Love yourself CHALLENGE Body Image and Self-Esteem Activities PATHFINDERS
Activities for Pathfinders The GGC/NEDIC Love Yourself Challenge is designed to facilitate critical discussions and skill-building activities on the topics of body norms, the social/cultural pressures in North American society that influence our perceptions of our bodies, and self-esteem. This document includes numerous activities which explore aspects of body image, selfesteem and health and nutrition. Each is adaptable through the use of appropriate props and language. You can modify or adjust the activities to suit your Unit s needs, size and abilities. It is strongly recommended that Guiders review the document Backgrounder on body image and self-esteem for Pathfinder Guiders before beginning the activities with the girls. To complete NEDIC Challenge, Pathfinders and their Guiders should work together to choose and complete one activity from each section: Body image Self-esteem Health and nutrition A number of activities which explore aspects of body image and self concept follow. As the unit plans the meeting, review the activities listed below and decide which ones are suitable and of most interest. Then, mix and match different activities to create your Unit meeting. Don t forget to look closely at the program book you may have achieved more than expected! Once you have completed the challenge you can buy the Challenge crest at your Guiding store or online and present it to the Pathfinders. 2 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
Body image activities 1. Celebrate and spread the word!: to engage in an event that connects you to your community and allows you to share your thoughts and ideas with others. Decide which of the following events your Unit would like to participate in. More information can be found at www.nedic.ca o International No Dieting Day (May 6). Each year, this day is used to challenge unfounded beliefs around food and weight issues, and to encourage healthy lifestyles for individuals, regardless of their size and weight. o Eating Disorders Awareness Week (first full week in February). Celebrating Our Natural Sizes! is the official slogan of Eating Disorders Awareness Week in Canada. Each year, this week encourages individuals to celebrate the natural diversity of our bodies. Through a series of community events and outreach activities, individuals are encouraged to accept their bodies, to move beyond a focus on appearance and to concentrate on putting effort into more empowering, enjoyable activities. Once you have decided which event to take part in, share your opinions with the media. For example: o Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine, telling them what you think of their advertisements, articles, stories, etc. o Prepare flyers about promoting a healthy body image and self-esteem to send to local community centres and/or women s shelters. o Create an information booth about food and weight preoccupation that covers topics such as cultural pressures to be thin, healthy lifestyles and the dangers of dieting. 2. Dove Evolution Film: to prompt discussions about perceptions of beauty and the influence of the media on our self body image. A computer to watch the film on. This film can be downloaded onto your computer if you don t have Internet access at your meeting site. The Guiders should view the Dove Evolution film before the meeting: http:// www.dove.ca/en/tips-topics-and-tools/ Videos/Evolution.aspx This film is only about one minute in length. 3 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
Write down a list of questions you could ask the Pathfinders before and after watching the film. Some examples are: What do you notice about the girls and women you see on TV? Do you want to look like them? What does beautiful mean? Is our thought of what is beautiful even possible in the real world? Do you think you are beautiful? Teacher tools, including questions to ask are available online at: http://www.dove.ca/en/social-mission/self-esteem-resources/default.aspx. Talk to the girls about beauty what they think it is, what it means to be beautiful, who tells us what beauty is. Ask them some of the questions you thought up while previewing the film. Watch the film. Let the girls talk about what they have just seen and how it makes them feel. They may want to watch the film a couple of times to really understand it. 3. Fat and thin exercise: to explore what assumptions we have about fat and thin people based on the messages we receive from society. Flip chart paper Markers Images of fat and thin people from magazines and newspapers (optional) Post-it notes and pens (optional) Post one piece of flip chart paper on the wall with the word FAT on the top and one piece of chart paper with the word THIN on the top. Explain to all the Pathfinders that for this exercise, you want them to put away their own thoughts and beliefs and think about how the world thinks about the words FAT and THIN. They may need some help understanding what this means. Explain that our society gives us messages in many ways from TV, movies and advertising, but also from the messages that friends and family give us. Ask the Pathfinders to call out, without censoring themselves, the adjectives (descriptive words) that come to mind when they think of the words FAT and THIN. If you believe that the girls might be too influenced by their peers, you can give each Pathfinder a pen and some post it notes so she can write her own thoughts down without censorship. More than likely, the words on the FAT page will be negative words like lazy, unhealthy, unhappy, unpopular, stupid, sad, etc., and the words on the THIN page will be positive words like popular, beautiful, in control, wealthy, glamorous, sexy, etc. 4 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
Draw the Pathfinders attention to the fact that you have opposites in the two lists. Ask the girls if these assumptions are true. Lead a discussion on how negative perceptions lead to prejudice and can in fact create ill health, both physical and mental. Emphasize the value of all people, regardless of physical appearance. 4. Graffiti wall: to explore societal norms regarding body image. Sheets of flip chart paper, taped to the wall Markers (make sure they won t bleed through the paper to the wall) Magazines Scissors Glue sticks Stickers and other items Pathfinders can use to express themselves visually Tape the flip chart paper onto the wall. If this isn t possible, put it on the floor or even over a desk. Write Body Image in large letters in the centre of the paper. Put out the markers, magazines, scissors, glue sticks, etc. If you have a particularly large group, you may want to make multiple pages available and divide the group. Have a short discussion about what messages girls get about body image and where they get those messages from (TV, movies, advertising, magazines, family, friends, school, jobs, etc.) Tell the girls that you want them to put aside their own beliefs and consider instead what society s views are. Telling them not to censor or judge their responses, ask them to create a graffiti page naming the messages that they get as girls about how they are supposed to look and behave. After about 10 minutes, get the girls to step away from their graffiti page. If there is more than one, ask them to walk over and in silence look at the other pages before returning to their own page. If there is only one page/group, get the girls to walk around the room in silence and then to return in silence to their graffiti page. The purpose of this is to allow some contemplative time before asking them to help debrief the messages that they are getting about what a real girl is. Have a discussion with the girls about the different messages that they get about being a girl/woman in Canadian society. Issues that may arise include: o Sub-cultural messages that reinforce or undermine the larger societal messages o Contradictory messages about being smart and strong but weaker and more vulnerable than boys o The unrealistic and unattainable beauty ideal and how parts of the ideal change with the fashions, e.g. big breasts with one type of dress and small with another o How certain types of bodies, including those that are of aver- 5 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
age or larger size, racialised (with a race or racial interpretation imposed on them) or with disabilities or differences are excluded from the images we see of what is desirable or acceptable Following the discussion of what society expects of girls, you may want to ask the girls for ideas of how to counter these messages with ones that are more realistic and strengthen self concept and body image. 5. Body pride pledge: To explore how Pathfinders would like to be seen by themselves and by others and to create tools for how to treat themselves and others with respect. Flip chart paper and markers Paper and pens/pencils for all Pathfinders Examples such as the GGC Code of Conduct or any agreement that the Unit might have created on its own Have a discussion with the Unit about how they would like to see others and themselves treated with regard to respect for their selves and their bodies. Use examples to highlight how we expect certain behaviours from each other in the group already The discussion should lead to ideas on how we can all build and maintain a positive body image. Take notes on the flip chart paper so that the Pathfinders will have something to refer to later. If necessary, break the Unit up into smaller groups (about four or five in each group) and give each group flip chart paper and markers. In the smaller groups, Pathfinders can create a body pride pledge which illustrates positive behaviours and attitudes towards your own body and that of others. They can then take their pledge home and post it on the bathroom mirror or their closet as a reminder of how they should behave to treat themselves and others with respect. 6 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
Self-esteem activities 1. I think you re beautiful: to encourage Pathfinders to rethink beauty. Blank business cards Markers and pencil crayons Talk to the Pathfinders about the fact that 92 per cent of girls aged 15-17 say they want to change some aspect of their physical appearance. And only 2 per cent of women in the world describe themselves as beautiful. ( Beyond Stereotypes, Global study commissioned by Dove of 3,000 women and girls) Ask them why they think so many girls and women might think this way and what can be done to change this thinking. Give the girls blank business cards and ask them to write I think you re beautiful on each card and to decorate their cards. Once Pathfinders have created their cards, they can distribute them to the girls and women in their lives. 2. Line on the floor: to examine the impact of prejudice or teasing in a safe, non-judgmental environment. 7 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
Tape or rope you can put across the floor to create the line on the floor For more on this exercise, see the original source at www.operationrespect.org/index2.php. NOTE: As with all exercises in which individuals expose their feelings and deeply held beliefs, it is important to be vigilant and to watch for any girl who is showing signs of distress. Guiders must be sensitive in their debriefing of all activities. Ask the girls to stand on one side of the line that is on the floor. Explain to the Pathfinders that this activity will be completed in silence. This is to ensure that everyone stays comfortable throughout the activity. Tell the girls that you are going to call out a group, and if they belong to that group, either now or in the past, they should cross the line and turn around to face the line again. Be sure to explain that if they don t feel comfortable crossing the line, even though they are part of that group, it is okay to stay right where they are. They can take the time to note how they feel at that time. NOTE: To remove any feelings of being singled out, girls can stay where they are instead of moving back to the starting side of the line. Girls will move from side to side, but no one will be alone on one side of the line, even if only one girls moves. The statements below are examples. Use what you feel is appropriate for your Unit. Start the activity by saying, Now, cross the line in silence if: o you have ever been teased or called an inappropriate name or been made fun of o you have ever been judged, put down or teased about your accent or your voice o you have been told that you couldn t sing o you, a family member or friend has a disability that you can see o you, a family members or a friend has a disability that you can t see o you have ever seen someone else being teased or called a slur or made fun of o you ve ever been called a name, put down, made fun of, whistled at, harassed or told that you couldn t do something you wanted just because you are a girl o you ve ever been picked last in games or sports or felt left out or excluded from an activity altogether o you or someone you care about has ever been judged, put down, teased, harassed or discriminated against because of the colour of your skin o you or someone you care about has ever been judged, put down, teased, harassed or discriminated against because of the shape of your eyes or the texture of your hair o you or someone you care about has ever been judged, put down, teased, harassed or discriminated against because of your sexual orientation or believed sexual orientation whether it is true or not o you or someone you care about has ever been teased or made fun of for wearing glasses, braces or a hearing aid o you or someone you care about has ever been teased or made fun of for the clothes that you or they wear o you or someone you care about has ever been teased or made fun of be- 8 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
cause of your height o you or someone you care about has ever been teased or made fun of because of the size or shape of your body o someone s ever been mean to you and you ve been reluctant or too afraid to say anything about it o you ve ever stood by and watched while someone was hurt or bullied and said nothing or did nothing because you were too uncomfortable or afraid to say something When you have finished with all the statements you want to use, be sure to debrief this exercise. Explore how the girls felt about their experience. Here are some examples of questions to ask: o What are some of the feelings that came up for you in this activity? o What was the hardest part for you? o What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about others? o What do you want to remember about what we ve just experienced? o What, if anything, do you want to tell others about this experience? This is a difficult exercise, so be sure you leave girls with a positive message. Explain to them that when they crossed the line, they were acknowledging a wrong that had been done. Our differences don t cause us to hurt one another the differences are used to justify already existing power imbalances or to attempt to create or solidify power over that group. Because it happened to you, it didn t make you any less deserving of respect or caring. Relate this to body-based harassment and end with generating some strategies to feel better about oneself. 3. Stop the put downs: to learn about put-downs, what they are, how they affect people and how we can all behave in a healthier and more positive way. Props for role playing Ask the girls to tell you what a put down is and how they are used. (NOTE: A put down is a negative comment intended to make the speaker feel more powerful than the person who is being put down.) You might want to use some of the following questions to get Pathfinders thinking about put downs: o What is a put down? o How are put downs described in your family/peer group/class, etc. (e.g. a tease; bully-words; criticism; insult ) o Put up your hand if you ve ever been put down o Put up your hand if you ve ever put someone else down o What are different kinds of put downs, e.g. based on looks, mannerisms, etc. o Can you describe a time when you were put down? o How did/do you feel when you are put down? o How does it make you feel when you put someone else down? Be prepared to hear that it makes the perpetrator feel good; discuss why we might put others down to feel powerful; important; included; because she was mean to me etc. o How can we help ourselves feel these things without doing the put down? (collaborate, compliment, help all these enable us to feel virtuous or valued). 9 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
o Why might we ignore it when we see/hear other people being put down? o What can you do if someone puts you down? What can you do if someone puts someone else down? o If you put someone else down, what can you do afterwards? Ask patrols to create a role-play or skit showing someone being put down. Make sure that the skit shows how this impacts her and how the perpetrators, bystanders or the person being put down can stop the put down and behave in a healthier way. Tell the actors that they must embody the feelings of each character they should exaggerate the body gestures or expressions that show feelings. Let them perform the put down and then debrief and discuss the skit. Together the Unit can talk about how the put downs make them feel and what ways they can deal with put downs. 4. Create a journal about personal strengths: to give Pathfinders the chance to highlight the things they are good at. A journal for each Pathfinder Markers and pencil crayons Magazines Scissors Glue Stickers and other decorations Brainstorm the different activities, qualities, skills and abilities of all the girls in the Unit. Some of the personal strengths could be things like being a good friend, being a great soccer player, making people laugh, etc. Give the girls time alone to reflect on their skills and, using the journal, create pages that highlight the things they are good at. For instance, they may put an illustration or photo of themselves on one page and on the others write or draw examples of the things they do well and/or the characteristics about themselves that make them great. A great addition to this activity is to have girls leave positive messages on the pages of each other s journals. (They should be sure to write their name on the journal so people know whose journal they are writing in.) You might want to take a few minutes to brainstorm positive messages they can leave for each other. Girls can take their journal home and continue to add to it with items from home. 5. Mirror, mirror on the wall: to use the method of a daily affirmation to increase self-confidence. A hand-held mirror Sit in a circle. Pass the mirror around the circle. As each girl holds the mirror, she should look in the 10 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities
mirror and say, I am beautiful. This may be difficult at first girls might not be able to say it out loud, or they might laugh and giggle while they say it. Once the mirror has been around the circle, talk about self-affirmation (reminding yourself to stay positive and focused on what is good about yourself and your life) and talk about how it can help self-esteem. Throughout the meeting, between activities or when a break is needed, pass the mirror around again. It will get easier and easier for the girls to say, I am beautiful as the meeting progresses. Encourage all the girls to say this to themselves every day at home, before going to school or before bed, look in the mirror and say, I am beautiful. Developed by the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is a proud sponsor of NEDIC 11 Pathfinders Body Image & Self-Esteem Activities