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Description
The aim of the project is to spread the idea of respect for human body diversity and to counteract discrimination against teenagers on the basis of their appearance. We have invented this project for young people who study in secondary schools in the City of Gdansk. A 2021 survey by the Ombudsman for Children in Poland showed that as many as 67% of secondary school students would like to change something about their bodies. According to the Empowering Children Foundation, 24% of young people say that if they looked better, their lives would be better, 20% of teenagers agree with the statement that they ''would like to look more normal'', and as many as 40% of girls and 26% of boys worry that they might get fat. These figures show the huge problem of alienation experienced by teenagers who are overweight, have disabilities, suffer from gender dysphoria, or have non-white skin colour. During our ''Look at Yourself'' campaign, we produced a performance in collaboration with young people dedicated to the phenomenon of bodyshaming. According to young people''s testimonies, those whose bodies deviate from the accepted standards face low self-esteem, experience bullying from their peers and feel a sense of not fitting in with their group. Their experiences even lead to suicide attempts and psychiatric treatment. The project''s beneficiaries are young people with ''excluded'' bodies, but also parents and teachers from the Pomeranian Province. As part of the project, we offer young people psychological consultation and support as well as organise body-positive anti-discrimination workshops for them. For adults, we run a series of training sessions on recognising violence caused by intolerance of body diversity, counteracting such violence and responding to it. The project partner is the 180 Degrees Association, responsible for psychological consultations for young people.
Summary of project results
The project was an initiative undertaken in opposition to discrimination affecting teenage people with non-canonical bodies - fat, sick, disabled, neuroatypical, non-white or non-heteronormative.
The aim of the project was to spread the body positive idea of respect for diverse bodies among young people from the Pomeranian Voivodeship aged 15-19 and adults who have a direct influence on them - parents and teachers.
As part of the initiative, 8 trainings for parents and people working with youth, 229 hours of psychological support for teenagers and 20 facilitations of secondary schools were carried out. As part of one facilitation, the youth went through three workshops - psychological conducted by the 180 Stops Association, legal conducted by the Umarłe Statury Association and body positive conducted by the initiators of the SPOJRZ NA SIEBIE campaign.
The aim of the project was to reduce the acceptance of marginalization, stereotyping and inequality of opportunities for non-canonical teenagers. The project also raised awareness of the diversity of human bodies, whose dignity is a basic human right, and also caused discussions in schools on improving the quality and comfort of those attending, thanks to the recommendations sent after each facilitation. Many educators began to notice how important it is to support young people in their well-being, including mental and physical comfort.
The key effect is the creation of a report on the implementation of the initiative, which is a summary of the work done, its analysis, and a suggestion for possible solutions that would help increase the quality of life of young people. This report was submitted to the City Office in Gdańsk, and also sent to non-governmental organizations dealing with education and working against social exclusion, as well as to politicians who have an influence on the education system in Poland.
The project was covered by the Honorary Patronage of the Mayor of Gdańsk. A total of 636 people took part in the project, including 112 adults and 524 teenagers.
Number of psychological workshops carried out: 20
Number of body positivity facilitation workshops carried out: 20
Number of student rights workshops carried out: 20
Number of psychoeducational recommendations for secondary schools developed: 13
Number of people who took part in the workshops: 504
Number of trainings for people working with youth carried out: 8
Number of experts invited to cooperate: 8
Number of adults taking part in the trainings: 112
Number of worksheets developed for further use: 8
Number of hours allocated for free psychological consultations for youth: 229
Number of youth aged 15-19 using the support: 20
Information offer about workshops for schools: 1
Subpage about the project: 1
Number of graphics created: 39
Workshops in schools, although very difficult to arrange with individual institutions, had a great impact on the development of teenagers and were met with very positive feedback. Workshop leaders paid special attention to the messages from young people indicating a low sense of agency in their own education. For most young people, the classes were the first event of this kind, during which they were asked for an opinion on the functioning of their own institution.
In addition, only a small number of people taking part in the workshops had read the statute of their school at least once - an even smaller group was able to use its provisions efficiently. The people leading the legal workshops stated that they had identified irregularities in each of the analyzed statutes, in each of the 14 participating institutions.
In the relations between learners and teachers, there were cases of violations of personal space and the dignity of a young person. The youth shared their experiences of being invaded in the bathroom space, being banned from using them, unwanted touching of earrings or hair, embarrassing comments about the body or clothing, resolving tensions by shouting, directing transphobic and homophobic statements at teenagers.
Trainings for parents - depending on the topics and date - enjoyed considerable interest. The greatest difficulty in their implementation was the fact that many people, despite signing up for the workshops and confirming their participation, did not show up for the training. Therefore, in future projects we want to introduce (even a minimal) fee for classes in order to motivate people to take responsibility for their decisions. We also see how important a certificate of completed training is for teachers, which is why we also intend to practice this solution in the future.
All trainings took place in a friendly atmosphere, in which adults asked questions, were open to new knowledge, and shared their experiences. Usually, they were already familiar with the topic to some extent, because the specific topic concerned their own child or a child under their care. However, there was a voice saying that there is a lack of training courses that respond to real and current problems, just like ours. It is also clear that there is a lack of awareness of the importance of sexual education and an alternative approach to physical education, because these courses attracted the least interest.
Psychological consultations were the most popular activity and support hours were exhausted in the first months of the project. There is a huge need for free support, especially long-term support. Psychological care provided in schools is insufficient, which is why we intend to continue it within the framework of the Foundation''s activities.