2011 Scholarship Entry #134: Kelsey Latawiec

As a young Canadian woman I have experienced one of the biggest challenges facing my peers and young girls in Canada today. Although it is not a new issue, young women are pressured to subscribe to and fulfill what has been defined as the 'ideal woman' by the media. Women today are influenced by media and advertising more than ever before. Many teenage age girls and young women today have a distorted sense of self because of the unrealistic body types and behaviours given to females in media and advertising. These expectations that girls adopt for themselves have serious implications for their mental and physical health. It should come as no surprise that young women are prone to developing eating disorders and suffering from serious health issues. In whatever form it presents itself, over eating, over exercising, depression, obesity, all are signs that something is wrong.

Having worked with children and youth, and through my own life experience I have witnessed how difficult it is to be a girl growing up, and I have made it my goal and a lifelong endeavour to help girls and young women overcome their fears and lack of confidence in themselves. I am fortunate to have many avenues with which to help me achieve this goal. In the fall I will be returning to university to complete my degree and become a teacher. As a teacher I plan on creating a safe space for students where they can come to be appreciated for who they are, as they are and to share problems that may be affecting their lives. Because I will teach fashions, food studies and science, I hope to teach in a way that gives my students practical skills and the ability to recognize misconceptions in any area of their life. This way I would hope to instil confidence and self esteem and the ability to stand up for their unique talents, gifts and attributes.

Another way that I will reach out to girls and young women is through community sports. I am a figure skating coach and I curl competitively and volunteer at the local curling club. I believe that sports are a great way to increase confidence and give youth the chance to establish healthy relationships in which they are accepted for who they are.

I think that I am in a great position to help young women overcome these unrealistic expectations that have become engrained in their minds because of the role that I play, and will play, in my community as a coach, teacher and confident and driven young woman. I hope that I will be able to have a positive impact and fulfil my goal to counteract the negative impact that the media has had on the self esteem of young women.