8:47am Friday 20th August 2010
A SPECIAL programme to raise the self-esteem of some of the most vulnerable young girls in the borough has been set up by Town Hall chiefs.
Bolton Council’s adolescent support unit is co-ordinating a sixweek scheme aimed at girls who are under the care of social services after a pilot scheme proved a huge success.
The all-girls group was set up to address the issues around selfesteem, self-care health and sexual exploitation and relationships.
It followed the success of a six-week independence programme run for boys and girls aged 14 to 16 to teach them lifeskills including managing money and information about healthy lifestyles.
Three girls, aged 12, 13 and 14, were referred to the trial sessions by social workers who felt they could benefit from it.
A council spokesman said: “The purpose of the group was to build up the participants’ self confidence and selfesteem.
“To do this they learned about personal safety, had a cooking session, a pampering session, and learned to feel more able to socialise with their peers. Following the success of this six-week course, we will be looking to repeat the sessions to enable more of Bolton’s adolescent girls to improve their confidence.”
The spokesman said that group was put on at minimal cost using the adolescent support unit’s existing budget.
During the session, the youngsters were give one-to-one support to talk about issues they may have.
They also took part in various activities to increase their selfesteem and make them feel good about themselves.
For the final session, the girls took part in a confidence boosting day at the Go Ape adventure park at Rivington.
The spokesman said: “All the girls got a lot out of it, and left feeling more able to socialise with their peers.”
The adolescent support unit aims to divert young people from the care system and provides a service to young people and families.
Between April, 2009, and March this year, 55 young people were referred to the unit.
From The Bolton News published on 8:47am Friday 20th August 2010
