MY BODY, MY BUDDY: FORGING PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE BODY POSITIVITY AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN

Author : Malaysia

Abstract

Exposure to various notions of physical beauty on social media has led to cases of bullying and body shaming in primary and secondary schools. Partnership projects between universities and local communities can promote body positivity among school children to address this issue. This paper aims to present the perspectives of university students on how a university-community partnership (UCP) project enabled them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote a sustainable lifestyle and positive self-image among school students. This study adopted a narrative research design to describe the university students’ experiences and challenges faced during the implementation of this partnership project. Interviews with the project participants (university student volunteers and partner school students) were triangulated with documentary evidence (i.e., portfolios, journals) and observation field notes. The results from data analysis using ATLAS.ti rendered the following themes: student involvement; key learning from a UCP project; and dealing with challenges in the process. The findings of this research can guide other educators and project developers in higher education ways to design meaningful learning engagements for student volunteers and local communities. It also highlights policy implications for fostering impactful university-community partnerships.