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By undertaking this project our team hopes to dissolve this issue by encouraging individuality and setting realistic expectations by which we hope to reduce judgement and improve self-esteem amongst students and those in our locality.
Our Social Issue
We aim to tackle the social issue of excessive comparison. Social media is fuelling the spread of unrealistic expectations which can lead to a lack of self-esteem and social anxiety. These problems together can lead to people having a fear of standing out and being different. We aim to encourage Individuality, embrace diversity and dismantle unrealistic expectations
Why We Chose It
We knew from the start that we wanted to tackle an issue under the umbrella of "mental health". So, with this in mind, we originally tackled comparison in relation to it's discouragement of difference and diversity, with the slogan 'BE YOU' (Boldly Embrace Your Own Uniqueness). After having a YSI workshop with a YSI representative we decided we needed to change our focus to a more niche issue that we believe we could have a greater impact on, and felt more passionately about- comparison on social media, as it especially affects young people.
Our Goal
Our goals for our project include educating the public on how to identify filtered or deep fake videos and how unrealistic social media standards can be. In addition to this we aspire to encourage individuality and help people to become comfortable and confident with themselves. We also are very eager to roll out our module on a larger scale. After receiving support from Jigsaw through the YSI Den, we hope to get in contact with the Minister of Education to potentially have our Media Module become part of the SPHE curriculum and be taught in schools around the country.
Our Innovative Action
As a part of our YSI project we have done the following: Educational lock screen initiative, Day in the Life Film, Survey, Halloween Dress-up day, Multiple Social media series: Sheep or Shepherd, Embarrassing Stories, Instagram vs Reality, A full-school 'I am proud of' board for Wellbeing week, Created a 'Media Module' and presented it to 1st years. We were successful in the YSI Den in receiving mentorship and support for our module. We reached out to Ireland's Youth Mental Health Charity- Jigsaw, and have a collaboration with them in the works. YSI Information Board, School-wide posters and announcements,
Our Impact
Through our series of varied but effective actions, we have much improved the level of awareness about comparison on social media, how to spot false posts, the impacts on your mental health and the prevalence of it in today's society. We covered the school through actions such as the Halloween dress-up day, Wellbeing week, our Media Module, our posters and YSI Board, and PA and school app announcements. On the other hand, we used the YSI Den, our collaboration with Jigsaw, our film, our lock screen, and our widespread social media presence to promote our message to a wider community.