Tackling self-harm, suicide and sexual violence through The Butterfly Project
The Butterfly Project has evolved over the years as we respond to the changing needs of our beneficiaries. The pandemic had a devastating impact on the lives of many young people. We have received an increasing number of referrals. These were in relation to school refusers, self-harming behaviour, suicide attempts and sexual violence. Continue reading to find out how we are tackling self-harm, suicide and sexual violence through The Butterfly Project.
Depression and anxiety
We meet girls and young women, with high educational attainment, struggling with depression and anxiety. Many more have undiagnosed and diagnosed learning needs such as ADHD and autism.
Last year 50% of the beneficiaries referred to our programmes had a special education need or learning disability. We know all these factors place a lot of pressure on the teaching profession, parents, carers, families and the wider community.
Improving self-esteem and identity
Our six-week Butterfly Project covers self-esteem and identity. It is important that the young women we work with leave the programme with a stronger sense of self worth and respect. This means taking control of their lives by adopting healthy lifestyle choices and seeking support when necessary. Our sessions on resilience and boundaries includes; effective communication, healthy relationships and exploring positive coping strategies for stress and anxiety.
We complete the project with two sessions on goals and aspirations. A very important outcome is that each participant learns from their mistakes and is confident about their future. In 2022/23, using the Gifted Star (self-assessment tool), the percentage of young people reporting improvements in key areas were as follows: identity 77.5%, health 75%, support 75%, coping 70%, harm 65%, relationships 70%, learning 85%, future 95%, communication 70% and accountability 79%.
Concerns about misogynistic attitudes among peers
Recently several participants on the Butterfly Project have shared their concerns about misogynistic attitudes among their peers and inappropriate sexual advances that is abusive and in some instances this has resulted in permanent exclusion. It is important that this behaviour is challenged and never normalised.
The Gifted now takes a whole school approach and delivers 20 minute assemblies on ‘Abuse, Boundaries and Consent’.
Butterfly Arts Awards Programme
Our programmes adopt a creative approach that enables each individual to assess their emotional wellbeing and work through The Gifted’s guided journal. Often the six weeks Butterfly Project is just the right amount of time for a preventative intervention.
However, some participants would benefit from a longer engagement and deeper impact, so we have developed the Butterfly Arts Awards Programme (Bronze and Silver). This 18 – 24 week intervention is ideal for those who are at risk of exclusion or have low attendance and attainment – as it offers a level 1 and 2 qualification. Hertford Regional College recently stated that attendance is high on a Thursday, when we deliver our workshops.
Promoting positive mental health
The Gifted programmes are renowned for promoting positive mental health and wellbeing among young people but the Butterfly Arts Awards offers so much more:
- increased confidence and self esteem
- leadership and project planning skills
- self-motivation and aspirations
- social skills and teamwork
- knowledge and creativity within the arts
If your school is interested in finding out more about our programmes or would like to discuss hosting an after-school programme for your pupils, do not hesitate to get in touch with us or join our next Webinar and what we’ve learnt from five years of delivering the Butterfly Project on 18 July 2023, 3.45pm.
To register for our upcoming webinar, please click here.
If you would like to book an assembly in the next academic year (Sept 2023/2024), please email lucille@thegifted.org.uk
