Dear Parents/Caregivers,

We are excited to extend an exclusive invitation to an evening with Taryn Brumfitt, Australian of the Year, founder of the Body Image Movement, and director of the powerful documentaries EMBRACE and EMBRACE KIDS.

Taryn Brumfitt is a renowned award-winning filmmaker, bestselling author, and highly sought-after keynote speaker. Her global message of body positivity and social change has reached over 200 million people worldwide, and speaks to both girls and boys.  As Australian young people continue to express concerns about body image, Taryn’s insights and expertise will undoubtedly resonate with our community.

Event Details:
Date: 21 September 2023
Time: 6.30pm for drinks and nibbles and the presentation starts at 7pm
Location: LEC Auditorium

During the evening, Taryn will shed light on the importance of body image, inclusivity, and fostering respectful relationships. These topics align with our Mission and Vision and features throughout our Pastoral Program in Years 7-12, our Made in the Image of God (MITIOG) Curriculum taught in Religious Education, and the Health and Physical Education Curriculum. By attending this event, you will gain access to the latest evidence-based information presented to students, and the Health and Physical Education Curriculum. By attending this event, you will gain access to the latest evidence-based information.

We anticipate this will be a high demand event, to secure your attendance, please register below.  If you have any queries, please email:  parentpartnership.henley@smc.sa.edu.au

As part of our continued commitment to building strong partnerships between the College and our families through our Parent Partnership projects and our Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives, we are excited to offer this opportunity to come together as a community to support our young people’s well-being and empower them to develop positive body image and healthy relationships with themselves and others.

Warm regards,

Tony Daley
Principal

Register for Parent Session Here

Year 9 students also participated in a session with Taryn and viewed the Embrace Kids Movie – hear from some of our students as to what they took from the session, how it made them feel, and why they feel parents would also benefit from attending.

Australian young people describe body image as one of their top five personal concerns. It’s estimated about 28% of males and 35% of females ages 11-24 years are dissatisfied with their appearance.  Our body image is influenced by many factors including the pressure to conform to appearance ideals.

Having a positive body image helps our young people feel good about themselves and supports their wellbeing. They are also more likely to look after their body in other ways, such as eating a balanced diet and having a positive relationship with food.

Our Pastoral Care programs across the College seek to be proactive in this space, engaging in partnerships with a range of exceptional speakers and organisations. To this end, students in Year 9 will be involved in a session with Taryn Brumfitt and will view the Embrace Kids documentary/movie, during Term 3.

We also encourage parents to take the time to watch the documentary which is now available on the following platforms: Foxtel, Binge and Google Play.  It would be beneficial to have watched it before attending the parent session, but is not essential.

EMBRACE KIDS is an uplifting film by Taryn Brumfitt, which brings together a vibrant collection of stories from young people and famous friends alike, who share their experiences about body image, bullying, advocacy, and more.

The film helps children decode the ways that advertising, social media, celebrity culture, and the diet and fitness industries influence how we feel about our bodies.

The Body Image Movement (BIM) is an international mission to help people embrace their bodies. It was founded on the belief that your body is not an ornament, it’s the vehicle to your dreams. BIM believes that everyone has the right to love and celebrate their body, regardless of shape, size, ethnicity or ability.

We weren’t born hating our bodies. As toddlers running around the backyard, we weren’t thinking about the dimples on our legs or the jiggle in our belly. When we were young, we were free. We said yes to adventures, we jumped into the pool, we danced, we laughed and then… we grew up. We started buying into the toxic messages from people and industries that told us to be anything other than who we are and we ended up here – exhausted, disconnected and hating our bodies.

It doesn’t have to be like this. Just as we’ve learned to hate our bodies, we can re-learn to love them. The message of Embrace has connected with millions of people around the world, and to this day I’ve never met a person that has regretted loving their body more! We walk on this planet for the shortest moment in time, and it was never our purpose to spend that precious time waging a war against our body.

The Body Image Movement is a judgement-free zone. No matter what you’ve been taught or what you continue to believe, no matter what you look like, you will always be embraced by the worldwide crusade that is the Body Image Movement.

Taryn Brumfitt x