March: Nonprofit Spotlight!
PERIOD The Menstrual Movement
Periods are a natural part of life and I know the feeling of discomfort when having to discuss them or ask for a tampon from a stranger. Imagine not being able to access feminine products. Period poverty is the inability to access menstrual hygiene products and ThinxInc. and PERIOD are in the fight to have free fmenine products in schools plus remove the tax on feminine products.
ThinxInc. is the first period underwear to come on the market.
In 2014, Nadya Okamoto and Vincent Forand started PERIOD. They were high school students who saw the struggle girls went through in needing their feminine products. Since then, PERIOD is a youth-fueled nonprofit who has reached its mission globally. I am dumbfounded by the amount of impact this nonprofit has in the short years it's been around.
PERIOD Mission:
“PERIOD. is a youth-fueled nonprofit that strives to eradicate period poverty and stigma t through service, education, and advocacy. Through the distribution of menstrual products, promotion of youth leadership, and championing of menstrual equity in policy, PERIOD. aims to center those disproportionately affected by period poverty and support local efforts for menstrual equity.”
The two companies are trying their hardest to get the movement aware on a national level. They
did a survey on 1,000 menstruating teens ages 13 to 19, with different demographics. Their beliefs were supported by the findings of this survey. 1 and 5 of the teens did not have access to feminine products. 4 out of 5 teens missed their school or knew someone who missed school due to their period. When looking at the individuals who participated in the survey, 20% have struggled to afford feminine products, 64% believed they should feel ashamed by the societal norms, 80% feel there is negativity surrounding periods, and 79% feel they need to be taught more about the menstrual cycle.
There is way more information within that article, I encourage you to read it here! Bottom line, we should be supporting the youth in this nonprofit to help our future generations to feel better about the stigma around periods.