2. SELF-CONCEPT How you see yourself Your thoughts about yourself Your beliefs about yourself How you feel about yourself What you feel of others’ thoughts of you What you value Self-knowledge

3. Your Self Concept Self-image Looks and Style School Work College Health Body and Mind Fitness Friends Relationships Money Budget Possessions Other General influences, values, beliefs

4. The importance of self-concept as a shield that protects from positive and exploitive influences Why are we more dependent on what others think and say when we don’t appreciate or respect ourselves? What internal and external forces help us appreciate ourselves more?

5. Discuss strategies for strengthening self- concept Be a friend to yourself. Take care of your body and mind. Learn to accept the parts of yourself you don’t like. Set and work toward personal goals; reward yourself when a goal is achieved. Choose friends who support you. Guard against negative self-talk; practise self- encouragement. Let others know what you need. Care for other people in a way you would like them to care for you. Get help for dealing with deep feelings of negativity or worthlessness (e.g., in the case of troubled or abusive family life).

6. Activity: Creating your personal Charts INTERESTS, APTITUDES, and SKILLS CategoryIn SchoolOut of School Art It’s okay Marks are average Like doing perspective Design t-shirts Make posters Like doodling Music Like playing the flute Learning to read music is interesting Performing is exciting Listen to it all the time Go to concerts Buy CDs of my favourite musicians Sports Like phys. Ed. Am on intramural teams Swim a lot Am on a hockey team Play baseball Technology Use the computer as much as I can Use the internet Like making things out of wood Program the VCR Use the computer Fix bicycles

7. VALUES & ATTITUDES CategoryActivityBeliefs Friends Group work is fun Talk a lot in class Talk on the phone Friends should be: Honest, Supportive Dependable, Fun Helping Others Read to younger kids Help kids with special needs Helping younger kids makes me feel good about myself Homeless people need our help Family/Culture Eat together Keep up my cultural traditions My family means a lot to me Eating together keeps the family together Family traditions are important Health/Fitness Am very active Like being outside Love food Eating good is healthy Playing sports is good exercise Staying at home when you’re sick stops germs from spreading Attitudes Work hard in school Am friendly Am optimistic Doing well in school is important Helping others is good Being positive makes everything easier

8. Self-Evaluation Questionnaire Complete the questionnaire individually and honestly.

9. Journal Statement Starters I can show people what I like and who I am by… I am important and I need to let people know that by…

10. Tape black bristol board to the wall. Place an overhead projector facing the wall, so the light shines on the black paper. Trace each other’s silhouette on the black paper using the light shining on the wall. Cut out the silhouettes. Glue phrases or pictures from magazines to the silhouette that depict your likes, dislikes, talents, interests, challenges, and attributes. Trace a border (approx. an inch thick) around your silhouette and be sure to keep this border clear of any writing or pictures. After you have created your collage, you must share and explain your creation. Following this activity you will be completing a “Self Silhouette” Evaluation.

11. Self Silhouette Evaluation 1. What are some of your likes, dislikes, talents, and challenges? 2. Which of your talents do you think is most important to you? Why? 3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Why? 4. What did you discover about yourself that you hadn’t realized before? 5. Name three classmates and something you discovered about each of them that you didn’t know before.