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Uniquely Herself
How Dominique Dawes Is Helping Preteen Girls By Teri Brown
In a time when athletes are disappointing children and parents alike with their self-serving, often out-of-control behavior, it is a breath of fresh air when one of them detaches themselves from the pack to stand for something. Dominique Dawes, a member of the gold medal winning "Magnificent Seven" 1996 Women's Gymnastic Team has decided to do just that. Dawes agreed to become the spokesperson for The Girl Scout/Unilever Self-esteem Program for preteen girls. The uniquely ME! program is designed to foster self-esteem in girls, ages 8 to 14, in the United States and Puerto Rico, with a focus on girls in underprivileged communities.
The two-year-old old program uses a core curriculum focused on helping girls develop the skills necessary to face the challenges of growing up. It consists of three activity booklets: uniquely ME! The Way to Be, uniquely ME! Inside & Out and uniquely ME! The Real Deal. All booklets are available in both English and bilingual English/Spanish versions.
Along with the booklets, each Girl Scout council may choose to offer hands on activities such as mentoring, community service or sports. The goal of the program is to inspire girls to a higher sense of self-esteem and pave the way for an easier and empowered adolescence.
"I actually met with a Girl Scout representative a few years ago who mentioned that they were working on a new self-esteem program," says Dawes. "Since self-esteem is such an important issue to me, I told her I would love to get involved in the program in some way. I kept in contact with her until uniquely ME! was ready to launch and eventually became the national spokesperson."
Dawes has traveled all over the country talking to young girls about self-esteem issues. Such civic-minded activities aren't unique to the championship gymnast who has been given many awards for her off-the-mat deeds, including the 1995 Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award, an honor presented annually to two outstanding athletes who have demonstrated good citizenship.