why our program is important in the community

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Because Self-Esteem is the Ultimate in Chic Today’s tweens and teens -- particularly young women -- face many complex challenges pertaining to body image and self-esteem. And while we often think of the fashion industry as the enemy of female well-being, what if it could be put to positive use instead? 

The Building a Better You program is a grassroot organization founded by  Ms. Sharon Y. Decoster in 2002. The program was established as a nonprofit (501c3) organization in 2018. The organization has provided personal development programs to youth in Durham, Wake County, and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years.

   Our fashion-forward approach to building self-esteem and soft skills in females not only acknowledges that today’s young women want to look and feel their best, but also proposes that these two things are -- for better or for worse -- inextricably intertwined. So why not help the daughters, nieces, sisters, and other young women in our lives by empowering them to understand how factors like peer pressure, conflict resolution, interpersonal and decision making skills along with how the media influence everything from what they wear to how they perceive themselves -- not to mention how they’re perceived by other people? 

   It’s unrealistic to try to shield young women from the onslaught of images intimating that how they look is somehow “less than” the models, actresses and other role models they see on television, social media platforms and in magazines. Building A Better You takes a different tack: In actively exposing girls to many different standards of beauty, the program facilitates healthy body image, enhanced self-esteem and, ultimately, self-acceptance.  If you or someone you know is coping with peer pressure, body image issues, or an alternate self-esteem struggle, or have a love for fashion or a desire for a wardrobe makeover, you don’t have to do it alone. The Building A Better You program’s four development workshops help young girls to young adult women between the ages of 12 and 21 lead more focused, confident, self-respecting, productive and responsible lives -- all through the unexpected yet apt medium of fashion. Find Out How