SHINE Mentorship

SHINE Mentorship exists to strengthen girls’ sense of self, healthy relationships, goal setting, and knowledge in order to build pathways to thriving lives! We foster life-long empowerment, confidence, and leadership with girls ages 9-15. The girls we serve are impacted by systems such as child welfare and have experienced familial hardship or instability. 

SHINE is a prevention-focused mentorship program aimed at building up young girls in order to prevent them from ever experiencing exploitation or trafficking. We take a holistic approach that provides relationship-centered activities, practical knowledge and skills, and space for girls to reflect on who they are and who they want to become.

Mentorship time includes doing fun activities, going on outings, and learning together through the SHINE Curriculum! The curriculum has 5 learning areas:

Skill Strengthening

  • Girls learn and practice tangible skills that are important in their current life stage, high school, and beyond. 

Hopeful Future

  • Girls discuss their hopes for their lives, set goals for their future, and develop their leadership attributes. 

Imagine Me

  • Girls reflect on their culture and background, strengths and areas of growth, spirituality or faith, and difficulties they’ve overcome to set a strong foundation of identity that will prepare them for life.

Navigating Relationships

  • Girls learn about and discuss healthy or unsafe aspects of relationships, ways of relating in friendships and romantic relationships, and the importance of the relationship with oneself. 

Education

  • Girls are educated about trafficking, exploitative relationships, and how to keep themselves safe in relationships and online.

Get Involved: 

Sign Up to be a Mentor

If you are interested in making a life-long impact and being a supportive connection in a young person’s life, this is for you!  

Mentors are required to apply, interview, and go through our SHINE Mentor Training prior to starting mentorship. The training will prepare mentors with information on our philosophy of mentorship and on how to facilitate the curriculum with a mentee. We have a thorough Mentor Guidebook that walks a mentor through every step of the curriculum. Our mentors are prepared and supported every step of the way!

Mentors meet with a mentee 2 times a month and commit to a year of mentoring. 

Mentors meet with the Director of SHINE for a once monthly call and as needed to check in on how mentorship is going. Mentors also meet as a group with the Director of SHINE periodically for a time of community and peer support. 

If you would like more information about applying to become a mentor, please contact Lauren Butts, the Director of SHINE, at lauren@becausejusticematters.org

Details to Know for 2024:

  • We are only accepting 6 mentors in 2024!

  • SHINE Mentor Training will take place in Spring 2024, date TBA.

Financially Sponsor A Young Girl’s Year of Mentorship

You can financially sponsor a young girl’s year of mentorship with a $500 donation to Because Justice Matters. This donation provides the SHINE Curriculum, fun outings, mentorship activities, food and drinks for mentorship moments, birthday and holiday gifts, the Welcome Backpack, excellent survivor-created trafficking prevention curriculum from Cool Aunt Rachel, and gift card rewards for completing curriculum lessons. You are investing in a truly impactful year of a young girl’s life!