Calling All Mentors:
She doesn't need a teacher.
She needs someone like you.
MakeHerSpace is pairing 40 young women in Central Illinois with female professionals for six months of 1:1 mentoring, hands-on STEM workshops, and real talk about what's possible.
Apply to Be a MentorTakes less than 10 minutes • Impact lasts a lifetime
What is MakeHerSpace?
MakeHerSpace is a six-month mentoring and makerspace program created by Distillery Labs — Central Illinois' first innovation hub — to connect young women in grades 6–12 with women who work in STEM, entrepreneurship, and creative industries.
Each participant gets her own dedicated mentor. Not a group leader. Not a rotating volunteer. Her mentor. Someone who shows up twice a month, shares her own story, and helps a young woman figure out what she's interested in, what she's capable of, and what comes next.
Alongside the mentoring track, participants opt into hands-on workshops across four categories — programming and robotics, science and healthcare, engineering, and arts and design — led by community partners.
The program is fully scholarshipped for all participants through Distillery Labs and the generosity of our partners.. There is no cost to families. Our Cohort 1 launches in April 2026 with roughly 40 girls from five Central Illinois school districts.
The program runs April through October and wraps with a community showcase where participants present what they learned, what surprised them, and where they're headed. Mentors who came in as volunteers tend to leave as advocates.
Why You Should Mentor
Let's be direct: we're not asking you to save anyone. We're asking you to share your story with a girl who can't yet see herself in the career you already have. That's it. That's the whole job.
- 🪞The girl you were at 13 — uncertain, curious, maybe a little lost — she's out here right now. She just needs someone to say "me too, and here's what I did about it."
- 🧠Research consistently shows that mentors benefit as much as mentees. Professionals who mentor report higher job satisfaction, stronger career confidence, and deeper commitment to their own work.
- 🤝You'll join a community of women across Greater Peoria (and beyond) — all choosing to show up for the next generation.
- 🔥You're not teaching curriculum. You're having real conversations over pizza about what you do, why you do it, and how you got here. We give you conversation guides. You bring the honesty.
- 📬And we'll be honest — there is nothing quite like the moment a 14-year-old tells you she wants to study engineering because of something you said in passing three months ago that you barely remember saying.
"Every girl gets her own mentor" — that's the promise we're making to these students and their families. We can only keep it if women like you raise their hands.
The Research Is Clear
Mentoring isn't a feel-good add-on. It's one of the most evidence-backed interventions for keeping girls in STEM — and the window is smaller than you think.
Here's what it comes down to: girls don't leave STEM because they can't do the work. They leave because they can't see themselves in it.
The research is consistent — across Microsoft's 11,500-student European survey, the National Science Foundation's longitudinal tracking, and Junior Achievement's annual polling — the single most effective intervention for keeping girls engaged in science, technology, engineering, and math is exposure to a real woman who actually works in those fields.
Not a poster on a wall. Not a textbook sidebar. A real person who answers the question a 14-year-old girl is too afraid to ask out loud: "Is there actually someone like me doing this?"
That's what MakeHerSpace is built around. The mentoring model — 1:1, relationship-based, sustained over six months — is designed to match the approach that the evidence says actually works: consistent, personal connection with a near-peer role model who makes STEM feel like a real option, not a hypothetical one.
What We'll Ask of You
We kept the commitment intentional but realistic. You have a career. You have a life. We respect both.
📅 Twice a Month
Meet with your mentee ~2x per month for six months. That's roughly 12 sessions, 90–120 minutes each. In person, virtual, or a mix.
📝 Quick Check-Ins
Complete a brief post-session survey after each meeting. It takes about 3 minutes and helps us make sure things are going well.
🎉 Two Events
Attend the Kick-Off Night (April) and the Celebration Night (October). One to start strong. One to finish proud.
✅ Background Check
Provided at no cost. We'll walk you through the process during onboarding.
💬 Mentor Community
Join our Slack workspace to connect with fellow mentors, share wins, and get support when you need it.
🗂️ One Onboarding Session
A single session before launch covers everything: expectations, conversation guides, communication policies, and your notecard kit.
A Mentor IS
- ✦A big sister. Someone who shows up and listens.
- ✦A sounding board for ideas, fears, and dreams.
- ✦A storyteller who shares the real version — wins and stumbles.
- ✦A connector to people, resources, and possibilities.
A Mentor is NOT
- —A teacher. No lessons. No grading. No curriculum.
- —A therapist. You'll have a clear escalation path if something comes up.
- —A parent. Boundaries matter, and we train on them.
- —Alone. You'll have a full community of mentors behind you.
Ready? She's waiting.
The application takes less than 10 minutes. We'll follow up with an informational session where you can ask every question you have before you commit.
Apply to Be a Mentor →Questions? Reach out to jeffrey@distillerylabs.org