Baltimore Womens’s Giving Circle

Young girls become more confident, self reliant and successful in the Kids on the Hill after school mentoring program.

This program has become a real lifeline for many young girls and their mothers.

Creating a Village for Young Girls

Kids on the Hill, housed in a once grand Reservoir Hill townhouse, provides a safe after school haven for children from surrounding neighborhoods — primarily African-American, poor and single parented— who see few opportunities ahead. The Circle’s grant funded a weekly mentoring program for 19 young girls, many of whom also attend monthly group support gatherings and quarterly events and activities for all participants. Although many of the girls participated in other Kids on the Hill creative learning programs, mentoring has proven to be a key factor in fostering confidence, self-reliance, skill building and personal growth, as well as creating a network of community support and resources for the girls and their mothers. Mentoring’s positive results are evident: KOH mentees report feeling more confident and responsible, with higher expectations, a better attitude toward school, improved relationships with family and friends, and a greater ability to resist drugs and alcohol. Participants have formed lasting relationships to help them achieve personal and academic success. This program has become a real lifeline for many young girls and their mothers.

The Circle’s funds also enabled KOH to write a detailed Mentoring Manual, become a collaborating partner with the Maryland Mentoring Partnership (MMP), and develop two workshops, Mentoring in Action, and What They Didn’t Tell You About Mentoring, that were shared with MMP. These efforts will help ensure that this valuable mentoring program continues to flourish.