The ‘Be Body Positive’ Flag initiative

The ‘Be Body Positive’ initiative aims to encourage schools, youth groups, colleges, clubs and organisations to actively promote positive body image in children and young people. It is intended to enhance and reward positive action taken in relation to promoting positive body image. If you are interested in signing up to the ‘Be Body Positive’ initiative please contact info@bodywhys.ie for an application form and information pack.

Many schools, youth groups and clubs are already aware of the importance of body image to mental health and well-being and are actively taking steps to promote positive body image in young people. This initiative is intended to recognise these endeavours and to provide assistance and a framework for schools and youth groups to promote positive body image and self-esteem in young people. Schools, youth groups, colleges, clubs and organisations are invited to take photos of their ‘Be Body Positive’ posters, projects and any ‘Be Body Positive’ events or activities and to share these on social media and to tag Bodywhys. #Bodywhys #BeBodyPositive #MoreThanASelfie

Why is the ‘Be Body Positive’ Flag initiative important?

Body image is consistently highlighted as a key issue affecting youth mental health. In 2017, a survey of 2,500 young people in Ireland indicated that 72% of the participants viewed body image as a key source of difficulty in their lives (Chambers et al., 2017). Research in Ireland indicates that a link exists between negative body image and higher levels of depression, alcohol and substance misuse, anxiety, self-harm and suicidality (Dooley et al., 2013).

The ‘Be Body Positive’ Flag initiative aims to:

✔️Promote positive body image and self-esteem in young people.

✔️Promote a positive peer supportive environment where positive body image can flourish and risk factors such as bullying or peer pressure are reduced.

✔️Promote media literacy through education to challenge the negative effects of media images and social media to body image and mental health.

✔️Promote balance in messages on healthy eating and healthy living.

Why are schools and youth groups good places to promote positive body image?

Children and young people spend a significant portion of their time within these settings. Social interaction and play are an important part of their development. Behaviours and messages from the media can influence conversations and games with their peers. With so many mixed messages from the media, unhealthy conversations in relation to body shape, dieting or body-building can become normalised.

Schools and youth group settings are ideal for promoting healthy body image, acceptance of oneself and appreciation of diversity. They can do this through balanced health messages in relation to food and exercise and through promoting an acceptance of individual strengths and skills. Schools and youth groups are also in a position to work with families in promoting positive body image at home.

Supporting families

To help promote positive body image, parents and carers can be encouraged to consider the messages discussed in the classroom. This can be achieved by:

✔️Information sharing about the ‘Be Body Positive’ initiative through newsletters to reach a wide audience. This could include a information sheet for parents/guardians on promoting positive body image in children and young people and a link to the parent’s section of the Bodywhys Body Image website.

✔️Be Body Positive awareness campaigns in schools which encourage conversations at home.

✔️Homework activities and projects to be completed at home to promote positive body image and acceptance of diversity.

The ‘Be Body Positive’ Flag initiative guidelines for schools, youthreach organisations and colleges

✔️Teachers/youth leaders/coaches should all to be provided with guidelines on promoting positive body image in children and young people, as outlined on the Bodywhys Body Image website.

✔️Schools/clubs to organise a ‘Be Body Positive’ week and commit to having it as part of their annual school calendar.

✔️Schools/clubs to designate one wall or notice board in a communal area to ‘Be Body Positive’ activities. This area should display the ‘Be Body Positive’ posters, logo and leaflets.

✔️Schools/clubs to organise a ‘Be Body Positive’ event to raise awareness of the link between body image and mental health, to inform children/young people that all of us have times when we don’t feel great and to consider the different ways they could support each other during these times.

✔️Schools/clubs to post photos of their ‘Be Body Positive’ activities on social media and tag #Bodywhys #BeBodyPositive

The ‘Be Body Positive’ Flag initiative includes activities within the following areas:

✔️Promoting positive body image

✔️Promoting a peer supportive environment

✔️Promoting media literacy

✔️Promoting balance in healthy eating and healthy living guidelines

✔️Promoting awareness of the link between body image and mental health and the importance of supporting each other.

✔️Project ideas could include:

“All of us have times when we don’t feel great”

”Let’s talk about influences to body image: Media, Peers, Social Media”

”Supporting each other in feeling good”

Becoming a ‘Be Body Positive’ school

✔️Schools and youth groups should audit all material displayed in the school to ensure images do not endorse media beauty ideals and that a variety of body shapes are represented in images or posters displayed.

✔️Schools and youth groups should actively encourage students to develop a range of interests and provide a wide range of extracurricular activities for students to avail of.

✔️Schools and youth groups to use the Bodywhys programmes to promote positive body image in students.

✔️Schools and youth groups to display ‘Be Body Positive’ leaflets in communal areas.

✔️Schools and youth groups to actively inform parents about the link between body image and mental health and how to promote positive mental health in young people. Parental awareness and involvement can be encouraged through homework activities on body image, newsletters and/or information distributed at Parents Association events.

Promoting a peer supportive environment

✔️Schools could consider developing a peer support programme so that older students (e.g. TY or fifth year students) can buddy with first year students to ease the transition into secondary school. You can find information about peer support programmes here.

✔️Display a ‘Be Body Positive’ suggestions box in your school where students can submit ideas on promoting ‘Be Body Positive’ activities within their school confidentially. Students may also use this box to post issues related to bullying and their name and class if they wish to make a confidential appointment with the school counsellor.

✔️Discussion with students on supporting each other in feeling good through group and individual exercises included in the relevant Bodywhys online resources.

✔️Schools should actively encourage students to develop a range of interests and to provide a wide range of extracurricular activities to ensure students feel accepted whether their interests are academic, athletic, artistic or alternative. Students should be encouraged to develop their own unique interests and to pursue activities in these areas.

Promoting media literacy

✔️Schools should develop policies around social media and smart phone use in accordance with recommended guidelines.

✔️Schools should actively inform parents about social media rules in school and provide guidelines for parents on promoting media literacy in children.

✔️Schools could encourage parents to be mindful of screen time limits and social media use in young people and provide information on Cybersafe Ireland guidelines: download pdf here.

✔️Schools could encourage students to design posters to promote media literacy. Poster projects with images highlighting media techniques may be an effective way to encourage students to consider the difference between media and real life. Themes might inclu

“The difference between the media and real life.”

”Social media: What we see and what we don’t see.”

”Social Media Influencers exposed.”

”Media Images: how they’re made (make-up, styling, lighting, airbrushing).”

”Spotlight on airbrushing: before and after images.”

✔️School debates on the pros and cons of social media may also be an interesting way for students to reconsider the impact it can have on their mental health. Themes may include:

“Social media: friend or foe?”

”The internet and mental health. Pros and cons”

Promoting balance in healthy living and healthy eating

✔️ Promote a balanced approach to healthy eating and healthy living. Encourage students to consider the difference between dieting and healthy eating, highlighting how healthy eating is positive as you are choosing to look after your body in a balanced way whereas dieting can be very negative as it may encourage unhealthy approaches to eating such as skipping meals, feeling guilty about eating certain foods or bingeing due to hunger. Ensure that healthy eating messages in schools and youth groups promote balance and acknowledge that extreme approaches to food such as ‘no sugar’ or labelling foods as good or bad may be triggering for vulnerable children/young people.

✔️Promote balance in relation to exercise. Encourage students to appreciate their bodies for what they can do rather than how they look. Promote participation in healthy activities as something to enjoy and emphasise the benefits of exercise for feeling well physically and mentally rather than for appearance. Highlight the importance of balance in exercise and the value of listening to our bodies. Over-training and/or obsessive exercise behaviours should be discouraged and general positive well-being prioritised.

✔️Schools, youth groups and clubs to prohibit use of body-building supplements or advice on special diets. Endorsing certain body shapes as ideal for sports should be prohibited. Schools should not distribute meal plans or dietary advice to students in relation to achievement of sporting goals or body shape. Balance in relation to healthy eating should remain the only message.

✔️Zero tolerance of performance-enhancing drug use in sports.