The Dollhouse Girl’s Club (DHGC) launched as an official nonprofit on January 4th of this year. Founded by Aneisha Julia, the organization aims to serve underserved girls ages 14-22. Their mission is to encourage girls to flourish through Enrichment, Exposure, and Empowerment which ultimately leads to personal and professional advancement.
Since high school, Aneisha has always had a passion for mentoring. Saying, “It started with me volunteering at the community center. I then became a volunteer cheerleading coach, which led to me becoming a big sister. And after college, I got opportunities to serve in a high school. This reconnected me to my original passion of working with young girls.”
Before establishing DHGC as a nonprofit, Aneisha facilitated youth workshops. Some of those workshops included vision boards, sisterhood, self-empowerment, and trunk parties. She says, “I have a workshop called Goals Girls. And we talk about career forecasting and developing SMART goals. Basically helping them look at things that they are interested in and how they can monetize them. I’ve also done a workshop in the past that I really love called Do Not Disturb. That was digging deep into social media and how it affects our young girls. They don’t realize how much of a sponge they are and what they’re soaking up. And those internal reflections can hinder them at times. So we help them do a deep clean of their social media, who they’re interacting with, and who they’re following.” Recently, DHGC held a self-care slumber party. There, attendees learned healthy coping skills and had pandemic check-ins.
One of Aneisha’s greatest impacts has been connecting with young girls. She said, “This allows me to teach without feeling like I’m lecturing.” Adding, “I’ve been mentoring for 11 years, and one thing that makes me happy is when former students thank me. Some are in their 20s and will thank me for those after-school talks. Those moments, slowly, steer a person or allow them to reflect. So when they thank me for caring, that’s the reward. Helping them to get where they are. I remember what those transitions in life felt like. And I wanted to make sure that I could be there to help them and let them know that they’re not alone.” ”
Some of the things that Aneisha is most proud of are taking a chance on herself and incorporating DHGC. “I’ve poured into so many other organizations because I love being around the girls. I love talking to them and hosting events. I didn’t realize what I was capable of doing. And not feeling like I was being selfish for wanting to do this on my own.”
“I felt more optimistic and proud that I’ve taken a chance and incorporating. It was definitely a full-circle moment for me. One of my goals was to incorporate DHGC. Being able to mentor others is definitely a blessing in itself. But it also helps you. The more you help other people, the more it does something to you as a person. So by helping these girls, is helping me grow and evolve in my personal journey.”
One of Aneisha’s long-term goals for DHGC is to host a yearly summit in different states. With the focus being to bring together girls & women from different walks of life. But as for the next year, she plans to focus on recruitment. “I keep seeing the number 25. So I’m sticking to 25 girls, and I want to pour them into them for a year. They’ll go through a curriculum filled with workshops, field trips, and service-learning projects. I want to teach them the pride of being one with your community and giving back.”
For more information on Doll House Girls Club, follow them on Instagram at instagram.com/dollhousegc.
Contributing Writer Racquel Coral is a national lifestyle writer and journalist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Find her on social media @withloveracquel.
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