Week 5 - The End Is Here!!

We have finally come to the end of our interactive documentary making! Our final product is exporting and now all we have left to do is present!

Our interface image is a bedroom, which within it has various objects which you can interact with. 

The phone links to our Girls Out Loud helpline which displays various questions which the user can click on and a radio interview will play. The safari button on the phone links to a quiz surrounding our topic of popularity to ensure there are features within the documentary where users can participate. 

The laptop links to our various social media platforms and our blog so that users can familiarise themselves with our production process, interact with surveys, learn more about the charities and view various facts and images surrounding the theme.

The television holds our two main interviews with The Shine Project and Step4ward. There is information about each organisations, introductions to the founders and professional opinions and advice.

The make up bag offers facts about each topics while also having videos portraying teenage girls experiences and opinions so users can relate to the project while also learning about other peoples histories. 

With our project submitted, all we have left to do it prepare for our presentation tomorrow to make sure we show off our work to the best of our ability.

Overall we are very happy with our project and the final product is much better than we even envisioned it being. The long hours and mild hysteria have been worth it!

Who can help? Place2Be

In order to put ourselves in the shoes of the girls we are trying to represent, we are speaking to two different help services. these organisations are specifically tailored to help young people including teenage girls through the pressures of life

We will be speaking to Place2Be who are a national charity providing emotional support for children in schools. Their mission is to enhance the wellbeing and prospects of children and their families by providing therapeutic support in schools, using a proven model backed up by research and training. They want to help build a world where 'children have the opportunity to grow up with prospects rather than problems', using perseverance, integrity, compassion and creativity.

During the 2013-2014 academic year, Place2Be supported 3692 children and young people through over 55,500 one-to one counselling sessions. 29,894 children and young people came to their break-time 'Place2Talk' sessions

(https://www.place2be.org.uk)

Follow Place2Be on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theplace2befans
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Place2Be
or visit their website: https://www.place2be.org.uk

Who can help? Girls Out Loud

In order to put ourselves in the shoes of the girls we are trying to represent, we are speaking to two different help services. these organisations are specifically tailored to help young people including teenage girls through the pressures of life.

Girls Out Loud is a big sister programme that offers teenage girls trusted guide to help them through the challenges of growing up and empower them to channel they potential and make better life choices.

They are a UK based enterprise set up in 2009 who's mission is to raise the aspirations of young girls between the ages of 13-18. They facilitate intervention programmes in schools and have launched a nationwide mentoring programme called BIG SISTER which involves recruiting and training role models from a diverse background to mentor teenage girls for 12 months. They aim to embed a more empowering mindset in girls to reconnect them to education, help them achieve exam success, broaden their aspirations, encourage them to find an individual voice, take risks, make better life decisions, improve their self image and become role models for future generations.

(http://girlsoutloud.org.uk)

Follow Girls Out Loud on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Girls-Out-Loud-125170127519788/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/girlsoutloudorg
Or visit their website: http://girlsoutloud.org.uk

Who can help? The Shine Project

We're looking forward to talking to Anne Clarkson from the Shine Project on Friday. The Shine Project aims to provide support, friendship and encouragement to young teenage girls using a variety of different approaches.

Check out their website for more information: http://shineproject.org.uk/

The Statistics

Upon researching our topic, we have learnt a lot about the pressures that teenage girls face. Here are the main facts and statistics:

“Most damningly girls feel that adults are out of touch with new threats to their wellbeing - leaving them struggling to find the adequate support and information they need to remain resilient in the face of increasing pressures. 82 per cent of girls aged 11 to 21 say adults don't recognise the pressure they are under. But despite the challenges taking a negative toll on their lives - girls remain hopeful and determined to change the world for young women.”

(http://new.girlguiding.org.uk/latest-updates/making-a-difference/girls-attitudes-survey-2015)

General Facts:

Girls' mental well-being worries start from as young as seven – escalating as they get older with two in five girls aged 11 to 21 needing to seek help with mental health concerns.

62 per cent of girls aged 11 to 21 know a girl their age who has experienced a mental health problem, while almost half of girls aged 17 to 21 (46 per cent) have personally needed help with their mental health.

82% of girls and young women aged 11-21 feel that adults don’t recognise the pressures that young people are under. (http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/pdf/GAS_15_website.pdf)

81% of girls and young women aged 11 to 21 reportthat in the past week they have experienced or observed some form of everyday sexism. (http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/pdf/GAS_15_website.pdf)

The top wish among all teen girls is for their parents to communicate better with them. This includes frequent and more open conversations.

Body Image

What is body image?

This can include a person’s thoughts and feelings about their weight, shape, skin colour, size, height and their appearance more broadly. The development of body image is complex and research demonstrates that it can be shaped by an individual’s mind-set and biology, as well as the influence of peer groups, family, media, and the society and culture in which we live. Two people could look identical but have a very different body image as a result of these influences.

http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/861233/appg_body_image_final.pdf

7 in 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members. (https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem)

Among high school students, 44% of girls and 15% of guys are attempting to lose weight.  (https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem)

Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks. (https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem)

Over 80% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat.

One in three girls would consider cosmetic surgery. - Girl Guiding UK, Girls Attitude Survey 2010

More than 90 percent of girls – 15 to 17 years – want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance, with body weight ranking the highest. -Girl Guiding UK, Girls Attitude Survey 2010

42% of girls and young women feel that the most negative part about being a female is the pressure to look attractive. - Girl Guiding UK, Girls Attitude Survey 2010

42% of girls and young women feel that the most negative part about being a female is the pressure to look attractive.

One in four 7 year old girls have tried to lose weight at least once.

90% of girls and young women believe that TV and magazines focus too much on what women look like rather than what they achieve - GirlGuiding UK

Education

Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members. (http://www.isacs.org/misc_files/SelfEsteem_Report%20-%20Dove%20Campaign%20for%20Real%20Beauty.pdf)

70% of girls aged 7 to 12 agree that boys and girls do have equal chances in life.

Sexuality:

Recent surveys of teenage girls and young women find that roughly 15% of young females today self-identify as lesbian or bisexual, compared with about 5% of young males who identify as gay or bisexual. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sax-sex/201004/why-are-so-many-girls-lesbian-or-bisexual)

According to the International AIDS Charity, Avert, studies have shown that the average age gay and lesbian young people begin the process of coming out is now 16, compared to the 1980's when it was between 19 and 23. (http://www.webmd.boots.com/sex-relationships/features/coming-out-teenage-sexual-orientation?page=3)

These are a number of the issues we will be addressing during our documentary. Follow us on twitter @prettypressures or like our Facebook page Facebook.com/prettylittlepressures for more information!