uniquely ME!
The Girl Scout/Unilever Self-Esteem Program

By Wendy DeGiglio

	National spokesperson Dominique Dawes and girls at Connecticut Trails Council spring-break camp.

A solid partnership between Girl Scouts of the USA and Unilever has produced an exciting program armed at raising self-esteem in girls ages 8 to 14.

Two years ago, Girl Scouts of the USA and Unilever, one of the world's largest consumer products companies, partnered to develop uniquely ME! The Girl Scout/Unilever Self-Esteem Program. Since its birth, the program has spawned bilingual education and training materials, enriching volunteer efforts on the part of Unilever employees and creating dozens of success stories in the arenas of girls' development and self-esteem.

Raising Awareness

uniquely ME! The Girl Scout/Unilever Self-Esteem Program was designed to address the issue of low self-esteem among young girls, a major factor behind risky behaviors such as eating disorders, substance abuse, and school drop out. The program consists of a national drive to learn more about and raise awareness of youth self-esteem. At the same time, it includes community-based activities to aid in girls' development. The Unilever U.S. Foundation generously donated $2.76 million to Girl Scouts of the USA for development of the program.

An exciting component of the uniquely ME! program has been the participation of gymnast and Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes, who has served as the national spokesperson. She has traveled across the country to send an important message to girls about appreciating their own strengths and qualities. Earlier this year, Dominique stopped in at Girl Scouts, Connecticut Trails Council spring-break camp and had this to say: "Concentrate on your strengths, set goals and never give up. Learn to appreciate each other's unique qualities."

Facing Life's Challenges

GSUSA and Unilever worked together to produce booklets covering issues relevant to today's girls. The booklets cover such topics as body image, friendship, stress reduction and peer pressure. "We've gone through the uniquely ME! booklets like crazy," said Kathy Stanley, Girl Scouts-Heart of Missouri Council's associate executive director. "We've had to order them all twice!"

With quizzes, story-writing activities, and descriptions of fun activities for girls ages 8-14, the booklets are designed to help girls build life skills. A companion booklet for adults offers guidance on working with girls of this age. Available to all Girl Scout leaders, the booklets can serve as excellent jumping-off points for discussion and to help develop ideas for projects and events.

Leaders who use these booklets to implement the uniquely ME! program do not need expertise in every topic to be a successful mentor, just a willingness to listen, try new approaches and provide a positive environment.

Community-Based Voluntarism

While the uniquely ME! program is available to all Girl Scouts, 13 councils located in areas where Unilever has a significant presence are working directly to implement the project. As a result, local Unilever employees have gotten involved. They are mentoring girls, as well as participating in community service projects and other volunteer activities. Like the uniquely ME! program, Unilever volunteers are focused on one goal: to make a positive impact on the development of girls' lives.

Alexandria Towe, a Unilever employee who volunteers in Unilever's Greenwich, Connecticut, office, said, "I'm proud to be associated with a program that does so much to help teach young girls important lessons that will guide them through life. I remember when I was a confused pre-teen, I know just how alone you can feel without some guidance."

Gail Legaspi is another Unilever employee who volunteers in the Greenwich office. Gail admitted to having had little interaction with girls this age until her experience with uniquely ME!

"I got a real sense that many young girls don't have the luxury of regular interaction or attention from adults," she said. "It was gratifying that I could in some way fill an important role by interacting with the girls." Gail said she found the curriculum straightforward and easy to share with them.

Meeting Specific Needs

The 13 Girl Scout councils implementing the uniquely ME! program designed their projects to suit specific council needs. And it's working. Following are some recent uniquely ME! highlights:

1. At Girl Scouts, Connecticut Trails Council girls ages 6-15 visit their incarcerated mothers twice a month through the "Girl Scouts Beyond Bars" project. This is one of several nationwide projects that helps build better relationships between mothers and daughters in such challenging circumstances.

2. Volunteers at the Girl Scout Council of Northwest Georgia organized a local fashion show for girls and their caregivers. The girls modeled the latest styles, learned about nutrition and got tips on how to reduce stress.

"It was a great way to showcase Girl Scouting and to underscore the value of the uniquely ME! program to the community," said program specialist and outreach coordinator Gayle Dixon. "Girls who never saw themselves as models took on a different role. They can't wait for next year's show."

3. Girls from Girl Scouts of The Calumet Council in Indiana found out how community service can help build self-esteem. The girls distributed information at a local mall about child-abuse prevention, collected two vanloads of food for the Salvation Army and cleaned up a local park.

4. Puerto Rico's Caribe Girl Scout Council is working with the mayor's office, the Department of Education and the Special Communities Office to bring Girl Scouting to the municipality of Las Piedras, an area that has not served girls for several years. So far nearly 700 girls, close to 200 Unilever employees and over 100 adult volunteers have participated in the island-wide program.

uniquely ME! booklets, patches and charms can be ordered through National Equipment Service (NES) by calling 1-800-221-6707 or online at the Girl Scout Shop.

Girls ages 8 to 10 can also earn the bilingual participatory patch for completing the activities, while young women ages 11 to 17 may earn the uniquely ME! charms.

Adapted from LEADER, Winter 2003. © Girl Scouts of the United States of America.