How to work on boosting teenagers self esteem?

Question

I am developing a youth programme relating to helping build young girls self esteem from about the age of 13-16 years old. What activities could I incorporate in the sessions to work on this issue? All advice welcome :) I was thinking about some stuff like cooking and image but some other ideas would be useful

Answer 1

Don't stick to girly stuff like cooking and sewing. I'm sure these girls have had that crammed down their throats all their lives!  The trick is to challenge them to do things they've never done before. When they realize that they can rise to the challenge and solve the puzzle, they'll get a huge self-esteem boost.

Look around online for the programs run professionally. There are tons of them out there, and they should give you some great ideas of things to do with the girls.

I went to one when I was about 11, with my 5th grade class. Some of the activities really stuck out in my mind. If you have a spot outdoors that you can use, you may be able to replicate them! The first was simple. Two 6 inch x 6 foot long boards were placed on the ground, about ten feet apart. In the middle of the two boards was a rope hanging from a tree branch. The kids were lined up on one board, squished together so we had very little space. The challenge was to get from one board to the other without touching the ground at any point. If anyone touched the ground, everyone started over. It was up to us to solve it. It catered to everyone in the group! The smart kids solved how to reach the rope in the first place. (swing a sweatshirt and hook it around the rope). The athletic kids were the first to swing over. The smaller kids were the next to go, because they were the easiest for the athletic kids to catch when they got to the other side. The middle-of-the-road kids were the last to go, and had to find the strength to swing themselves over, as well as the trust for the others that they'd be caught when they got there. It was a challenge that needed the strengths of every person to make it work!

Another one that I really liked was the catapult contest. I was actually a councelor at a camp that did this with the kids- and they loved it!  All the kids got a basic intro on how catapults worked, and the theory behind them. They then got the basic materials (or had to go out into the woods and find their own, under the eye of a counselor), and they had to design and built it themselves. The smart kids understood the theory and could help with the design. The strong kids found the materials and did the building. The other kids helped put it together, and helped gather materials. The goal was to hit a counselor of their choice with a water balloon from a certain distance, so they had the motivation to get it right. I couldn't believe how much fun they had doing it!

You can find a ton more ideas like this online, but keep in mind- DON'T just cater to the strengths of one group. Don't do all athletic games, because that won't help the kids who aren't good at that. Don't stick to all cooking and sewing, because that'll leave the athletic ones behind. Find things that require everyone to make them work, and you'll have a bunch of happy kids. Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 2

after everyone kinda knows eachother have everyone sit in a circle have each girl have a piece of paper and have them put thier name on top. then they should pass thier paper to the person on their left and then everyone would have someone elses paper.  then you write something positive about the person on thier paper like

"i like your style"

"your a great leader"

"you are kind and caring"

and you keep passing the papers around the circle

it sounds kinda dumb but we did it at school when our class had issues with girls and bullying (kinda like mean girls lol) and it really helped.  i feel good everytime i look at it =)

Answer 3

Theme parks and paintballing.

Cooking isnt as thrilling as you might think it is.

Also you'll want to steal some videos off of youtube which show models being photoshopped, there are plenty.

Answer 4

Teaching teens that everyone is different and that's what makes the world so beautiful. Teach girls that they have complete control over their bodies and that if they want to change something about it that they can do it in a healthy manner.

Another idea, doing a project for all the girls in your group to take off all of their makeup. Teenage girls where too much of it these days and need to learn how to be comfortable in their own skin and feel beautiful just the way they are.  

Answer 5

you can talk about issues that teenage girls that age have trouble understanding, like puberty, dating, how all boys lie to get what they want. Just basically, help them understand that they are special and that no one can steal their joy unless the allow them into their heart.

Answer 6

well i would have them write all of their positve and negative features down and then work on making the negatives, positive (if that makes sense) and its great that you are doing this program!

good luck with it!

Answer 7

Well done to you for your effort to build self esteem.I found that teenagers respond very well to helping those less able than themselves.Is there a residential special School or a home that rescues animals nearby. I am sure you get the idea. Anything that gives them a feeling of worth.For example I worked in a large hospital where we had a ward full of teenagers whom I liked to describe as having got "stuck in adolescence" They could give staff a real hard time but take them onto a sick ward where none could do anything for themselves and the transformation was unbelievable. They would help with such tenderness fetching carrying 'reading to them talking and beg that they could go every day! Perhaps they could become sponsors of a wild life trust or animal trust or even raise money by doing odd jobs to sponsor a child's education in the third world where they would get feed back and photos or even become pen friends.Just a few suggestions from my own experience. I realise none of this relates to such things a body image but the idea is to direct such concerns into a feeling of worth.Good Luck with your programme.

Answer 8

have them all tell each other what they like best about each other. encourage dress up and feeling pretty and s**y. show them positive female role models. and try to teach them that being smart is cool, fun and s**y.