An innovative new program that teaches young women about self-respect and the respecting the rights of others has come to St. Catharine Academy.
The school held workshops designed for its students by Manhattan College assistant professor of psychology and St. Catharine alumnus and former guidance counselor Martha Mendez-Baldwin.
The five-week program seeks to bolster the self-esteem of the girls and get them to think about goal setting, body image, and healthy relationships. Mendez-Baldwin includes activities in the Expect Respect program related to the theme of self-respect.
“Every week we meet in a classroom as a group and talk about a different topic that makes up teenage self-esteem,” Mendez-Baldwin said. “Since I worked as a guidance counselor here, I am able tailor the program specifically to these students.”
Mendez-Baldwin believes that low self-esteem is a major reason why young people get involved with drugs and alcohol, or join gangs.
“I grew up in the Bronx and am familiar with a lot of the same issues that these girls face,” she said. “Self-esteem is of the utmost importance.”
Included in the activities that accompany each session is a project in which the students create a brochure describing who they are as individuals, and a workshop in which a paper doll named Josephine is ripped apart by ridicule.
The doll provides a visual of what it is like to be made fun of or harassed by others. The students are invited to say something mean about Josephine, at which point a piece of the doll, made out of construction paper, is ripped off.
At the end of the session, the students paste, tape, and staple Josephine back together.
“Everyone agrees that it is far easier to rip Josephine apart than it is to put her back together,” Mendez-Baldwin stated. “After putting her back together, we talk about accountability.”
The interactive workshops, which utilize computer technology, are not just for students.
Teachers will complete their own training program during an in-service training day, and incorporate it into the classroom on a daily basis. There are also parts of the program that parents can use. At the end of the program, the students make a pledge to respect themselves, and others.
For further information on St. Catharine Academy, call (718) 882-2882.
