Body Talk

Play “Step into the Circle” (Brief instructions here). Have students arrange themselves in a large circle, and as the moderator, announce that you will only say things that are True for you. So you will always be in the circle, they will never be alone. Create a script that is mixed with some positive and some negative items, and tailor it to your group.

Here is a starting point:

• Step into the circle if …
  • …you sometimes feel so excited you can’t contain yourself
  • …you get sad sometimes
  • …you laugh so hard with your friends that you can barely breathe
  • …you think pineapple belongs on pizza
  • …you get in fights with your friends
  • …you wish you were good at something that you’re not
  • …you compare yourself to others
  • …you’re proud of yourself
  • …you wish you could change something about yourself
  • …you sometimes feel alone (This is a good one to say something like, “Hey wait, look at all these folks in the circle! Not so alone, right?!”)
  • …you want to feel like you belong

This activity is great for getting everyone on the same page, and making folks feel vulnerable but also connected. Feel free to debrief afterwards by asking questions like “Was it sometimes scary to step into the circle?” “How did it feel when you saw other people in there too?” “How do we feel as a group now? More connected?”.

• Have students individually complete the Activity Sheet: More to Me. Encourage them to think about things that are markers of their outer identities, and then the more nuanced, subtle, and even private aspects of themselves.
• If students want to share out some aspects afterwards, they can do so voluntarily
• Guiding questions: Was there anything on the list that you are super proud of, but that you don’t always share with anyone you meet? Are there items that you wish more people understood about you? Are there items you only share with certain groups like family, best friends, community groups? Do you think everyone has sides to them that we cannot always see? Why is it important to remember that fact? How do you think this plays into how we treat one another?

Key words: identity, respect, difference, connection, privacy, introvert, extrovert

• Show this Amaze.org video entitled “Why Don’t I Like the Way I Look?” * or this video from Every Body Curious: “Body Image”
• Discussion Prompts: How does the outside world affect how we think and feel about ourselves? Are there positive influences (e.g. style, hobbies, likes, trends)? Are there negative influences (e.g. pressure, comparison, ideals, perfection, environments that are not accessible to people of various body shapes and sizes)?
• We all have parts of us that are the same as each other’s and parts that are different. We also all get to choose which parts we show to the world. It’s important to remember that there are many things that make up ourselves and that there is room for everyone to be themselves and respect others.
• Invite students to complete one of the exit slips found on beingmebeingus.ca.

*Please note: Although heavy weightlifting is not recommended for children and youth, the 24 hour movement guidelines for children and youth recommend that muscle and bone strengthening activities be incorporated at least 3 days per week to increase skeletal muscle strength, power, endurance or mass. For examples, you can visit Muscle Strengthening Activity under Glossary – 24-Hour Movement Guidelines.