Butterfly Body Bright

Organisation / Service

Butterfly Foundation

Butterfly Body Bright takes a whole school approach to support positive body image in children. Developed by Butterfly’s Prevention Team, Body Bright is a strength-based, evidence-informed program designed for Australian primary schools – for students in Foundation to Year 6.

The program aims to promote healthy attitudes and behaviours towards the body, eating, and physical activity in children so they can thrive both at school and in life. Body Bright provides resources and support to teachers as well as their broader school community. The program helps school staff to address the modifiable risk and protective factors associated with body dissatisfaction and disordered eating through the six Body Bright themes (Brave, Resilient, Inclusive, Grateful, Happy and Thoughtful). These themes aim to empower students to be BRIGHT in their bodies so they can thrive socially, emotionally and academically.

The Body Bright curriculum is also mapped to Health and Physical Education curriculum and provides Australian primary schools and their communities with all they need to help foster a healthy body image in children.

National Strategy Standards and Actions

Prevention

Standard 4: Home and family, school, work, health, online, and sports, fitness and performance environments bolster protective factors and reduce risk factors.

Action 4.3: Primary and secondary schools to implement whole-of-school policies and procedures to drive a culture of body appreciation and positive relationships with food and eating, promote wellbeing and mental health literacy, including taking a harm minimisation approach across all curricula and a zero-tolerance approach to appearance or identity-based teasing and bullying.

Standard 5: Prevention programs are evidence-based and accessible, meeting the needs of people from different ages and backgrounds.

Action 5.3: Eating disorder service development and lived experience organisations to continue to provide evidence-based training, resources and support for people providing prevention programs or interventions (e.g., school staff, sports coaches, workplace wellbeing managers).