Scouts craft self-image lesson plan for middle school girls

Girl Scouts Courtney Ramsey and Sadie Perry were recently awarded the Gold Award, the highest honor given by the Girl Scout organization. The prestigious award required a minimum of 90 service hours for each girl and the project’s purpose was to benefit the community.

The University High School graduates used life experiences for their project, focusing on the traumatic effects that the media plays in young girls’ lives, especially in regard to their body image. Eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder – the preoccupation about real or perceived flaws in one’s appearance – are at an all-time high among middle school girls.

For their project, Ramsey and Perry created an educational video and lesson plan that can be used by middle school health instructors, Girl Scout troop leaders and youth pastors to introduce the causes and health risks associated with poor body image. The girls mailed packets, including DVDs with instructional material and self-awareness questionnaires, to 25 middle schools in the Spokane area. The goal of the project was to build confidence in young girls by starting a dialog about the issue so girls are more likely to seek help, assist a friend and spread the information beyond the classroom.

According to a press release, Lewis and Clark High School incorporated the packet into its health class for the 2010-’11 school year and more requests have come from different groups that desire the packets.