News Article

(SPOKANE, Wash.) — For the second year in a row, the Northwest Alliance for Responsible Media (NWARM) and Gonzaga University have partnered with Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and North Idaho to help girls deal with pressures of adolescence.

Through “uniquely ME!,” a national program sponsored by the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, Gonzaga students meet with area elementary and middle school students each week to lead discussions on issues such as peer pressure, relationships and healthy eating habits. The goal of the “uniquely ME!”program is to combat the critical nationwide problem of low self-esteem among adolescent girls through dialogue and group support.
Gonzaga undergraduate and graduate students demonstrated overwhelming interest in the program when applicants were sought to fill available uniquely ME! group facilitator positions in November 2007.

“The pool of candidates was phenomenal,” said Megan Freehan, the NWARM project coordinator. “Selecting only five group facilitators was very difficult, but we feel that the students who were chosen will be outstanding role models for the young ladies in the program.”

While the Gonzaga group facilitators represent a wide range of backgrounds and interest, they all share the common goal of wanting to make a positive impact on the young women of the Spokane community.

The Northwest Alliance for Responsible Media is an organization founded to promote and disseminate research on media effects and media literacy and to organize and educate the region about media literacy and media responsibility. NWARM is part of the Gonzaga Master’s Program in Communication Leadership Studies.

For more information about the master’s program visit the following Web site. For more information please contact the Northwest Alliance for Responsible Media via e-mail or (509) 323-3578.