ENGSO Youth Launches "Embrace Every Body" Campaign
Embrace Every Body is an ENGSO Youth campaign dedicated to promoting body inclusivity in sport, fostering a positive body image among young people, and encouraging physical activity for well-being—regardless of body shape or appearance.
The campaign was created by Young Delegates Saskia Effert, Rosa Havumäki, and Cedric Vermeiren, alongside EY Communication Officer Polona Fonda, with additional support from Committee Members – Erik van Haaren and Saga Yli-Hannuksela.
To kick off the initiative, ENGSO Youth conducted a survey, asking young people: How do you perceive your body? How does your body image differ in and outside of sport?
The survey aimed to gain insights into young people’s experiences with body image and promote participation in grassroots sports in a way that is healthy, inclusive, and empowering. Additionally, the campaign will raise awareness of what a healthy body image looks and acts like in the world of sport.
The survey revealed some striking insights, such as:
61.5% of our followers, who answered the survey, reported they have struggled with body image.
68.1% of respondents received negative or unpleasant comments, or experienced transgressive or abusive behaviour directed or related to the looks, body weight, body size, body shape, colour…. When asked about what the context or environment of those comments was, the most common answer was “school”, followed by “sport” and “family”.
In our survey, sport outside the school context was marked as a safer place than physical education in school, even if 20.9% answered that teammates were the person or people who displayed transgressive or abusive behaviour.
And we believe we are obligated to work towards prevention mechanisms! Safeguarding and supporting the mental well-being of young people is one of the key working areas for ENGSO Youth.
If you’re a coach or facilitator looking to make your sport sessions more inclusive and inspiring—while prioritizing the mental well-being of youth—explore the resources from our HOORAY project here: www.engsoyouth.eu/hooray