WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
The education around products that is received at a young age is likely to shape a person’s whole period experience, so in order to make informed choices they need to be aware of the variety of materials available, costs and correct disposal/cleaning methods.
Period education in schools
Conclusions from our pilot, which we ran in 2018 with the support of Anglian Water, identified that:
Periods are not covered in enough depth in schools. There are constraints on time, limited resources and lack of confidence in delivery.
Boys are often left out of the discussion.
Most of the discussion tends to focus on a narrow range of products and rarely touches on disposal.
Education is monopolised by leading brands. We think that it’s vital for students to receive information on ALL the products available to them, not just a limited range. After all, everyone’s physical and economic needs are different.
educational context
WE FOUND THE FOLLOWING IN OUR PILOT PROGRAM:
Pupils felt less awkward or stupid, and more comfortable and confident talking about periods after the programme.
Students were four times more likely to try plastic-free disposables after the lessons.
Students were 25% less likely to use disposable tampons and 50% less likely to use disposable pads after the lessons.
Key learnings were about the different types of products available, the environmental impacts of those products and knowledge around sewage systems and flooding.
Students were three times more likely to try menstrual cups after the lessons.
72% of teachers had previously thought that flushing tampons down the toilet was okay (find out here why we shouldn’t be flushing ANY products!)