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19 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,F ebruary 14,2019 w aterloochronicle.caR 00 14 92 92 49 NOWOPEN!! Largest Buffet in Town! All You Can Eat Buffet Open 7 Days a Week Lunch 11am to 2:30pm • Dinner 3pm to 9:30pm LUNCH: $12.99 • DINNER: $15.99 (Pop included in Buffet) TAKE OUT MENU AVAILABLE ALL DAY TAKE OUT BOX $9.99 519-742-9000 700 Strasburg Road, Kitchener (Forest Glen Plaza) www.spiceindia.ca when she finally learned how to love herself and soon after, she started em- powering other women and teaching them how to love their bodies. She started a body positivity group on Meetup.com, which quickly reached 1,000 people. But it was al- so at that point that Gmeindl realized she was acting as more of a "fire- fighter" than anything. Her aim was to avoid the fire in the first place by creating body positivity in youth. The scientific of the murals in washrooms came from what she learned during her en- glish and sociology degree from Wilfrid Laurier Uni- versity. It was during that time she realized that so- cial change can be most influenced by social insti- tutions - like elementary schools. The only completed project is currently at St. John Catholic Elementa- ry School in Kitchener. When she first came up with the idea, she reached out to her network of friends and asked if any- one knew an elementary school principal. Through a friend, she connected with St. John principal Paul Gladding, who was immediately on board with the project. Gladding said it was a nice opportunity for the school to do something in the bathrooms and spread the positive messaging. "Just the notion of hav- ing positive messages up was great," said Gladding, adding that he was pleased that Gmeindl was open to using the school mascot and motto in the painting. The local Catholic schools are currently par- ticipating in what is called the "Umbrella Project" where the focus is instill- ing gratitude, grit, self- compassion, autonomy, mindfulness, resilience, intrinsic motivation, in- tegrity and hope in stu- dents. "It's super important that we're really empha- sizing positivity in how we treat people," said Glad- ding. "It's human nature to be competitive and I think that puts us in a sit- uation where people aren't always as kind as they could be because they always want some kind of advantage." Gladding said the feed- back from the students has been positive. "The kids have been thrilled about it. It's just a really nice thing for them to see and for them to be proud of. If anything, it might be a subconscious reminder. Being sur- rounded by positivity like that is just going to re- mind them." Gladding said for some students, bathrooms can be an escape where they can get away before re- turning to class. For them to be in a positive environ- ment can help, whether it's on a conscious or sub- conscious level. Since the first installa- tion, Gmeindl has re- ceived offers from other schools that are looking to pay out of pocket to have their bathrooms painted. The projects are funded through sales of Gmeindl's clothing line, Libella Activewear, which is set to officially launch at the end of February. Five dollars from each item sold, currently head- bands and T-shirts, will go toward the project. Everything may be coming together now, this has been in the works for a while. Originally coming up with the idea about three years ago, Gmeindl received federal funding to start her business. She said she wanted to "be the change" when it comes to advertising of clothing. "I want to change the way women are depicted in media and advertising," said Gmeindl. While women are the focus of Libella, Gmeindl said it was important that boys be included as well. The project currently has a painter contracted, and is in talks with a local hardware company about funding for painting sup- plies. The idea is spreading like wildfire and for Gmeindl, who admits she "hasn't done a stitch of marketing," said she's glad to see that the idea has caught on. Anyone interested in having a mural painted at their institution can con- tact Erika Gmeindl at eri- ka@libella.ca. COMMUNITY Continued from page 1 FROM HER OWN EXPERIENCE, LIBELLA FOUNDER WANTED TO NIP SELF ESTEEM ISSUES IN THE BUD Libella project artwork in St. John Catholic Elementary School. Supplied by Erika Gmeindl THE ISSUE: BULLYING AMONG YOUTH LOCAL IMPACT: LOCAL SCHOOLS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THESE INSPIRING MURALS IN THE BATHROOM "It's human nature to be competitive and I think that puts us in a situation where people aren't always as kind as they could be because they always want some kind of advantage." - Paul Gladding, St. John principal STORY BEHIND THE STORY Word of mouth has spread the news of Erika Gmeindl's efforts.