Teen Boutique
Jim Grahn - Director
Phone: 812.2886451 ext 2301
Email: jgrahns@casi1.org
Teen Boutique
One of the burdens low-income students carry is low self-esteem. Improving self-esteem can improve cognitive functioning, raise IQ by several points, and even increase willingness to seek help. Infusing low-income students with feelings of self-worth reduces the psychological barriers that make it harder for low-income students to make good decisions. Simple acts of self-affirmation improve the behavioral and educational outcomes of low-income students.
Community Action of Southern Indiana’s Teen Boutique program improves self-esteem and independence by allowing low-income students to purchase $100 of new clothes for school. The students have a choice between various stores and get to select clothes that reflect their personal tastes and style. Feelings of self-worth are increased and the student gets to look good at school.
The pressures of poverty are constant and even though Teen Boutique does not solve the root causes of poverty, it does allow low-income students to look good and feel good.
Community Action of Southern Indiana’s Teen Boutique program will not, by itself, solve poverty. It will, however, help to build self-esteem and independence in low-income students. Since increased self-esteem leads to better performance in school, increased IQ, greater willingness to seek help, better socialization, and more, Teen Boutique is a good first step towards solving the larger issue of poverty.
Community Action of Southern Indiana supports and empowers individuals and families who are striving to reach self-sufficiency. CASI provides life enhancing opportunities for individuals and families desiring to experience extraordinary change in their lives. For low-income middle and high school students it may be difficult to experience a life-enhancing experience. Teen Boutique gives low-income students the simple life-enhancing experience of going shopping for new school clothes. This simple and small act builds self-esteem and independence in students which leads to many other educational and behavioral benefits.
What We Do
Community Action of Southern Indiana’s Teen Boutique provides the opportunity for teens to shop for some new clothes at local, easy to get to stores. Middle and High School students in Clark and Floyd counties are referred by a CenterStone in-school caseworker who knows the student and her or his needs.
The student is given a $100 gift card to be used at Citi Trends, TJ Maxx, Burlington, Maurices, Plum Polka Dots, Wal-Mart, or another store, which student may select. The student gets to enjoy shopping and looking great in the clothes she or he selects.
A big part of a students’ self-esteem is wrapped up in how they see themselves and fashion can raise students’ self-esteem. A new outfit is a simple way to help students feel better about herself or himself and since the students are shopping for themselves, they can choose clothes that reflect their own sense of style.