Building beautiful teenagers inside and out is the aim of a program from Sydney that is taking place for the first time in Taree at Chatham High School.
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Marina Passalaris, the founder of the company Beautiful Minds, a provider of self esteem and confidence education, visited the school recently to deliver sessions to female students.
At this stage, the program is only being delivered to the female students as Donna Kouwenhoven, the school’s supervisor of girls, arranged for Beautiful Minds to visit. The program is designed to educate, inspire and entertain both boys and girls from 11-17 years of age.
The sessions presented at Chatham focused on friendships, not just with other students, but with themselves.
“More often than not, we’re an appalling friend to ourselves,” Marina said.
“We’re good with giving everyone else support and love but when it comes to ourselves we’re not really great with being our own cheerleader.”
The second session presented on the day concentrated on sexting, pornography, law, and what is appropriate.
“One thing that we’re seeing a lot at Beautiful Minds is that young people are communicating in that way. Sexting is becoming quite a common way of communicating and it’s actually highly illegal,” Marina said.
The sessions were a big hit with the students.
“At both sessions students have been hanging around afterwards wanting to talk to Marina,” Donna said.
The relationship with Beautiful Minds is not a ‘quick high’ feel-good lesson. Beautiful Minds continues a constant ongoing conversation with the school afterwards.
To find out more about Beautiful Minds visit beautifulminds.com.au.
Julia Driscoll
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
