Cherish is a six week course inspired by conversations around the manicure table. Over the 6 weeks women and young girls are invited to learn manicure techniques whilst discussing life issues including low self-esteem, depression, self-harming and eating disorders.
Cherish believes we are all created in God’s image, saved by grace and recipient of God’s mercy. Women of all ages have had their self-image distorted by unachievable female stereotypes, portrayed by contemporary culture. Teenage girls are most vulnerable, often bombarded with pressure to have the right body image. Cherish aims to offer a safe place where women can be listened to, feel cherished and restored to the person God created them to be. Empowering women to shine through their own humanity.
Cherish introduces women to the book of Esther which has been the inspiration behind the course. The story of Esther Shows us how important it is to look after ourselves, particularly our hands that get such a pummelling. The nail treatments remind us of the preparation that Esther went through before being presented to the king. As we cleanse and remove the dirt from our nails and hands it is like erasing the things in our lives we need to discard. There are also healing properties through touch and practical elements such as hand massage which helps with circulation.
Like Esther Cherish is about women’s stories, their faith journey’s and how many have overcome adversity and challenges in their lives with God at their side. Each week we hear testimonies from women which are relevant to the theme, either via video or the written word.
Media and relatable Youtube clips also bring the Cherish sessions to life and is a memorable way to bring each session to a close. At the end of each session the young women are presented with a complementary bottle of nail varnish with a cherish tag attached with a relevant scripture reference written on the reverse. On completing the course the girls receive a cherish manicure kit which they can use to bless others with their newly acquired skilled.
Over the last six years Cherish has been run in a variety of settings including Secondary school sixth form, youth groups, primary schools womens days and most recently from the participants own homes via zoom. Feedback shows that Cherish has been well received overall and we have learnt that it works well as an early intervention within a primary school environment as by the time they reach sixth form it is difficult to build relationships. Women we have run the course with wish they could have dealth with these issues earlier, but it has also helped them understand and try and help their daughters.
