October 30, 2009 - 6:10am
In one corner of a brightly lit room at Vancouver Island University’s Parksville campus, girls from Ballenas Secondary School got tips on shaping eyebrows and applying makeup. In another, the teens were warned about the effects of alcohol.
“It’s so dehydrating to your skin,” said VIU Esthetics program student Genevieve Johnson. She quickly added other obvious drawbacks including the risk of hangovers and the law against underage drinking.
It was all part of an afternoon esthetics “boot camp” offered to girls from Grades 9 to 12.
“It’s good experience for our students,” said Lesley Osborne, chair of VIU’s Esthetics Certificate program. “It also gives the girls from Ballenas ideas on how to take care of their bodies through exercise, hygiene and a healthy diet.”
VIU president and vice-chancellor Ralph Nilson commended Osborne and Jaime Fletcher, a youth outreach worker with Associated Family & Community Support Services, for their creative partnership on the “boot camp.”
“It’s a win-win situation,” Nilson said. “Our students gain valuable hands-on experience as they prepare to go out into the workplace and their young clients get a welcome boost to their self-image and sense of well-being.”
Fletcher, who works with teenage girls at Ballenas Secondary, said the “boot camp” concept was a good fit for the high school teens who meet regularly to talk about challenges surrounding school, family and body image.
The “boot camp” combined demonstrations of manicures, pedicures and facials with a bit of role-playing on conflict resolution and suggestions on relaxation techniques and the use journalling to cope with stress.
“VIU has done an awesome job. The girls are so into this,” Fletcher said as she watched the Ballenas girls gather practical advice and a few product samples.
“Self-esteem is so important. If you feel good on the outside, you feel good on the inside,“ Fletcher said. She added that some of the high school girls are interested in exploring the possibility of enrolling in VIU’s Esthetics program.
“It’s great to reach out to them,” said VIU student Alysa Krupa. “Hopefully, they’ll get an idea of what the university has to offer.
As for her own career Krupa said, “I want to work with the public. In five or six years, I might want to work on a cruise ship or a really nice resort.”
VIU’s eight-month, full time Esthetics Certificate program began at the Parksville campus in May 2009. The first group of 14 students is heading toward graduation Dec. 12. Two rooms at VIU’s Parksville campus were upgraded last spring to ensure the training program prepares students to meet the needs of salons, spas and day clinics on Vancouver Island and beyond.
Students have volunteered their services for a variety of community events performing facials, massages, body scrubs, waxing, manicures, pedicures and makeup application. More than 650 clients have enjoyed the benefits of the program’s practical training as students log more than 500 hours of hands-on work with the public.
Osborne said students are preparing to visit Stanford Place seniors care residence in Parksville as they enhance their skills at working with people of all ages.
“We’re always looking for clients,” Osborne said. The program’s salon is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday with services such as manicures priced at $15 and body massages or facials for $40.
An information session for prospective Esthetics Certificate program students will be held at VIU’s Parksville campus Thursday, Nov. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. Call 250-248-2096 to register.
To book a service from VIU Salon, call 250-248-6419.
For more information, contact Lesley Osborne, Vancouver Island University Chair/Instructor
Esthetics Certificate Program at 250-248-2096 (ext 236) or Lesley.Osborne@viu.ca
Tags: In the Community
