Primary School Workshop: Friendship, Compliments and Self-Esteem

This 30 minute workshop is for years 4, 5 and 6 (8-11 years old). Devised by Natasha in partnership with psychologist and habit change coach Shahroo Izadi (www.shahrooizadi.co.uk) the workshop aims to get children thinking about what qualities really matter in a person, how they talk to themselves and to their friends, as well as what skills they have now and would like to work on in the future. At the end of the session, each child takes away a specially designed card to remind them of what they have learned.

This workshop has been trialled for two years at Festival of the Girl (www.festivalofthegirl.com) and below is some feedback from parents who attended with their children: 

"My daughter's favourite activities were the drilling and the workshop with Natasha. She has her 'what's great about me' note by the side of her bed so she can see it when she goes to sleep and wakes up." 

"One moment that really stood out for me was in a workshop where the girls were asked to write down everything they liked about their friends and then the workshop leader asked if anything they'd written was about looks. I've been reminding my daughter of this since the festival." 

"My daughter attended Natasha Devon's workshop and I'm so pleased she did. She struggles with self-confidence and really worries about what people think which is why the workshop was so good for her. She came away thinking more about what she likes about herself and since then we talk more openly as a family about what we like about ourselves and what we've done that day that we're proud of. What also had a real impact, and what I like to keep bringing up again since the workshop, is how when we think about what we love about our friends it isn't to do with their looks. Being very conscious of the impact of body image on girls from such a young age this is something we talk about more now as a family so it is having an impact on us all."