Young people from Craigavon Travellers Support Committee have taken part in an interactive workshop from Action Mental Health aimed at raising awareness and understanding of eating disorders.
The BodyTalk session was delivered as part of the charity’s ongoing work within this area and to link in with Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 24 – March 2). The girls who participated in the event – aged between 11 and 17 years old – subsequently discussed the body image concerns they faced in today’s society, along with the various pressures experienced by young people generally online.
Leeann Stewart, Youth worker with Craigavon Travellers Support Committee, said: “We had the privilege of welcoming Action Mental Health to deliver a beautiful and thought-provoking session on body talk. The session was empowering, sparking open conversations about how we see ourselves – and the pressures placed upon us. We are so proud of the young women in this group for their courage and willingness to challenge unrealistic beauty standards. Let’s continue lifting each other up and embracing who we are, exactly as we are!”
In 2019, The Mental Health Foundation and YouGov (2019) found that 37% of teenagers felt upset about their body image, while 31% also felt ashamed. Meanwhile, 40% of teenagers said images on social media caused them to worry about their body image.
“Research like this highlights the need for intervention and prevention at an early age,” said Deborah McCready, project worker with Action Mental Health’s eating disorders support team.
“The session with Craigavon Travellers Support Committee went really well. We made it very interactive and the young girls talked about issues which directly impacted them, like social media and some of the pressures that young people are facing today. We had open conversations about the way we can negatively talk to ourselves and how we’re often not aware of the impact that has on our self-esteem. That was a really practical thing the girls could take away – just being aware of how they speak to themselves and to practice more self-compassion.”
