Plan International Canada’s Power Within: Fostering Future Leaders

The Power Within, a project from Plan International Canada, in partnership with Unilever’s Dove brand, strengthens leadership potential in Canada’s youth by fostering selfesteem and body confidence.

There is an inextricable link between self-confidence in youth and leadership in adulthood. This is a fact shared with Plan International Canada (Plan) by many of its Youth Ambassadors and supported by research.

More specifically, Dove’s 2021 Detoxify Beauty Research points to some alarming stats:

• Forty per cent of girls in Canada wish they could be prouder of their body and everything it can do.

• One in five girls have felt anxious about school because of negative comments they have received.

• Two in three girls in Canada “wish the world would focus more on who I am instead of what I look like.”

All in, more than half of Canadian women wish information on how to build their self-esteem was more readily available.

Entering its third year, The Power Within is a three-year partnership with Unilever's Dove brand that seeks to help 1.5 million youth in Canada build their body confidence and self-esteem. It offers free workshops, an online youth community, and downloadable resources for educators, parents and caregivers, and youth aged 10 to

17. With a special emphasis on girls and female-identifying youth, it has already assisted over 600,000 young people.

“One of the most important considerations for a young person pursuing leadership roles is for them to feel a sense of comfort in their own skin,” said Anjum Sultana, Director of Youth Leadership and Policy Advocacy at Plan. “The goal of The Power Within is to foster their resilience, confidence, and skills. By giving these young people, their peers, and their communities tools to build self-esteem, we can remove a significant hurdle from their journeys.”

Rallying young people, educators, parents and social influencers

The free resources — designed by experts in health, education, and psychology — teach skills to build body confidence and self-esteem and encourage dialogue about the media’s influence. Resources have been tailored for diverse backgrounds, including newcomer, LGBTQ2SIA+, and racialized youth.

The Power Within collaborates with schools, youth organizations, community programs and social influencers to reach young people in Canada. Plan also invites young people to shape the project itself and share feedback.

“We have included youth as part of our curriculum review committee and advisory board,” said Sultana. “Young people help design this project and drive this work forward.”

As a young person who has participated in several of Plan’s youth programs and is involved in shaping The Power Within, Arissa R. can attest to this.

“I am particularly passionate about education advocacy, as I believe learning and storytelling are critical to creating any sort of sustainable change,” said Arissa.

The Power Within resources are free and available to all

Accessing The Power Within resources is as easy as visiting PlanCanada. ca/Powerful. Educators can choose from the Confident Me workshops for their classrooms. Young people can download the True to Me workshop and the Proud to be Me workshop for LGBTQ2SIA+ youth. The project also offers a Confidence Kit for parents and caregivers to support the youth in their lives. Ultimately, The Power Within aims to help build better and more equitable societies.

“I’m so proud to be part of a project that recognizes that investing in young people in Canada on their leadership journey also supports society at large,” said Sultana.

“My biggest takeaway is that every conversation matters,” said Arissa. “Sharing a positive message with one young person has a ripple effect that can influence change on levels beyond what I ever imagined.”