Workshops for Educators

We have developed two educational offerings geared to educators. The first focuses on spotting the signs of disordered eating and eating disorders and supporting students who are affected. We'll be sharing standard best practices in health and educational policy to give you the tools you need to act in a responsible and compassionate manner. The second is geared towards school climate and curriculum, and is fully customizable. Choose any of the seven available topics topic(s) that addresses the needs of you and your colleagues.

Please note that there is no requirement to complete the workshops sequentially (e.g., if your group is only interested in booking the second workshop, there is no prerequisite knowledge required from the first).

Workshop #1: Spotting the signs and supporting students who are affected

This 60 to 90-minute presentation provides educators with:

• An introduction to eating disorders and their warning signs
• A look at eating disorder risk factors from a bio-psycho-social perspective
• An introduction to eating disorder prevention
• An overview of weight bias and sizeism
• Resources for helping students who may currently be experiencing food and weight preoccupation or an eating disorder.

Workshop #2: Discussing practical curriculum and school strategies to support our youth

This presentation includes seven topics to choose from. After selecting this workshop on our booking form, you will receive an email from a NEDIC team member asking you to indicate your selected topics. You can mix and match as many as you’d like.

The Intersectionality of Eating Disorders: Making School a Safe Space

15 minutes

• Eating disorders do not develop or exist in isolation, nor is anti-fat bias the only contributing factor; experiences of racism, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and other forms of oppression all contribute to poor mental health, and can exacerbate or cause eating disorders and disordered eating. Learn why making your school a safer and more positive environment for all students is an important step in eating disorder prevention.

Media Literacy and Life Skills

15 minutes

• In this section, explore how the media can contribute to distorted body image. Perfect for English, Social Studies, and Media Literacy teachers, we’ll introduce you to a hands-on activity you can do with your students and provide plenty of examples of how easy it is for social media posts to fool children and youth...and adults too!

Addressing Body-Based Bullying

30 minutes

• Body-based bullying is the most prevalent type of teasing that students observe in schools (Puhl, Luedicke, & Heuer, 2013) and yet it is the least likely to be reported to teachers. In this section, learn how to respond to reports of body-based bullying through an interactive activity, and understand how you can be a positive role model for your students.

Promoting a Weight-Inclusive School Culture

20 minutes

• In this section, you’ll learn about weight-inclusion at school. We’ll provide you with some examples to consider to determine whether your teaching practice fosters acceptance and liberation, and give you some tips on how you can begin to shift in that direction.

Body Image and Mental Well-being

10 minutes

• It’s tough for students to feel well and focus on their studies when they’re caught up in preoccupation with their size and shape. This section will focus on how the concept of embodiment, helping students unpack what it means to have a positive experience in and with your body. We’ll also examine important habits that support mental well-being, which you can pass along to your students.

Exercise and Movement

10 minutes

• Are you a Physical Education teacher? Do you coach a school team? Are you a homeroom teacher responsible for leading DPA? In this section we’ll explore how diet culture co-opts movement and turns what should be pleasant - even joyful - activity into a dreaded, but necessary task. We’ll offer an alternative framing of exercise that you’ll be able to take away with you to enrich your students’ relationships with movement and their bodies.

Food and Nutrition at School

15 minutes

• Food is delicious, energy-giving, and connecting. But what happens when students receive messaging that the way they eat is wrong? For many students, food is a fraught topic as they have received conflicting messages from peers, adults, and media - many of which are steeped in diet culture. In this section, we’ll explore how you can encourage students to embrace a way of eating that makes them feel good, and address the role of schools and educators in food and nutrition.