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A fishbowl is a way to get people’s opinion on a certain subject. The way a fishbowl works is there is an inner circle and an outer circle. The participants sit in the inner circle and the observers sit in the outer circle. The participants are asked questions and the observers listen and learn.

The supporters that attended our fishbowl included members of the school board, parents, teachers, community leaders, food services department, and students. From the discussions, a few themes emerged: food content and presentation; mealtime environment; student awareness/knowledge, involvement, and access; and budget issues. After this series of fishbowls, our hope is that most of these issues get improved.

To get involved in the food projects, you can contact Brian Lau at 650-369-1411 x6492 or brian.lau@yfes.

By Seema and Dolores, Sequoia Youth Advisory Board

Not many people give the word self-esteem much thought.  I know I don't.  Hi!  Nimo here again.  In this blog entry, I'll be talking about self-esteem, the down side of low self-esteem and the benefits of having high self-esteem.

The definition of self-esteem is how a person feels about his/herself.  According to a survey of 90,000 students (grades 7-12) from Family First Aid, self-esteem helps people deal with emotional stress.  Higher self-esteem also lead students to be more successful later on in life and make good choices.  Just imagine, higher self-esteem = full ride scholarship to the university of your choice!  Did you know, "teen pregnancy statistics show time and time again that girls who engage in unprotected sex often have lower self-esteem than their counterparts?" 

Lower self-esteem can also lead to depression or suicide.  According to Family First Aid, teens experience low self-esteem because of their appearance, peers, parents and having unrealistic expectations.  By appearance, I mean self image.  Teens tend to have low self-esteem because they are concerned about how they look.  Teens tend to feel bad about themselves when they see that there is an"irregularity" about their looks.  Teens, what I've learned from an issue of Essence (on the cover, it starred Gabrielle Union, Queen Latifah, and Angela Bassett) is that if you have an irregularity in your body, you have to learn how to embrace it and make it your strongest asset.  Don't let it bring you down. 

Low self-esteem can also be caused by a teen's peers.  If a peer is putting down another student or making that certain student feel like an outcast, the outcome of that student's distress will be even greater.  So please, stop teasing someone else who looks different from you.  We are all the same inside. 

To the parents - continuing to put down your child will make them feel unloved.  Parents, lay off on how your child looks.  We know that you are merely trying to help us, but you continuing to put us down makes us feel as if we're not worthy - like we don't ever do anything right.  Unrealistic expectations set for your child tends to put the child's self-esteem down.  An unrealistic expectation is when you expect your child to succeed in being a doctor when in reality, your child would rather just go to an art institute or some other place that their heart desires - other than Harvard, Yale, or Standford.  According to Family First Aid, if parents and teachers expect too much, the student feels that since they're not living up to expectations, they are a failure and thus causing them to have low self-esteem.

Youth, self-esteem is an important aspect of your life.  If you're feeling depressed, suicidal or down, try talking to someone, contact the local resources listed below or call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline (it's anonymous).

Local resources:

YSpacesmc.org - Feelin' Good About Yourself section 

Youth & FamilyEnrichment Services (YFES)
Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF)
Puente de la CostaSur
Family & Children Services
Peninsula Family YMCA

Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1 (800) 273 - TALK

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/