Meeting, Greeting and Impacting SHAPE Tampa Conference Participants

Written by Cairn Guidance, a Dove Self-Esteem Project Partner

The Dove Self-Esteem Project (DSEP) had an impactful presence at the recently held SHAPE Tampa conference. Information was shared on the project via an extremely well attended session and a very busy exhibit booth. DSEP cadre trainers Michelle Rawcliffe and Dawn Graff-Haight provided an informative and interactive session which led many of the attendees to visit the exhibit booth to declare their intent to implement the DSEP Confident Me! lessons.

Cadre trainers Mary Wentland, Michelle Rawcliffe, and DSEP Cadre Coordinator Antionette Meeks greeted both health and physical education professionals and students majoring in the profession.  One of the notable “ah-ha’s” was hearing the college students share their familiarity with DSEP through their courses.  Many educators already using the lessons in their classrooms also stopped by to share their thanks and value of the lessons.  Still others stopped by or were encouraged to stop by the booth to learn how to support their body confidence and self-esteem efforts.  Those new to DSEP were often happy to learn the lessons are research-based, available at no cost, and easy to incorporate.

The energy and excitement surrounding attendees was almost palpable.  The spark of interest in the eyes of those learning about DSEP or sharing their experiences markedly impressed upon the booth hosts the meaningfulness of DSEP to these educators and the impact on their students.  Hearing these comments cemented what the booth hosts already knew:  DSEP produces positive outcomes for students.  Students experience a lot as they matriculate through school and an unfortunate by-product along the way may be a lack of body confidence and poor self-esteem.  DSEP uses interactive tools and experiences to help students strengthen their self-esteem and improve their body confidence.

Educators understand the need for students to not only be physically present, but to be mentally and emotionally present, prepared and ready to learn.  While there may be many reasons why students may not be ready to engage in the learning process, DSEP focuses on building and supporting body confidence and positive self-esteem.  Often students may look outside of themselves seeking approval from their peers and center on physical appearance versus the depth of who they are as individuals.

Several educators and future educators who visited the DSEP exhibit booth opted to share personal characteristics or what they appreciate about themselves via social media.  It was not about how they looked, what they wore, or their choice of hairstyles.  Please search #DoveSelfEsteem tagged with #SHAPETampa to read these powerful posts.

To learn more about DSEP, visit the Dove Self-Esteem Project website. To be entered to win an all-expenses paid trip to attend the SHAPE 2020 conference in Utah or another national professional convention, please email info@cairnguidance.com for more information.