"The staff is so genuine and supportive. Everybody just wants to know what they can do to help.  Kenadie, God has truly brought the right people to you."
The first phase of the HerShe program includes Camp Cinderella at Pepperdine University and the Cinderella Ball, an event that features foster girls dancing the waltz and being presented to society. The second phase includes a mentor and a year full of life skills training, exciting activities and another public performance. Finally, the third phase includes each young lady’s involvement in the selection and peer-mentoring of the next class of HerShe with an official graduation from the program in June. Our goal is for each young lady to stay involved and committed to HerShe until she has achieved the HerShe Group mission of transitioning successfully into adulthood and achieving the 7 HerSh-E Standards:
 
(1)   Education – obtain at least one level higher than a high school diploma;
(2)   Emotional Competence – remove emotional barriers of anger, resentment, depression and low self-esteem and able to     maintain healthy relationships with peers & adults;
(3)   Exposure – regularly exposes oneself to several activities per month;
(4)   Earning – has the ability to earn a living wage;
(5)   Essentials – can take care of oneself and make adequate choices regarding food, shelter, and healthcare;
(6)   Expression – actively participates in creative projects;
(7)   Etiquette – is able to be socially accepted in a variety of environments.        
 
It is our hope that our young ladies meet these standards by their 21st birthday or sooner. Ideally, they will meet these standards within one year of emancipation from foster care. This timeframe is critical because:
  • 7 out of 10 foster youth become homeless within one year of emancipation
  • 6 out of 10 foster youth become incarcerated within one year of emancipation.
  • Moreover, females are characteristically more wounded, deprived and heavily laden with emotional scars that affect their bodies, behavior and worldview.  Their life experiences can leave them suffering from severe anxiety, depression, health, nutrition and low self-esteem.
 PROGRAM PARTNERS
  • Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS)
  • Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke
  • Los Angeles Links, Inc.
  • Beverly Hills Links, Inc.
  • Los Angeles Urban League
  • YWCA of Greater Los Angeles
  • Beverly Hills Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity

HERSHE UNITS OF SERVICE

Camp Cinderella
Camp Cinderella is more than summer camp. It is a year-round program of extraordinary experiences through the arts, mentorship, exposure and education with a summer camp experience as the focal point. The Camp Cinderella program follows the guidelines for positive youth development by providing a safe environment, caring adults and positive role models, a focused curriculum teaching the skills necessary to cope successfully in adulthood, and challenging activities to build self-esteem and leadership. Areas of training include life skills, personal & social development, self-esteem, forgiveness, etiquette, college & job preparation, health & nutrition, relationships, effective communication, dance, poetry, and self-advocacy.

Mentoring At the completion of the summer phase, all participants become official members of the HerShe Group and are matched with a mentor. Our belief is that a young woman’s mind is like an unexposed roll of film, thus, after some exposure, the mentor's main purpose is to help a young person define the picture they have of themselves, their world and their goals, then develop ways to understand and achieve them. By sharing fun activities and exposing a mentee to new experiences, a mentor encourages positive choices, promotes high self-esteem, supports academic achievement, and introduces her to a new future.

Exposure to Extraordinary Experiences (E3)
HerShe provides opportunities for exposure to extraordinary and normalizing experiences. Foster youth are unable to participate in the normal experiences of teenage life. Many youth have never even had a birthday cake. Hence, the HerShe Group provides regular exposure to extraordinary and normalizing experiences, i.e. plays, sporting events, concerts, museums, bowling, karaoke, horseback riding, pajama parties, visual and performing arts, birthday celebrations, dancing, poetry, movies, television tapings, campfire, yoga, picnics, vacations, and much more!

HerShe Performing Arts
The performing arts inspire and teach important life skills, such as discipline and focus. We provide creative instruction, specializing in dance and poetry. The skills and techniques learned will profit students far beyond their class experience, and transcend into other areas of their lives and ultimately become an outlet for creativity and a vehicle for healing damaged emotions.