Fostering positive body image & preventing disordered eating in youth sport

Thanks to the gracious support of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council’s Partnership Engage program and the Mitacs Accelerate program, NEDIC, Western University, and the University of Toronto were able to partner to develop a program that aims to foster positive body image and prevent disordered eating among girls engaged in youth sport.

While this new program, entitled Athletes Embodied, is still under development, sport stakeholders across Canada were invited to participate in focus groups last year and we’d love to share our initial findings with you.

In this one-hour webinar, attendees will:

• learn about work underway to build tools for coaches, peer athletes, and sport organizations at the local, provincial, and national level to foster positive body image and prevent disordered eating in girls engaged in youth sport
• review de-identified focus group results collected from 59 sport stakeholders across Canada
• provide insight into key questions still remaining
• be introduced to a new website hub where you can follow this work as it develops further

FAQs

Who is this webinar for?

Anyone interested in supporting the mental health and well-being of girls engaged in youth sport. Targeted invites have been sent to sport organizations at the local, provincial, and national levels to update them on the progress of this work. People and organizations supporting those impacted by eating disorders might benefit from learning about the work that is underway in this area to help clients and their families find more information about this underserved topic.

What platform are you using?

This webinar will be offered via Zoom.

How do I join the webinar?

Create an account at zoom.us, then download Zoom onto your computer, tablet, or phone. You will receive an email with the Zoom meeting link one hour before the start of the webinar. Keep in mind that other attendees will be able to view the name that you use to register for your Zoom account. Your name can be changed in your account settings.

Zoom is used for video conferencing. Do I have to turn on my camera?

No, camera and mic use is optional. You are welcome to just listen and participate to whatever extent you are comfortable with. Attendees will have the option to participate through chat, unmute and share, and through Mentimeter — an anonymous, online platform.

Will this webinar be recorded?

Yes. This webinar will be recorded and posted onto YouTube a week after the live date.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Get in touch with Ary Maharaj through e-mail at aryel.maharaj@uhn.ca.

About the facilitators

Kelsey Sick completed a BSc in Kinesiology at the University in Calgary and MA in Kinesiology at Western University. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology with a research interest in body image and mental health. Specifically, her work focuses on exploring how body-related comparisons and evaluations contribute to global self-worth and mental health. Working predominantly with female adolescents, the results of this doctoral work will be used to disseminate evidence-based strategies to inform theory and practices promoting healthy adolescent development. Kelsey is also the co-founder of UR Enough.

Vanessa Coulbeck recently graduated from the Honours BA in Kinesiology program at Western University and is a first-year MA student in the Psychological Basis of Kinesiology. Vanessa’s research interests include body image and psychoeducational practices related to involvement in sport and physical activity. She is also interested in emotion regulation processes (self-compassion & mindfulness) with intuitive physical activity promotion in adolescent females. She hopes to see this research be used in physical education contexts and sport federations/foundations to promote a positive uplifting environment and improve sport and physical activity adherence throughout their lifespan, with a greater appreciation for being compassionate and mindful towards the self. Non-academic interests include hiking, yoga, sunset chasing, cottaging and adventuring around the earth.