A PHOTO SHOOT THERAPY TO RAISE SELF-ESTEEM
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
The incidence of teen bullying is on the rise, with teens all over the world experiencing depression and anxiety, avoiding school, and even losing their lives because of unrelenting harassment. Teens who are shy, isolated or socially awkward tend to be targets for bullies.
Bullies search for victims who they perceive as weak in hopes that they’ll be too embarrassed to report the bullying to an authority figure. Some children are bullied simply because how they look like. They are bullied because of their red hair, frickles or overweight. Having to wear glasses also can cause major problems for some children. Younger pupils have been known to break, to hide or to purposely mislay their glasses rather than wear them.
To take part in the self-esteem campaign in Australia, in 2020 Zita Cherry launched the "Be Your Beautiful Self!" programme to support children and their families. No young person should be held back from reaching their full potential. Low body confidence and anxieties over appearance stop young people being their best selves, affecting their health, friendships and even performance at school.
Some mistakenly think that confidence is something you either have or don’t have. That is not true. Every one of us can build and grow confidence.
(Meaningful Life Center)
HOW CAN WE HELP
Zita Cherry is an award winning portrait photographer located in Brisbane, QLD. We have asked her how can she help children being their photographer.
"While schools and families working together can do valuable work to minimise bullying I can help these children to grow their self confidence too. Living in Australia for the past 2 years I have learned that the children in schools are often bullied. In our community of photographers we talk a lot about this issue and some photographers already took some actions to help with much success. I see every day how people open up front of the camera and I want to use this power to help these children build their self-esteem. I do not just take a photo, I give them a unique experience. Not many children can tell that they have been photographed by a professional on their own.
The session itself is a lot of fun, I ask the parents to be my assistant during the photo shoot which makes the children more comfortable and they open up much easier. 2-3 weeks after the session they come back to receive their beautiful photographs, all mounted in an exclusive portfolio box. I can see the joy and surprise when they look at themself on these photographs. It worked. The first step to raise their self-esteem.
I can proudly say this session is more like a therapy. More and more parents are reaching out to make sure they do everything that can help their children to grow up enjoying a positive relationship with the way they look - helping them to raise their self-esteem and realise their full potential. "
Find more info about the "Be Your Beautiful Self!" session on our website:
20 million children lacking in self-esteem have already been reached worldwide. Over 700 000 of them have been helped in Australia and New Zealand, together we can help 700 000 more.
info@cherryphotography.com.au
Brisbane, QLD
