Boost body confidence with the Dove Self-Esteem Project

5

min read

Since 2004, we’ve helped more than 20 million young people globally, and 2 million in the UK, to overcome appearance related pressures and body image issues. In doing so, we've raised their self-esteem and encouraged them to realise their potential. With your help, we can reach millions more.

The fight against low self-esteem starts here

Everyone can get involved with the Dove Self-Esteem Project: parents, teachers, youth leaders and young people themselves. From simply becoming more aware of the day-to-day realities of being a girl, to leading self-esteem workshops, there's something everybody can do. Even starting a conversation about body confidence with a young person could make all the difference. 

So how will you help?

For mums and dads: online articles and activities

Tackling body confidence can be hard, but taking part in the Dove Self-Esteem Project is easy. Here are five simple steps to make a big difference to your child's confidence and self-esteem:

• Visit our parents’ hub page and explore the topics and body image articles that interest you and are relevant to your family. They're written and endorsed by experts and champions of body confidence.
• Use the action checklists at the end of the articles to guide conversations with your child, and find self-esteem activities to support them.
• Make the most of our parents' download, which contains some of the best articles from the site, and is full of action steps and activities to try.
• Take a look at our Mindful Me Activity Guide for Girls (PDF) (13.7MB) – a mindful approach to boosting self-esteem and body confidence.
• Share your experiences and ideas – we know we don't have all the answers, so we've made it easy to add comments and have conversations on the site. Let other parents know if you've experienced an issue raised, rate an article you've found interesting or share an approach that worked for you.

For teachers: downloadable resources and activities 

Our free teachers' resources are ideal for use in Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. They include a series of five 45-minute workshops, exploring key factors that influence body confidence and self-esteem in young people, as well as a single session that abbreviates the series, and addresses some of its most important concepts. For more information and to download the materials, visit our teaching resources page.

We also offer schools a free teacher-training session or workshop to explore body confidence and self-esteem. If you'd like to register for either, just follow the link and we'll get in touch.

For mentors and youth leaders: downloadable resources and activities

Our free activity guide will help you run a session about body confidence with your youth group. Download this guide to boosting self-esteem and body image.

If you’re a leader of a Brownie or Girl Guiding group then you’ll be excited to hear we've partnered with the World Association of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts to co-create a body confidence badge programme called ‘Free Being Me’. Find out more on the Free Being Me🔗 website.

If you mentor a young person one-to-one and are interested in mindfulness for teens, you might like to try our Mindful Me Activity Guide for Girls (PDF) (13.7MB) – a one-on-one activity guide to help girls aged 11-14 be more mindful and build their self-belief as they mature in body, mind and spirit.

Finally, if you have any questions about young people's body confidence and self-esteem, look for the answers in our frequently asked questions.