B.L.I.N.G.
Building Liberated Insightful Nurtured Girls
Adolescent girls now have a partner in JFS helping them cope with the negative body images they might receive from social influences and messages in the media. It’s B.L.I.N.G., which stands for Building Liberated Insightful Nurtured Girls. B.L.I.N.G. is a multi-dimensional program addressing the challenges facing young girls, ages nine to 12 years old, who may or may not be at-risk for adolescent social problems such as poor self-esteem, negative body image and communication difficulties with parents. Girls meet in groups with their peers and a facilitator for several sessions. The B.L.I.N.G. program incorporates the curriculum “Full of Ourselves: Advancing Girl Power, Health and Leadership,” that was compiled by Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair and Lisa Sjostrom at the Harvard Eating Disorders Center in Boston. Locally, B.L.I.N.G. is coordinated by Mary Beth Blackwell, who has a master’s degree in social work and is a certified nutritionist.
For the third year in a row, fifth and sixth grade girls attending the Jewish Community Center’s summer camps are participating in J-B.L.I.N.G. programming, which is infused with Jewish content. The girls have participated in a number of fun exercises to improve their self esteem, enhance their communication skills and promote a positive body image. About 30 girls have been involved in the program this summer; more than 300 girls have participated since B.L.I.N.G. began.
Several B.L.I.N.G. groups meet during the school year. For the third year, B.L.I.N.G. groups will meet in the Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission School districts in Kansas and the Independence School District in Missouri.
For more information about B.L.I.N.G. and upcoming sessions, please contact Mary Beth Blackwell, Eating Disorder Resource Center Program Coordinator / Therapist (913) 327-4690 or email her at mblackwell@jfskc.org.
To view Fox 4 Channel News report on B.L.I.N.G. CLICK HERE.
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