Stronger Together CAMP: Building Self-Confidence for Girls Age 11-13

Over the course of two weeks, we will dive into and discuss several aspects of developing confidence.  The course will rely heavily on guided discussions with handouts and slide presentations.  

Lesson 1 will be an overview of the importance of maintaining confidence and what to expect in future lessons.  We will have a free chat regarding individual confidence-related goals each student would like to work towards. 

During Lessons 2-7, I will introduce the mini-topic pertaining the overall course.  

Mini-topics for each class will include: 

Lesson 2: Assertiveness- Students will learn the differences between assertive behavior, aggressive behavior and passive behavior.  They will learn to use assertive language and body posture.  They will also work to identify areas of their own lives they could use improved assertiveness and identify how they could demonstrate increased assertiveness in future situations.  Behavioral homework assigned.

Lesson 3: Leadership-  Students will identify several leadership styes commonly seen displayed in their peer group.  They will move on to identify ideal and disliked characteristics of leaders.  They will also learn about the difference between providing leadership and being the boss of others.  Ultimately, students will be able to identify areas in their life they have shown good leadership and areas they will make gains in improving their leadership.  Behavioral homework assigned.
 
Lesson 4: Building personal strengths- At this point, the class will be more connected and knowledgable about each other.  Each student will be able to identify what they see as their own best characteristics.  Through activity and discussion, each student will be able to identify three personal characteristics they are most proud of and identify one characteristic they would like to improve upon. Students will be encouraged to develop a short behavior plan to foster their desired characteristic in need of improvement.   Behavioral homework assigned.

Lesson 5: Maintaining positive friendships- During this lesson, the students will have a group discussion about what they value in a friend and how they identify a peer for a quality friendship.  We will discuss the nature of good friendships and how to personally be a good friend to others. Behavioral homework assigned.

Lesson 6: Recognizing toxic behaviors in others-  Lesson 6 will be one of the most important lessons in this series.  Students will identify characteristics of friends or acquaintances who exhibit more challenging behaviors.  We will discuss the nature of friendships that have a negative impact on confidence and how to identify these friendships.  Most importantly, we will have a discussion about establishing boundaries with these peers and a plan to avoid or respond appropriately to a friend who is creating drama or being unkind.  Behavioral homework assigned.

Lesson 7: Media literacy- Students will learn about how images and messages from the media can impact self-confidence.  Students will be able to identify how advertisements, memes, social media influencers, etc., have an impact of how each student sees themselves and how they feel they should be presenting themselves to the world.  We will discuss why these types of media exist and who benefits from them.  We will discuss how to view these forms of media with a critical eye and learn about establishing boundaries with how each student will allow media to impact her own self-worth.  Behavioral homework assigned.

During each lesson there will be a discussion with roleplaying opportunities for developing skills pertaining to the mini-topic.  Each lesson will end with a summary of what was learned in the lesson and a time to ask questions.  

Lesson 8 will be a time for each student to self-evaluate what she has learned, the changes she has seen in herself and to identify what she still needs to work on to continue to her identified goal.