHO mentor on their list!

“Rachel (mentor) is caring, loving, and funny. She shows she cares about me by helping me.” -Yenninfer

“Linh (mentor) is pretty, intelligent, and creative. She shows she cares about me by listening to whatever I have to say.” - Maddie

“Miranda (mentor) is caring, kind, and loving. She shows she cares about me by helping me when I need help.” - Marylu

“Yamini (mentor) is nice and caring; she takes care of me.” -Andrea

“Ashley (mentor) is caring and kind. She shows she cares about me by helping me when I am down.” - Genesis O

“Fatimah (mentor) is kind, nice, and likes to smile. She shows she cares about me by giving me hugs and asking me how I feel.” - Nicole

“Michelle (SOHO’s intern) is funny, kind, and caring. She shows she cares about me by

is confident, caring, and loving. She makes sure

Helping others: Be kind and caring!

Helping our environment: Pick up trash!

Being creative: Paint a mural for others!

“I’mthankfulformymentorbecause…”

Amy & Anita Andrea & Yamini

“She has a thou ht ul mind.”

“She’s nice.”

England & Bryanna Esteffany & Noura

“I eel like she is my amily.”

“She’s somebody I can talk to i I don’t eel sa e talkin to someone else.”

“She’s un and has a lot o ener y.”

“She makes me happy, and I eel ood when I’m with her.”

Helena & Arynn Kali & Kristina

…putting the SOHO puzzle together!

Maddie & Linh Mawadda & Anna

“She helps me with my problems.”

Nichi & Lauren Nicole & Fatimah

“She is so nice to me.”

“She is smart, beauti ul, and kind.”

“She is kind, nice, and thou ht ul.”

“She understands me.”

“She makes me eel confident and believes in me.”

Nyla & Chelsea Scarlet & Sherry

Our mentor/mentee pairs…

“I’mthankfulformymentorbecause…”

Amy & Michelle

“She listens and ives me advice no matter i I’m ri ht or wron .”

Genesis o. & Ashley

“She cares or me and makes me happy.”

Genesis P. & Kristen

Isa & Casey

“I can tell her everythin .”

“She is wonder ul, kind, nice, and cool.”

Jenicka & Phelicha

Lavinia & Alison

“She helps me with a lot o stuff.”

“She’s nice to me and I have un with her.”

“I’mthankfulformymentorbecause…”

Leah & Shaunesse’

Libni & Abigail

“She helps me and makes me eel like mysel .”

“She’s kind, smart, beauti ul, and the best mentor”

“She’s un and ives me ideas about what to do.”

Marylu & Miranda Meklit & Saron

“She’s kind and she’s there when I need her.”

& Rachel

Zykia & Lynette

“She has a reat personality and loves me.”

Yenninfer

Film Photography @TheArtLeague

The whole SOHO team had a blast experimenting with point-and-shoot film cameras! The girls got creative with poses & props, and then learned how to develop their photos in the darkroom. Check out Scarlet’s masterpiece on the right!

Laser-Cut Acrylic Mirrors

@BuildingMomentum

SOHO girls and mentors were laser-focused on creating mirrors that reflect their unique personalities. Girls used the laser-cutter to design their mirror’s shape, and added decoration and motivational quotes. They then coded custom colored LED lights that turn on when they step

Improv withKeelyfromHeard

Zip, zap, SOHO! Our girls had tons of fun playing improv games centered on communication, teamwork, and listening. Yes, and… they were absolutely hilarious! Girls listed their main takeaways as the importance of supporting others, being mindful of first impressions, practicing patience, and understanding that small ideas can make a big impact.

Family Night @BuildingMomentum

Quadruple the people, quadruple the fun! In collaboration with Building Momentum, SOHO hosted family nights in February for our fifth grade girls, their families, and mentors. Relationships between all participants were strengthened through exciting dinner conversations and innovative STEM projects.

3D pen artists hard at work on their signs!

Our engineers put their creativity to the test when making popsicle stick bridges, wells, flowers, and more!

Nichi and her mentor, Lauren, painted these canvases together during an outing in the park!

2024 Space

Amy was a huge help installing LED lights in Kali’s room!

Maddie literally jumped for joy when she saw her brand new bedroom!

Transformations!

Clockwise from top left:

● Yenninfer reacts to her new space

● Meklit’s nature oasis

● Isa’s purple palace

● Libni and stuffed pals on her new bunkbed

● Genesis P. skillfully attaches vines to her wall

● Marylu with her favorite feature: her shoe display!

January: Celebrating Mentoring Month with City Council

February: Ice Skating

SOHO Club girls and mentors were full of confidence, bravery, and excitement as skated around the Canal Park Ice Rink on a beautiful Sunday evening in Washington, D.C.!

Alexandria’s City Council made a proclamation to recognize January as Alexandria Mentoring Month. SOHO girls and mentors participated in a series of activities at the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership’s Mentoring Matters event before sharing the impact mentoring has had on their lives during the Council meeting. Tomashia (TT), who joined SOHO in 2022, is pictured with

March: Plant House

SOHO Club has a green thumb! Girls and their mentors enjoyed spending a rainy Saturday designing one-of-a-kind succulent and air plant terrariums. We loved this cozy and creative activity :)

April: BuildMo STEM Projects

SOHO Club members had a great time returning to their old stomping grounds at Building Momentum. Pairs worked together on a variety of STEM projects- making a laser-cut catapult, using a 3D pen, and coding robots!

May: The Little Theatre of Alexandria

The Little Theatre of Alexandria hosted our SOHO Club girls and mentors for a dedicated paint day to work on their upcoming show’s set! Attendees received a backstage tour of the theater and met many of the remarkable women who help bring their shows to life through set design, building, painting, lighting, hair, make-up, and more!

SOHO Spotlight

Jerry&TheExecutiveDinerTeam

MostTuesday and Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m., you can find our SOHO girls and mentors enjoying a delicious, well-balanced dinner provided byThe Executive Diner. Owner Jerry Pnevmatikatos and his team consistently provide excellent service and meals to keep us fueled for all of our SOHO fun.

This spring,The Executive Diner hosted SOHO’s 5th-grade annual etiquette dinner, which gave the girls an opportunity to showcase their social skills.The evening began with an etiquette lesson that allowed the girls to develop and discuss appropriate restaurant behavior. The girls then enteredThe Executive Diner and were greeted by the host.After being seated at their tables, they practiced effective decision-making skills as they chose from the menu. Over dinner, they focused on asking engaging questions and including everyone at the table in their conversations. Girls were excited to ask the waitstaff questions like, “How do you deal with rude customers?” and, “What’s your favorite item on the menu?”The evening concluded with dessert, and they learned, with a bit of help from their mentors, to calculate an appropriate gratuity for the outstanding service they received.

SOHO girls enjoyed their experience, and some even said they hope to return to the restaurant with their mentors when they are promoted to SOHO Club!

ThankYou Jerry &The Executive DinerTeam!

Space of Her Own’s Mission

Transforming spaces and transforming lives, SOHO empowers girls through visual arts, carpentry, life skills lessons and creative one-on-one mentoring

Upcoming SOHO Events

★ June 4 & 5 - SOHO Promotion Ceremonies

★ June 11 & 12 - MentorAppreciation Dinner

★ June 29 - Huntley Meadows Outing

★ July 13 - Cooking Class

★ August 15 - Back-to-School Family Cookout

★ August 15 - Summer Meeting Challenge Finale

★ October 24 - Upcycle Style Night

SOHO SHOUTOUTS!

★ TheArt League, with special shoutouts toAlison, Carlos, Kathi, Keeley & Patrick

★ Building Momentum, with special shoutouts toAkshta, Patrick, Charlotte & Julie

★ Canal Park Ice Rink

★ Eleni Piner

★ The Executive Diner

★ The Giving Square

★ HEARD, with a special shoutouts to Ché, Keely & Phallon

★ Maggie Ryan with Alexandria’s Department of Community and Human Services

★ Plant House

★ Sarah Glickstein, SOHO Club Mentor & Interior Designer

★ The Scout GuideAlexandria, Wine Gallery 108 and our raffle prize donors

★ Spring2ACTion, with special thanks toACTforAlexandria and our 170 donors

★ Tickets for Kids

★ Zoha Zafar,Alexandria Mentoring Partnership ExternalAffairs VISTA

SOHO Girls and Mentors – Share your photos and stories to be featured in the next issue of voices of her own magazine.