{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Words: Annabel Rose | Pictures: Paul O\u2019Connor","standfirst":"Scouts are linking with period charities to learn about menstruation, period stigma, period poverty \u2013\u00A0and what they can do to help.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19977/200223-028-1.jpg","width":3573,"height":2382,"altText":"SOWA Discovery- project planning","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EPeriods go by many names, such as \u2018shark week\u2019, \u2018code red\u2019, or \u2018moon time\u2019 sound familiar. But, menstruation affects pretty much everyone, whether they menstruate or not. Periods aren\u2019t dirty, shameful or scary, but without the right products and knowledge they can be tricky to manage.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt doesn\u2019t help that conversations are restricted to half of the population. \u2018There\u2019s still period stigma and that keeps people stuck,\u2019 explains Gabby Edlin, founder of \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.bloodygoodperiod.com/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EBloody Good Period\u003C/a\u003E, a period charity that distributes menstrual products to asylum seekers and refugees.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMark Arnold, Broadstone Scout Troop Section Leader, saw an article about period poverty and the importance of men knowing about menstruation. Determined to eliminate period stigma, the whole Troop spent an evening learning about period poverty, menstruation, and where exactly you put a menstrual cup.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0027Period poverty\u2019 occurs whenever someone can\u2019t access the products they need to have a healthy period. Most commonly that\u2019s situations where people can\u2019t afford menstrual products,\u2019 explains Gabby.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESometimes period poverty means delaying changing, or using lower quality, products. Sometimes it means not having them: \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://plan-uk.org/about-us/advocacy-policy-and-research/publications/break-the-barriers\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Break the Barriers: our Menstrual Manifesto (Plan.uk)\u0022\u003E10% of young people who need menstrual products are unable to afford them\u003C/a\u003E. In the worst cases, people resort to alternatives including toilet roll, newspaper and even socks. Period poverty is uncomfortable and unhygienic, and it interferes with daily life: it causes 137,000 young people in the UK to miss school regularly.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBroadstone Scouts worked with \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022http://redboxproject.org/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Red Box Project\u003C/a\u003E, a period charity that provides pads, tampons, and new underwear to schools. Although young people will soon have access to free menstrual products in schools (in England, Scotland and Wales), it\u2019s likely that period charities will still be needed. They\u2019ll be essential during weekends and school holidays (and for people who don\u2019t attend school), but they also provide education around periods.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20765/two-women-and-a-male-volunteer-chatting-one-of-the-women-is-making-a-heart-shape-with-her-hands.jpg","width":5000,"height":3333,"altText":"Three volunteers are chatting, one of them is making a heart shape with their hands.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEducation gap\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPeriod poverty is only part of the problem; distributing products is only part of the solution. Period poverty \u2018can apply not only to a lack of access to products but also to what we call \u201Ca poverty of knowledge\u201D\u2019, explains Gabby, \u2018There\u2019s a whole knowledge gap affecting people for a variety of reasons.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat was surprising was that everyone at Broadstone Scout Troop (including the girls and Young Leaders) lacked knowledge. \u2018Nobody guessed what the menstrual cup was,\u2019 says Mark, \u2018and there were lots of incorrect guesses in the relay race quiz too\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBroadstone Scout Troop isn\u2019t unusual. Research found that one in seven young people didn\u2019t know what was happening when they started their period. The image of Scouts mistaking a pad for \u2018a big bandage\u2019 or a cup for \u2018a miniature ice cream cone\u2019 is amusing; the effects of poor menstrual education are anything but.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEducation helps everyone realise that people who menstruate need both products and access to facilities. \u2018In schools,\u2019 says Gabby, \u2018people are told they can\u2019t go to the toilets in the middle of lessons, which can be really distracting and even dangerous if you have your period.\u2019 Homeless people, and disabled people who need a hoist, can also struggle to access suitable toilets.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWithout education, people also don\u2019t know when to seek help. \u2018There are people with \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Econditions like endometriosis\u003C/a\u003E,\u2019 explains Gabby. With endometriosis, cells like the ones in the uterus lining grow elsewhere. Every month, they build up, break down, and bleed in the same way as a period, but the blood can\u2019t escape. Symptoms can include pain, fatigue, bladder and bowel problems and painful or heavy periods. \u2018It affects one in 10 who menstruate, but can take up to 10 years to diagnose and recognise,\u2019 Gabby continues. Education helps people with a range of conditions know when things are symptoms \u2013 not just something \u2018normal\u2019 to be endured.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy reducing period stigma, education also reduces menstruation-based shame and teasing. When Mark held up products, \u2018there were a few cringey faces\u2026 one of the girls was absolutely mortified\u2026 there was some \u201Cuuugh\u201D noises and a few red faces\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2028In the UK, nearly half of young people who have periods are ashamed of them. Such shame about a regular bodily function has a negative effect on mental health. Teasing can come from people of all genders, but research found that a lot of worry and embarrassment around menstruating at school stems from the anticipation of adverse reactions from boys.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018When we\u2019re on camp and one of the girls gets her period,\u2019 says Mark, \u2018you don\u2019t want the boys laughing or making jokes if they catch sight of a pad or a tampon. You just want a bit of understanding and to normalise it.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20012/two-girls-wearing-harnesses-and-crate-building-theyre-holding-onto-each-other-and-wearing-helmets.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"Two Scouts in orange helmets and harnesses hold on to each other while crate stacking.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPutting the \u2018men\u2019 in menstruation\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Boys would traditionally have been asked to leave the room when the girls \u201Chave the talk\u201D about periods,\u2019 Gabby says. We often separate the genders at school when we\u2019re teaching about puberty, but it\u2019s useful for everyone to know about periods. \u2018Just because someone doesn\u2019t experience something doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t have empathy,\u2019 she continues. When Gabby started speaking to men about periods for her podcast, it was \u2018heartening how much [they] wanted to be involved\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut how do you start that conversation? For Mark, it was important that it wasn\u2019t solely led by women. \u2018From the boys\u2019 point of view, they\u2019d expect the knowledge from a woman. I think it was helpful for them to hear it from a man,\u2019 he says. \u2028\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGabby also thinks it can be useful: \u2018It\u2019s understandable if they don\u2019t feel like the right person to explain, but if they can be there while it\u2019s happening\u2026 it can really help with getting the message across that this affects everyone.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMark researched online, and invited a local Red Box Project representative, Sara. She was pleased to find everyone getting involved: \u2018The boys weren\u2019t frightened of handling products and asking questions\u2026 they were genuinely interested,\u2019 she recalls.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/2879/leader-talking-jpg.jpg","width":1500,"height":1000,"altText":"Leader sat amongst a group of young people talking to them ","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECall it what it is\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs most volunteers know, young people can be capable of more than we might expect. When Gabby explained what Bloody Good Period was to some eight year olds, \u2018they all understood it immediately. Instinctively. They were too young to have developed any of the shame that older young people can fall prey to. They understand it very logically and literally\u2026 that some people bleed from their vaginas on average once a month and that was just how it was. It was a mere bodily function to them, as it should be.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMark was ready to deal with some more emotive reactions from the Scouts. \u2018I knew they\u2019d go into it with lots of giggles and a few sniggers and disgusted looks,\u2019 he says. \u2018For some it was funny, for some a bit difficult, but I was really impressed and proud!\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBroadstone Scout Troop haven\u2019t stopped there. They now have their own red box, topped up by the group with supplies for anyone who needs them. They\u2019ve sent information to parents and carers; any donations go straight back to the Red Box Project.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMark also shared his resources online. \u2018I know of at least four groups who have run that night,\u2019 he says. \u2018That was a massive positive, and I was really happy about that. I\u2019m hoping to run the same sort of thing for the other Troops in our group as well.\u2019\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022/news/2019/september/how-to-break-the-stigma-around-periods/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022How to break the stigma around periods\u0022\u003ECheck out our resources\u003C/a\u003E to find out how you could run a session about menstruation to help Scouts tackle period stigma and period poverty.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18108/210510_squirrels_1562min.jpg","width":2000,"height":1333,"altText":"Two volunteers, wearing hoodies and jumpers, talk to each other while standing in a field.","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"30 September 2019","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":40265,"nodeName":"How are Scouts tackling period stigma and period poverty?","title":"How are Scouts tackling period stigma and period poverty? ","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/3775/3.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd30f86aa0","caption":"Period resources","type":"jpg","size":154048,"width":496,"height":279,"altText":"Sanitary items such as pads and tampons. "},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How are Scouts tackling period stigma and period poverty? ","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Scouts are linking with period charities to learn about menstruation, period stigma, period poverty \u2013\u00A0and what they can do to help.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80MDI2NSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2019/september/how-are-scouts-tackling-period-stigma-and-period-poverty/"}