Girls Rising Mentor Program

Girls Rising was originally part of The Big Sister League of San Diego, a local non-profit agency providing housing programs for women with mental illness.  The agency started the Big and Little Sister mentor program in 1978, after receiving feedback from their housing residents that a consistent, caring person would have made a difference in their lives when they were younger.  The mentor program has been serving girls in historically underserved communities of San Diego County since this time and in 2012, became its own autonomous 501(C)3 agency in order to have an increased focus on the need of the youth population.  

Girls Rising Mentor Program is a female focused mentorship program serving girls ages 8-17 from San Diego communities that are historically underserved.  

Our Little Sisters are matched with a Big Sister who has undergone an application, background, and training process to become a positive and consistent role model in their Little Sisters lives.  

Big Sisters commit to a minimum of a year in their volunteer role and are asked to meet with their Little Sisters a minimum of 2-4 times per month.  In addition to monthly outings, Girls Rising provides 6-8 events per year that are centered around character building, identity building, and social skill-building activities.  Our annual events focus on three initiatives; health and wellness, STEM, and arts and music.