Education Section: Part 6
Resources and lesson plans for secondary schools
Supporting secondary schools and youth groups
Bodywhys believes that teachers and youth workers are often the best placed to help detect, prevent and support young people affected by eating disorders. Teachers can effectively promote balanced guidelines in relation to food and exercise and promote positive body image within the school setting. Teachers can also work with school pastoral care teams and management staff to remove barriers which may prevent a student with body image issues or an eating disorder from reaching their full potential.
What can Bodywhys offer schools?
Staff training
Bodywhys training for school staff will provide teachers and youth workers with an understanding of eating disorders and body image issues to support them in early recognition of an eating disorder or body image concerns in a student and the correct pathways to follow should a concern arise. Early intervention and treatment of an eating disorder can greatly increase the likelihood of a successful recovery and the long term well-being of the person affected.
Talks and workshops
Bodywhys provide talks and workshops for students in secondary school to promote awareness of eating disorders and to promote positive body image and media literacy. Bodywhys can tailor these information talks to suit any year group and can also provide workshops to students in smaller groups. The content of our ‘Be Body Positive’ talks and workshops can be discussed and prearranged with teachers depending on the needs of the year or class group. Teachers and youth workers are encouraged to highlight any relevant issues to the Bodywhys Schools Team so that these can be addressed and/or suitable information and support options discussed in relation to the particular concerns.
Project ideas and workshops with project groups
Body image, media literacy and eating disorders are popular topic choices for students who are interested in participating in the Young Social Innovators programme, in the Transition Year Annual Show or as part of mental health awareness during Cycle Against Suicide or other mental health promotion events. Leaving Cert Applied students who are interested in promoting awareness of these areas as part of a social issues module may also be interested in a talk or workshop. Bodywhys input to the relevant project group can acknowledge and support their interest in promoting awareness of these important issues.
Bodywhys resources and lesson plans
Bodywhys are currently reviewing and updating our online resources. To register your interest in receiving information on our updated resources when they become available please click here.
Pilot testing the #MoreThanASelfie programme
The #MoreThanASelfie programme was piloted in 2018 in three participating schools which were selected based on location, gender and school type. The pilot phase included one co-educational school, one female only secondary school and one all male secondary school. The programme was delivered to participating first year students in each school.
This pilot phase of the research was carried out in collaboration with the Centre for Mental Health and Community Research in Maynooth University and all materials used were rigorously reviewed and approved by the Social Research Ethics Committee at Maynooth University.
The results from the pilot phase are a positive endorsement of the programme. The participant evaluation forms clearly indicate student enjoyment of the programme. The vast majority of participants indicated that the lessons were good for their class (91.4%) and that they would like a younger sibling or friend to receive these lessons (87.9%).
The results also indicate some positive changes in relation to body image and attitudes to appearance in students who received the programme, lessening the impact of the muscular ideal for males and a lessening of perceived appearance-related pressure for females. Some positive changes were also noted in relation to social media behaviours.
Bodywhys are currently reviewing and updating our online resources. To register your interest in receiving information on our updated resources when they become available please click here.
