Health Promotion

GRADES JK-1 & 2-4

The Be Yourselfer’s Puppet Project is a program delivered by the Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association’s Health Promotion team. This program consists of a puppet show, presented in video format. Topics include: Bullying, body-based harassment, and nutrition. Topics are further reinforced through Q&A sessions and interactive educational activities.
Each puppet program (video and follow up activity) runs approximately 20-30 minutes in length.

GRADES 5-8

Our society places great emphasis on physical attributes. Teaching young people to increase their confidence in their unique talents, abilities and interests reduces their reliance on physical appearance as their main measure of self-worth. When adolescents have healthy self-esteem, they feel more positive about their bodies and find it easier to make good decisions for themselves that promote health, including taking better care of the needs of their bodies.

During our presentation students will learn about the concepts of self-esteem and body image. We also examine the factors which can influence our self-esteem such as the media/social media and societal pressures.

This presentation includes an interactive jeopardy-style game to encourage and promote participation and reinforce key concepts presented.

GRADE 9 AND UP

Poor body image and self-esteem in youth can lead to them withdrawing from social, academic and economic opportunities. Building resilience is key to helping young people achieve a more positive body image and strong self-esteem.

Our ‘Sizing Up the Media” presentation examines how the images in the media/social media create feelings of negative body image, inadequacy, low self-esteem and how they put us at risk for disordered eating. This presentation also teaches how media messages are constructed, thereby allowing youth to be informed consumers of social media. Using visual aids, encourages viewers to re-evaluate the images presented by the advertising industry.

Teaching media literacy (which includes the ability to critically evaluate media) skills helps youth develop resilience against negative messages or the comparison trap.

This presentation also includes an interactive game to encourage and promote participation and reinforce key concepts presented.

AGES 16+

This program is designed for anyone who interacts with youth (e.g., teachers, parents, coaches, camp counselors, etc.)

We know that children are very impressionable and often look up to adults as role models, copying their behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs. The way adults talk about and view their own bodies can shape how children feel about theirs. We know that the values and opinions of friends can also affect how we feel about ourselves. In this presentation, we will cover an introduction to BANA services, what an eating disorder is, body image, relevant statistics, role modeling positive body image, and what a food-neutral environment looks like.