It was partly Heidi Butcher's experience with body image that inspired her and her friends to make a video on the subject for their Youth Frontiers project.
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"When I was going through it, it was a matter of I'd cover myself up a lot more even in the summer time, so I was really hot all the time," Heidi said.
The Bega High School student's advice for others facing issues around negative body image were "love yourself, you've only got one of you and I like it".
"You don't have to love yourself, but you don't have to hate yourself either," Heidi said.
"You just have to come to the conclusion that is what you've got; you might not love it, but there's someone out there who does."
Along with fellow Bega High Year 8 students Zomai Hourigan and Ally Murnieks she filmed a video that is now on YouTube and is called Negative Body Image - Bega High for their project in the hope it would raise awareness around the subject.
"Hopefully people with eating disorders or who aren't happy with their body will work with themselves to get to a point where they are happy," Zomai said.
They were part of this year's Far South Coast cohort for Youth Frontiers that were showcasing their projects in Bega last week.
Fifty three students from Bega High, the Sapphire Coast Anglican College and Lumen Christi Catholic College participated in the program in the first time it has been run on this large scale in the region.
At the showcase, Bega High mentor Susan Gordon told all of the students how incredible they were.
"I feel our future is quite safe," she said.
"You weren't shying away from all the big issues."
Another group presenting at the showcase were The Bike Boys - a group of four keen mountain bikers and Year 7 students from the Sapphire Coast Anglican College who wanted to build a community bike track.
Finnley McKechnie said the plan was to build a trail that shoots off the bike track that will be built between Bega and Kalaru.
The construction of the track will start next year and the boys will design it and help build it.
"We're going to make it so kids can be more active and can have more sports available to them in Bega," Luke Iodice said.
Another student from SCAC who participated in the program was India Hartley, who ran events to raise awareness of Lyme disease.
"It was important to do that because Lyme disease isn't recognised in Australia so it's important to get that awareness," the Year 10 student said.
Her mother has the disease and she said she knows quite a few others that have also contracted it.
"Hopefully with that awareness we can get the government to recognise it and get treatment for it in Australia," India said.
For their project Lumen Christi's Year 10 students Will Scarlett and Fin Squire wanted to help shops in Merimbula.
After going through several ideas they found pop-up stores to have the most promise.
Will said pop-up stores did not cost rent, which was the biggest issue in Merimbula, and were ways to gain a following.
"If you see something unusual, that's not normally there, you may want to go check it out," he said.
Also from Lumen Christi, Year 9 students Lily Wood and Chelsea Parks plan to hold a screening of the film The Final Quarter at their school later this term to raise awareness of racism.
"It's obvious it's still a very big issue today," Lily said.
"In our community as well there's a lot of racism and it's really sad to think how different people are treated."
Youth Frontiers is a NSW government-founded organisation that goes over the span of six months and helps teach life skills and build self-confidence through support and mentoring.
The program will return to the Far South Coast next year.
Albert McKnight
Journalist at Bega District News.
Journalist at Bega District News.
