The Body Project – University of Manitoba
All students who identify as female are invited to participate in the Body Project – University of Manitoba, a group aimed at helping participants feel better about their bodies!
What is The Body Project?
The Body Project is an in-person, peer led, body-acceptance program designed to help University age students who identify as female resist cultural pressures to conform to the appearance ideal standard and reduce their pursuit of unrealistic bodies.
Backed by research, this program helps females reduce body dissatisfaction and has an impact on eating disorder prevention. The Body Project helps challenge the system and confront stigma in a hands on, fun, and safer environment where we can learn to push against unwanted body comments.
This program gives you full permission to prioritize self care! Through your engagement with the Body Project, we will work to improve body image and connect you with other like-minded students interested in having a positive impact on the body positive movement.
Contents discussed in the Body Project include (but are not limited to):
·Costs, origins, and messages about the appearance-ideal
·Resisting the appearance-ideal (what you can avoid, say, do, or learn to battle this ideal)
·Appearance-ideal vs. healthy ideal
·Derailing negative body talk
·Engagement and reflection of body activism
·Home exercises focused on adopting an anti-appearance-ideal stance and improving body satisfaction
·Self care strategies
Upcoming Body Project Sessions:
Please email us at healthandwellness@umanitoba.ca to register to attend an upcoming body project offering. Indicate which session you would like to attend.
Current Offerings:
Mondays from March 4-25th 2024 from 3:30-4:30pm (must attend all four sessions)
Tuesdays from March 12th-April 2nd from 4:00-5:00pm (must attend all four sessions)
More About the Body Project:
The Body Project was developed by Drs. Eric Stice and Carolyn Becker who collectively have over 30+ years of experience in testing and running the Body Project. To date, it has been delivered to over 3.5 million girls and young women in 25 countries, including campuses in Canada.
The Body Project is supported by more research than any other body image program and has been found to reduce onset of eating disorders. Randomized prevention trials have found that the program reduces thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, negative mood, unhealthy dieting, and eating disorder symptoms. In addition, there is evidence that the Body Project intervention reduces the risk for future onset of obesity, results in improved psychosocial functioning, and reduces mental health care utilization.
The Body Project - University of Manitoba is an interactive, 4-session workshop (each session is 1 hour in duration), where students (groups of 6-12 students and 2-3 trained peer leaders) who identify as female will engage in a series of verbal, written, and other activities.
If you have questions or are interested in arranging a Body Project – University of Manitoba, please connect with us at healthandwellness@umanitoba.ca