Expert resources for parents and mentors to help raise young people’s self-esteem
The evidenced-based resources on this site have been specifically designed to encourage young people to develop and maintain a healthy body image during the transition to adulthood.
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In a world that constantly tells young people how they should look and has a narrow definition of “beautiful”, how can we help them value their unique beauty and stay true to themselves?
Working with experts from the fields of psychology, health, and media, the Dove Self-Esteem Project has developed a range of resources – including videos, activities, case studies, and professional advice – to help guide parents and teenagers.
As well as helping you understand how your child is feeling, our materials will help you counter the negative influence of the media and bullying on young people’s body image.
Research shows that spending just 30 minutes engaging with the resources on this site will empower you to boost the self-esteem and mood of the young person you love – and improve your own body image, too. So what are you waiting for?
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Help a young person you know while they learn at home through confidence-boosting mini lessons and self-esteem activities.
Download hereOur Topics
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Family, Friends & Relationships
Articles and activities to help parents communicate with children & offer support with friendship problems, sibling relationships, and body image7 -
Respecting & Looking After Yourself
Articles, activities, and relationship advice for parents to help their teenage child overcome low self-esteem and build body confidence during the stages of puberty6 -
Teasing & Bullying
Information on bullying and different types of bullying, such as bullying in school and cyberbullying, including why bullies bully and how to help stop bullying71 -
Media & Celebrities
Advice for parents on how the media, advertising, and celebrity role models influence young people’s body image and self-confidence.6 -
Talking About Appearance
Discover how appearance affects self-esteem, and help your teenager deal with the effects of social media, peer pressure, media ideals, fat talk, and more71
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(46 articles )
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![Dove Words of encouragement: how you can support your child]()
Life can feel lonely for teenagers. Have you considered writing a message of support to your child about being a teenager? Sharing your own experiences, words of wisdom, and encouragement can help you empathize with them and improve your conversations.
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![Dove What is active listening and how can it help you communicate with your child?]()
parenting
mother-daughter relationships
positive talk
talking topics
emotions and behavior
parent
11 to 16 years
What is active listening and how can it help you communicate with your child?Discover the secrets of active listening, and learn how to talk so teens will listen, to improve communication with your young adult.Communicating with teens about the problems they're facing can be difficult – it’s all too easy to say, “You’ll get over it.” But being dismissive can discourage them from expressing their feelings.
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![Dove A Secret Code For Your Mother-Daughter Relationship]()
parenting
mother-daughter relationships
talking topics
generation gap
body image
looks and appearance
emotions and behavior
health and wellbeing
parent
8 to 14 years
A secret code for your mother-daughter relationshipHow a codeword can improve communication with your teen daughter, helping you offer relationship advice and strengthening your mother-daughter relationship.It can be hard for a teenage girl to talk to her mom—or anyone—about a sensitive issue. A private mother-daughter code may help her talk when she’s feeling awkward or unhappy.
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![Communicating with teens]()
parenting
mother-daughter relationships
positive talk
talking topics
psychology
behavior change
parent
11 to 16 years
The Parent Translator: a tool to tackle communication skillsHow to improve your listening skills and verbal communication to talk effectively to your child & overcome teenage communication problems.Communicating with your child should be easy. But miscommunication is easier. You make a simple comment about what they’re wearing and they storm off, slamming the door. You ask what they had for lunch and they assume it’s an attack about their diet. While you’re just trying to show how much you care about them, their reactions suggest you’re speaking a different language.
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![Dove How to have a great father-daughter relationship]()
You may never have been a girl yourself, but that shouldn’t be a barrier to father-daughter bonding. You want your daughter to grow into a self-confident young woman – and she’s going to need her dad on her side.
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![Dove Differing points of view in your mother-daughter relationship]()
Convincing kids that it’s worth devoting time and effort to schoolwork can be a major source of tension. Here, a mother, Jennifer, and her daughters, Emily and Samantha, give their views on a typical mother-daughter struggle over homework – showing how understanding other people’s points of view in family disputes can reduce anger and upset on all sides.
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![Dove Confident Me at Home]()
Join us to help young people develop positive body confidence while they learn at home using our confidence-boosting mini lessons and self-esteem activities.
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![Uniquely Me resources for parents]()
As a parent, it’s natural to want the best for your child – for them to be happy, healthy and confident individuals.
But that’s sometimes easier said than done, especially during the teen and pre-teen years when their bodies are changing, their self-confidence is fragile and they are trying to make that tricky transition out of childhood.
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![Dove Why is social media important to young people]()
Arguably the biggest difference between our own teenage years and those of our children, social media is here to stay. So how do we help our young people use it in a positive way?
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