I got to attend a fun conference in Berkeley today, called Teens Tackle Tobacco. It brings together high school students interested in being leaders and health educators and gives them resources about tobacco, drugs, alcohol, and other health issues. This is not like a DARE program. It offers facts, not fear-based messages, and doesn't present the issues as black and white. The adults there treat the teens like rational human beings capable of making reasoned decisions. And in turn, the teens show so much maturity and dedication to learning. It's a beautiful sight to see!
I attended this event as a co-presenter on youth gambling. It's always fun to work with teens, but my favorite part was attending the other workshops. The first session I went to was from the folks at Niroga Institute. They bring mindfulness, breathing techniques, and yoga (collectively referred to as Transformative Life Skills) to schools and help students become peer leaders. They talked a lot about how stress can impact our ability to control our emotions and actions, and can diminish our ability to empathize with others. Learning to be aware of our body and regulate stress can therefore have a huge impact on how we lead, and what we contribute to our community. These concepts are fairly intuitive, but today I was so moved by hearing firsthand the impact that these skills can have in the lives of young people who have experienced trauma and violence, and who are also navigating the turbulent process of growing up. What would the world be like if we could all be more aware of ourselves, manage our responses to stress, and express ourselves peacefully? Don't all kids need and deserve to be taught these skills?
With all this floating in my mind, I went to another workshop that built on this idea of having a good relationship with our own bodies. This session was from The Body Positive, and they talked about transforming beliefs about beauty, health, and identity, and teaching youth how to love and care for themselves. I was one of the "older women" at this workshop, and it was so heartbreaking to hear the messages that girls felt they were getting from the media, their families, and their friends. You can never be too thin. Make-up is essential. Clothes make a woman. Perfect hair and skin means straight hair and clear, tan skin (but NOT dark skin). None of this is new to me, but seeing the vulnerability and the innocence in these girls made me want to hug them all and say, "you have no idea how beautiful you are!" But this work starts from within. On good days, I look at myself and think, "not bad", but most days, I zero in on the flaws or avoid looking too closely. Is that the example I want to set for other girls and women? Absolutely not. I am owning my beauty today. This what I look like (after 20 tries at a decent bathroom selfie), and this is beautiful:
At the end of the day we had to go around the room and share what our beauty is today, recognizing that it changes all the time, as we grow and understand ourselves differently. So now I will share with you, in hopes that you will share back or at least make a conscious note to yourself. Today my beauty is the way I love learning new things and allow myself to feel inspired. My beauty is my smile that helps other people feel at ease. My beauty is my eyes that see so much goodness and potential in young people.
What's your beauty today?
I attended this event as a co-presenter on youth gambling. It's always fun to work with teens, but my favorite part was attending the other workshops. The first session I went to was from the folks at Niroga Institute. They bring mindfulness, breathing techniques, and yoga (collectively referred to as Transformative Life Skills) to schools and help students become peer leaders. They talked a lot about how stress can impact our ability to control our emotions and actions, and can diminish our ability to empathize with others. Learning to be aware of our body and regulate stress can therefore have a huge impact on how we lead, and what we contribute to our community. These concepts are fairly intuitive, but today I was so moved by hearing firsthand the impact that these skills can have in the lives of young people who have experienced trauma and violence, and who are also navigating the turbulent process of growing up. What would the world be like if we could all be more aware of ourselves, manage our responses to stress, and express ourselves peacefully? Don't all kids need and deserve to be taught these skills?
With all this floating in my mind, I went to another workshop that built on this idea of having a good relationship with our own bodies. This session was from The Body Positive, and they talked about transforming beliefs about beauty, health, and identity, and teaching youth how to love and care for themselves. I was one of the "older women" at this workshop, and it was so heartbreaking to hear the messages that girls felt they were getting from the media, their families, and their friends. You can never be too thin. Make-up is essential. Clothes make a woman. Perfect hair and skin means straight hair and clear, tan skin (but NOT dark skin). None of this is new to me, but seeing the vulnerability and the innocence in these girls made me want to hug them all and say, "you have no idea how beautiful you are!" But this work starts from within. On good days, I look at myself and think, "not bad", but most days, I zero in on the flaws or avoid looking too closely. Is that the example I want to set for other girls and women? Absolutely not. I am owning my beauty today. This what I look like (after 20 tries at a decent bathroom selfie), and this is beautiful:
At the end of the day we had to go around the room and share what our beauty is today, recognizing that it changes all the time, as we grow and understand ourselves differently. So now I will share with you, in hopes that you will share back or at least make a conscious note to yourself. Today my beauty is the way I love learning new things and allow myself to feel inspired. My beauty is my smile that helps other people feel at ease. My beauty is my eyes that see so much goodness and potential in young people.
What's your beauty today?
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