| KEYNOTE PRESENTATION Niva Piran Enhancing embodied agency and caring self-body connections in girls and women: a key to well being The presentation aims to describe ways to enhance in girls and women the embodied experiences of agency and caring self-body connections. The pathways to embodied agency and self care are informed by the groundbreaking Developmental Theory of Embodiment developed by the speaker for the past 20 years through research interviews, focus groups, and surveys, as well as successful initiatives of school-based prevention of eating disorders. In line with the theory, experiences of physical freedom, mental freedom, social power, and relational connections all relate to embodied agency and self care. The presentation will use girls’ and women’s narratives and drawings to describe the pathways to well being. Within the context of embodied agency, eating disorders are unlikely to develop. The presentation will give participants the tools to reflect, in their own time, on their own ‘body journeys’, and use this knowledge not only to transform the way they live in their body now, but to also enrich the life of youth around them, girls or boys. This presentation aims to inspire teachers, parents, youth leaders, administrators, health workers, and young women themselves to work together to provide constructive developmental experiences to youth that would establish life-long patterns of embodied agency and self-care. |
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| KEYNOTE PRESENTATION Dianne Neumark-Sztainer Weight-related problems in adolescents: What? Why? and how can we help? This presentation will include an overview of major weight-related problems facing young people today. We will discuss what these problems are, why they develop, and how we can help in their prevention. Weight-related problems in adolescents include obesity, eating disorders, unhealthy weight control behaviors, binge eating, inappropriate levels of physical activity, and body dissatisfaction. Research suggests that these problems are not independent of each other, but can co-occur and lead to other problems over time. Weight-related problems are caused by a complex interaction of individual, familial, peer, school, community and societal factors. We can take action to prevent the broad spectrum of weight-related problems in young people. Examples of actions that can be taken within the home and at school will be presented. In particular, an innovative school-based program, New Moves, designed to prevent obesity while promoting a positive body image among adolescent girls, will be discussed. |
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| PLENARY SESSION Michael Kaufman Re-imaging / Re-imagining manhood The dominant images of manhood – tough, strong, in control – are getting supersized. Ideals of manhood have become ever-more impossible to attain, and the attending self-doubt and confusion can be a causal factor in everything from homophobic violence and violence against women, to alcohol and drug abuse and other self-destructive behaviours, including eating disorders and dangerous use of dietary supplements. This talk will look at all this and how we can make a difference helping boys become men. |
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| CLOSING SESSION Shari Graydon Our Media Our Selves? New media and the possibilities of re-presentation For decades, the dominant image by mass entertainment media of ideal bodies - particularly those of females - have been unattainable. This has left us starved for realistic and healthy role models. Now emerging media forms and systems are providing new ways for people to connect, organise and re-present themselves on- and off-line. This presentation explores the possibilities and challenges that new media offer to individuals and communities looking to counter the status quo and re-vision our cultural definition of desirable and healthy bodies. |
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PARALLEL SESSION 1 This workshop will present a framework for considering the intersections between body image issues, race, class, and sexual identity. Through stories and experience, Girls Action will share how working from our foundational principals allows our programming related to body image and eating disorders to be responsive and adaptable to the diverse realties of girls and young women. Through the application of popular education, intersecting feminist framework, asset based and organic methods and frameworks, we recognize that girls' and women's experiences of life occur in multiple and compounding spheres. Employing this analysis from a self-reflexive position, and by recognizing the differing locations and varying histories of individuals – participants will explore action strategies for community and relationship building that allow us to address the healthy development of girls and young women. |
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| PARALLEL SESSION 2 Gretchen Kerr Body image and disordered eating in female intercollegiate athletes: coaches’ perspectives Coaches are in a unique position to influence the health of athletes, including body image, eating attitudes and behaviours. Coaches and athletes often form close, trusting relationships, enabling coaches to influence athletes and their health in positive ways. In this presentation, a panel of experienced female intercollegiate coaches will describe their experiences in addressing body image and disordered eating challenges amongst their female athletes. Ways in which these challenges are presented, lessons they’ve learned and best practices with respect to promoting optimal health amongst female athletes will be discussed. |
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| PARALLEL SESSION 3 Ahmed Boachie Seena Grewal Strategies for parents of children with eating disorders This workshop will outline the common signs of eating disorders in children and adolescents and discuss the vital role parents play in their child’s recovery. Eating disorders and disordered eating affects people from all backgrounds, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. As children develop and mature their ability to express themselves and the type of behaviours they engage in changes. It is important for parents and adult mentors to be aware of the different manifestations of eating disorder symptoms and how to approach them. In addition, the resources currently available to assist parents of children with eating disorders will be reviewed. |
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PARALLEL SESSION 4 Heather Jessop Helen Vlachoyannacos Reflections of Me: ETFO’s body image project - an overview How can children develop a positive body image and self esteem when faced with social influences from parents, peers, and the media? The Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario has created a comprehensive curriculum for students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 entitled Reflections of Me: The ETFO Body Image Project that addresses many of the key issues facing our young children today. Come to hear what the research says about boys’ and girls’ body image and self esteem development and how schools play a vital role in developing strong, resilient children. |
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PARALLEL SESSION 5 The association between bullying and body weight, as well as bullying and body image will be addressed. Research indicates that overweight and obese youth are more likely to be bullied by peers than normal-weight youth. The association of weight-focused victimization with low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders will be examined. In this presentation, we will draw from the general bullying prevention approach to consider strategies to reduce bullying based on physical appearance
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| PARALLEL SESSION 6 Michael Kaufman Making a difference with the boys and young men in our lives This workshop will draw on the framework of Michael’s plenary talk along with the insights and experiences of participants to explore the practical side of providing alternatives to boys and young men, through the media, in the education system and through social service agencies, and in the home and community. |
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PARALLEL SESSION 7 |
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| PARALLEL SESSION 8 Gretchen Kerr Lisanne Cruz Ashley E. Stirling Enhancing self-esteem and healthy eating attitudes through sport participation: implementing an athlete-centred sport system Given the commonly held belief that sport, if designed and delivered in an age and stage-appropriate manner, has the potential to contribute to the overall development of young people, including the enhancement of self-esteem, body satisfaction, and health consciousness, it is suggested that sport participation may serve as a buffer against eating disorders. In this symposium, contextual and individual protective factors from eating disorders and unhealthy eating attitudes in athletes will be reviewed. It is suggested that in order to optimize the potential benefits of sport participation on self-esteem and healthy eating, efforts need to be directed at promoting positive athlete-centred sport experiences. As such, the philosophy of an athlete-centred sport system is outlined.
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PARALLEL SESSION 9 |
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| PARALLEL SESSION 10 Cheryl Arratoon What should you believe? Using research to be informed We are bombarded by information about how we should look, what to take or do to achieve those looks and what treatments can ‘fix’ us. What information are we to believe? How can we keep up with the deluge of research being published, advertisements and the volume of information on the internet? Being well-informed as a patient is particularly important as we are being encouraged to actively participate in decisions about our care and treatment. In evidence-based decisions, quality information is an important part of the decision, as well as personal values. In other words, clinical decisions are based not only on experience, intuition, or personal choices but also on hard, documented, scientific information which result from well-designed research studies. This workshop will introduce you to The Cochrane Library as a reliable source of research information. Understanding systematic reviews will enable you to appreciate differences in quality of information, wherever you find it and whatever the source. Small group activities will allow participants to become familiar with systematic reviews and apply the critical thinking developed during this workshop. |
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| PARALLEL SESSION 11 Heather Jessop Helen Vlachoyannacos Reflections of Me: ETFO’s body image project - implementation in schools Research indicates that developing positive body image builds self-esteem and creates well-adjusted children who are enthusiastic about life’s opportunities. The Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario has created a comprehensive curriculum for students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 entitled Reflections of Me: The ETFO Body Image Project that addresses key issues such as accepting diverse bodies; promoting body acceptance and building resistance to body-based harassment; and, questioning adherence to body norms. Come experience some of the activities created to help students in our classrooms today and get a sneak peek at the Body Image curriculum that needs to be in your school! |
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PARALLEL SESSION 12 This workshop will present an overview of how youth are using various social networking sites, such as Facebook, blogs, and websites, for self-representation and identity formation. It will provide an overview of technological trends and uses, media representations and discourse on Social Networking Sites, and provide insight into the views of selected youth who use Social Networking Sites. |
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| PARALLEL SESSION 13 Joanne Dolhanty Fat is a feeling: using emotion-focused therapy to understand and heal body image despair This workshop will outline the use of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) to treat individuals with eating disorders and body image disturbance. Specific techniques and tasks will be presented to deal with the harsh internal body image critic that these individuals refer to as their “eating disorder voice” or “anorexic voice.” The workshop will outline how therapist and client can work together to process directly the despair of “feeling fat” while at the same time discovering and healing the avoided underlying painful feelings that have become displaced onto the body. Videotaped vignettes from actual therapy sessions will illustrate the role of body image distress in avoiding painful feelings, the processing of “feeling fat,” and the transforming of the underlying painful feelings themselves. This therapy works to overcome reliance on avoidance as a means of dealing with overwhelming affect, promoting a new mastery in dealing with internal experience and difficult emotions, and facilitating the relinquishing of the eating disorder as a means of coping. |
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| PARALLEL SESSION 14 Shaila Krishna Youth engagement and resiliency – moving away from the “at risk" paradigm Rather than focus solely on reducing risk factors to improve out comes for young people, the resiliency approach supports engaging youth to increase assets so the young people develop the skills and competence they need to become healthy thriving adults. The workshop will focus on youth engagement; resiliency and its relevance to youth development and relationship to self esteem and ability to make healthy choices. The role of schools, community agencies, and health professionals can play in fostering resiliency will be discussed. Some examples from of Toronto Public Health’s youth engagement projects will be used to illustrate the continuum of engagement. A young person form one of the public health projects will talk about their experience and perspective of engagement. |
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| PARALLEL SESSION 15 Robyn Legge Sachiko Nagasawa Act like a gGirl! – how restrictions on mental and physical freedom limit girls’ experiences of positive embodiment This workshop will explore results from a prospective, qualitative study examining the experiences of embodiment with a group of adolescent girls. Life-history interviews were conducted over a four year time span, with girls ranging from 9-14 years of age at the time of the first interview. This workshop will focus on the themes that emerged from a four year study of girls 9-14 of the experiences of physical and mental freedom, two dimensions leading to girls’ experiences of positive connection with their bodies. First, physical freedom will be highlighted to explore how the restriction of physical activity impacts girls’ feelings towards their selves and bodies. Through the girls’ narratives, the systemic barriers impacting girls’ decisions to stay involved in physical activity will be examined. Mental freedom will then be explored through the socially defined constructs of the dichotomous categories ‘tomboy/girly girl’ and ‘slut/prude’. The restrictive and limiting experience of these labels on a girl’s positive feelings of embodiment is evident from these girls’ stories. This exploration of adolescent girls’ lived experiences of both mental and physical freedom provides further insight to the ways more equitable opportunities and resources can be developed to assist young women in experiencing positive, healthy and empowered feelings of embodiment. |
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| COMMUNITY EVENT Dianne Neumark-Sztainer Eating in a weight-obsessed world: helping your child have a healthy body image and a healthy weight Dr. Neumark-Sztainer is the author of I’m, Like, SO Fat! Helping your teen make healthy choices about eating and exercise in a weight-obsessed world. She wrote this book in response to comments from many parents who feel like they are walking around on eggshells when it comes to weight issues. On the one hand, parents want their children to have a healthy weight. On the other hand, parents are afraid to do something that may make their children feel badly about themselves and their bodies. In her talk, Dr. Neumark-Sztainer will be providing 4 cornerstones for promoting a healthy body image and a healthy weight in your child. She will be available to answer any questions that you may have on how to help your child adopt healthy eating patterns in a society that pushes too much food that is often laden with calories and low on nutrients. She will provide insight into how to talk (or avoid talking) about weight-related topics and how to help your child when you hear, “I’m, like so fat!” |
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