School sleepover provides young girls with boost in self-confidence

Popcorn, pillow fights and pedicures. What young girl doesn't enjoy a sleepover party?
Well, the female students at Dorchester Consolidated School sure did as they got together last weekend for a night full of hanging out with friends, playing games, watching movies and more - all in an effort to boost the girls' confidence and self-esteeem.
"I think they all walked away the next morning feeling great about themselves, feeling that they're all beautiful inside and out," said Nicole Gauvin, a guidance counselor at the school who also served as a chaperone for the sleepover.
Based on the popular nationwide Dove Sleepover for Self-Esteem, Gauvin and DCS teacher Ada Phinney decided earlier this year to jump on board to plan the event for the girls.
The two women, who had heard about the self-esteem sleepover from a fellow guidance counselor in Salisbury as well as the Dove television ads, say they felt getting the girls together in a positive environment would benefit the students.
"The more I thought about our girls, the more I thought this would be a great opportunity for them to get together and to do activities around self-esteem," said Phinney, a Grade 6 to 8 teacher at the school.
Young girls especially, said Gauvin, are easily influenced by popular culture they see on TV, magazines and the Internet. And add young boys into the mix and you often times have girls who have lost a lot of confidence in their body image and self-worth.
"We recognize that young girls don't necessarily feel good about themselves all the time," she said.
But if girls can understand that much of what they see through the media is a "distorted image of what beauty is," said Phinney, then they can start to feel better about themselves.
"The reality is we are who we are and we don't need to look like that, to live up to that image that's expected in today's culture," she said. "And if we can start giving them that message at a young age, then that's even better."
Sixteen students from Grades 3 to 8 participated in the sleepover activities, which included self-esteem building games, manicures/pedicures, musical entertainment, a movie, and more. The girls also cooked their own pizzas, created their own sundaes, and made their own breakfast smoothies.
Phinney and Gauvin say they encouraged the girls to ensure the sleepover offered a welcoming atmosphere for all and they were pleased that everybody seemed to get along really well.
"We told them to come and have a good time - to not worry about what others think about you, just to relax and have fun," said Gauvin.
One particular activity from the sleepover, which the girls can continue to do at home, served as a valuable tool in getting the girls to express their feelings, at least to themselves - writing in their own personal journal.
"We feel that lots of times, girls want to express their feelings and they need to get it out but aren't always sure how to go about it," said Phinney. "Sometimes people don't feel good about themselves and they don't know why. Writing those feelings down can sometimes help."
A journal can also help young girls learn more about themselves and to set goals that they can aim for, said Gauvin.
"It can be very therapeutic . . . it's about accepting who you are and about improving yourself as well."
Gauvin hopes that DCS will continue on with the sleepover party tradition next year and said she also plans to expand it to other schools that she works at in the area as well.