The Body Project
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 session
Please email us at healthandwellness@umanitoba.ca to register to attend an upcoming body project session. Indicate which session you would like to attend.
Sessions:
| Offering 1 (Bannatyne Campus) | Offering 2 (TBD) |
|---|---|
| May 2 | 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. | TBD |
| May 9 | 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. | TBD |
| May 16 | 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. | TBD |
| May 23 | 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. | TBD |
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.
The Body Project Workshops
Groups that can request a workshop
Any student group on campus who have female identifying students interested in learning about body acceptance and resisting cultural pressures to conform to appearance ideals. These workshops can be hosted on any of the UM campuses.
Requesting a workshop
You can email healthandwellness@umanitoba.ca to request a workshop. The Body Project can run with a group of 6-12 female identifying students. If you do not have a large enough group, please indicate that in the email and we can look to combine requests. Workshops can be offered Monday-Friday between 10:00am-6:00pm.
A Body Project workshop consists of
Each offering will run four, one-hour sessions which build off each other. This will require each participant to attend all four sessions. These sessions will require verbal and written interaction with take home activities.
Workshop facilitators
Female identifying students trained by members of UM’s Student Affairs team facilitate the Body Project sessions.
Workshop location
Workshops can be held in a specific space on campus at your rquest or we can host the sessions in UM’s Student Wellness Centre.
Volunteering with The Body Project
Applications are now closed. Please continue to visit the website for updates on when applications for new facilitators are posted.
Are you looking to become a facilitator with the Body Project – University of Manitoba? Feel free to email healthandwellness@umanitoba.ca with any questions or inquires.
Being a Body Project volunteer
Volunteer qualifications
Maintain a student status at UM for the duration of the application year.
Experience needed
No experience is needed! We are here to provide you with the education you will need to be a Body Project volunteer.
The Body Project volunteers are
Female identifying students looking to become an advocate for body acceptance.
Contact us
Interested in attending a Body Project – University of Manitoba offering? Would you like to request a workshop? Interested in volunteering with us? Feel free to get in touch!