We believe every young person should grow up feeling confident about their looks. That’s why we’ve developed Confident Me, a set of evidence-based resources for teachers and schools aimed at 11-14 year olds.
Aligned to promote adolescent body confidence, the free downloadable tools are designed to allow teachers and schools to run body-confidence workshops. The workshops allow teachers and pupils to explore the impact that image ideals portrayed through the media have on young people's self-esteem.
Low body confidence and self-esteem affect young people's learning. Anxiety about appearance has been linked to poorer concentration and less engagement in class, resulting in worse academic performance. Globally, 8 out of 10 girls admit to opting out of important everyday activities, such as engaging with friends or loved ones, because of concern about their looks.
There are single- and five-session tools designed to adapt to your time frame. Both tools have been proven to make a positive impact on improving body confidence. The workshops explore how society, professional and social media promote an unrealistic 'ideal' body, and learn strategies to protect and build self-confidence in themselves and others.
References:
The Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report, 2016 (PDF)(1MB)
Reframing Beauty – Unlocking the Potential of Young Girls. Commissioned by Dove, 2014
Our Confident Me body-confidence teaching materials explore influences on young people's body image and self-esteem.
Teacher resources for our single session Dove Confident Me programme – all you need to run a one-off body-confidence workshop.