Girls learn self-esteem
Published 10:38 pm Thursday, December 10, 2015
Love yourself.
Write yourself a positive note to start out every morning.
Those were just some of the tips that Joan Turner, community outreach attorney for the Suffolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, shared with a group of girls at the Suffolk unit of the Boys and Girls Club Wednesday.
Turner was one of four facilitators who participated in the organization’s third annual Dove Self-Esteem Project, a program that aims to teach girls positive self-esteem and how images of women in media can impact their feelings about themselves.
More than 75 girls participated in the event, which was funded through a $5,000 grant from Dove. Unilever, the parent company of Lipton Tea, also owns Dove soap. A group of girls from the Portsmouth unit of the Boys and Girls Club also attended.
With most wearing pink, girls started off the night with a pep rally filled with laughing, cheering and music.
The girls split into age groups, with facilitators leading conversations that focused on the importance of strong role models, the role the media — and social media — play in self-esteem, and positive things girls can do to develop their self-esteem.
“Every day, say, ‘I’m beautiful,’” Turner said. “Don’t let videos and Facebook postings influence or discourage you.”
Turner asked each of the girls to name the woman in their life who is their most important role model. The girls’ most common answers were mothers, grandmothers, aunts and pastors.
She asked the girls to describe themselves in one word. The responses?
“Beautiful. Confident. Kind. Responsible. Childish. Crazy.”
Brielle Little, a 12-year-old John F. Kennedy Middle School student, said she appreciates events like the Dove seminar.
“When I have low self-esteem, this lifts it up,” she said.
Organizer Kecia Taliaferro said the program was a success. Based on input from girls, one of the most important takeaways was the discussion about the importance of picking friends around whom they feel comfortable.
The Boys and Girls Club will likely replicate the program later this year, Taliaferro said. Studies show that girls with high self-esteem and positive self-images are 73 percent less like to fall victim to abuse, she said.
“We see a lot of at-risk children here, and we want to break this cycle,” she said. “We want these girls to realize their own dreams.”