PART 1:    SELF-ESTEEM AND THE RULER OF PERFECTION

Purpose:    To establish a safe learning environment

Length of Time:    Fifteen minutes

Materials:    Handout - Ground Rules

Instructor's Notes:

Please note that these series of workshops are intended to be delivered to groups of women who have decided to attend voluntarily.

• Welcome participants. Briefly introduce yourself and ensure that everybody is made aware of the location of the washroom, breaks and smoking locations.

• When starting a class working on self-esteem issues, it is very important to establish a safe and comfortable environment for the participants to allow them to talk freely without fear of their confidentiality being broken, i.e., what goes on in the class/course stays in the class/course. It is also important that people are not judged because of the comments that they make.

• It is important to emphasise that the group is closed, i.e., nobody new will be joining the group.

• The participants are probably a little apprehensive and nervous about such a course. Reiterate that being here says they recognize that they want to change by developing a greater awareness of self, that the issue of self-esteem is an issue they want to address in their lives and that this is the first step towards personal growth.

• Participants take part to the extent that they are comfortable, i.e., they are encouraged to share and participate on their terms.

• The tasks anchor the learning in the class. They are also reality based and intend to add meaning to the participants' lives. There are no right or wrong answers. The purpose of the exercises are to heighten awareness and to help participants make changes in their lives.

Method:

1. Review Ground Rules as provided.
2. Ensure that there is agreement amongst the participants.