Meet Distillery Labs’ Brand New Program
Applications are now being accepted for the FIRST cohort of MakeHERSpace! Apply or nominate a student today:
If you are a working professional in Greater Peoria in any field, we’d love your support with makeHERspace!
You don’t need to be a STEAM professional, just a woman who wants to help a girl in 6th - 12th grade build confidence, embrace curiosity, and explore the career pathways that exist right here in Greater Peoria.
Your future in STEAM
starts right here.
MakeHerSpace is a fully funded, six-month mentoring and makerspace program for young women in grades 6–12. Hands-on workshops. Your own mentor. 25+ careers to explore — all right here in Greater Peoria.
No cost to families · 40 spots available · May–November 2026
Apply for Your Daughter
Girls in grades 6–12 from Central Illinois school districts are invited to apply. The program is fully funded — there is no cost to families. Cohort 1 launches May 2026.
Student Application →Become an Anchor Mentor
You don't need to be a teacher. You need to be real. Apply to be matched 1:1 with a girl in grades 6–12 for a six-month mentoring relationship built around your story.
Mentor Application →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 choose from 15 hands-on STEAM workshops and a three-day entrepreneurial bootcamp — all held at Distillery Labs and led by professionals who work in these fields right here in Greater Peoria.
Cohort 1 is fully funded for all 40 participants through Distillery Labs and through the generous support of the Peoria Women's Fund via the Community Foundation of Central Illinois. There is no cost to families.
The program runs May through November and wraps with a community showcase where participants present what they learned, what surprised them, and where they're headed.
The Student Experience
Here's what every participant in Cohort 1 gets — all at no cost. This isn't a class. It's a launchpad.
2× Monthly Mentor Meetups
Meet with your personal Anchor Mentor twice a month — online or in person at Distillery Labs. Real conversations, real guidance, on your schedule.
2× Monthly STEAM Workshops
Choose from 15 hands-on workshops across engineering, healthcare, design, agriculture, tech, and more. Each session runs 3–4 hours at Distillery Labs.
3-Day Entrepreneurial Bootcamp
A July intensive where you'll learn the foundations of entrepreneurial thinking and get the chance to start your own business — for real.
12 Mentor Cards
Conversation prompt cards designed to guide your mentor sessions and give you extra resources to go deeper on topics that interest you.
Professional Networking
Connect with working professionals across Greater Peoria — from engineers and nurses to graphic designers and farmers. Your network starts now.
25+ STEAM Career Simulations
Hands-on experience in real careers that exist right here in Greater Peoria. Not just theory — you'll do the work and see what it actually feels like.
15 STEAM Workshops. You Choose.
Every workshop is led by professionals who actually do this work in Greater Peoria. Pick what excites you — there's no wrong answer.
Three Days That Could Change Everything
In July, every Cohort 1 participant is invited to a three-day entrepreneurial bootcamp at Distillery Labs. This isn't a lecture series — it's a hands-on sprint where you'll build the foundation of entrepreneurial thinking that will bolster your career at every step, whether you start a business or not.
Some of you will walk out with a business idea. Some of you will walk out with a business.
- Ideation & validation — learn how to spot real problems and test whether your solution works.
- Business model basics — how money works, who pays, and how to think about building something sustainable.
- Pitch & present — find your voice, tell your story, and make your case to real people.
- Launch opportunity — students who want to keep going get support to actually start their business.
Cohort 1 is fully funded. Every workshop, every mentor session, the bootcamp, the showcase — all provided at no cost to families. This program is made possible by Distillery Labs and through the generous support of the Peoria Women's Fund via the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.
For Professionals: Become a Mentor
Everything above is what she'll experience. Below is how you make it happen.
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.
- 01 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."
- 02 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.
- 03 You'll join a community of women across Greater Peoria — all choosing to show up for the next generation. Slack workspace. Mentor mixers. You won't be doing this alone.
- 04 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.
- 05 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 STEM 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. About 3 minutes. It helps us make sure things are going well on both sides.
Two Events
Attend the Kick-Off Night (May) and Celebration Night (November). One to start strong. One to finish proud.
Background Check
Provided at no cost to you. We walk you through the process during onboarding — it's straightforward.
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 resource 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 mentor community 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 before you commit.
Questions? Reach out to jeffrey@distillerylabs.org