EDUCATORS
the real period project
Educators
Create a positive menstrual culture in your school – raise girls’ attainment and attendance and provide high quality menstrual education.
We are working towards a world where periods are taught as part of the whole menstrual cycle and it is safe to talk about and experience menstruation whatever your age, gender or location. This begins in school.
Research has found that 1 in 8 girls will start their periods in primary school (1). In their 2018 study, Plan International (2) found that 1 in 4 girls they spoke to didn’t know what to do when they started. 49% had missed at least a day of school because of their period and 48% were embarrassed by it.
Girls tell us that they are afraid of leaking during lessons, that period pain can be so bad that they stay at home, and that teasing and embarrassment keep them away from school during this time.
We want to change this.
We want schools to be friendly, supportive, safe places to have your period. We want everyone who will have periods to feel prepared before they start and supported once they have. We want everyone, whether they’ll have them or not, to know all about periods and the menstrual cycle, and for teasing and shaming to be a thing of the past.
We are excited to see a growing amount of great work going on in this field. Please check out our Charting for Young People sessions. We also recommend ReThink Periods and Chella Quint for engaging and inspiring school sessions, Robyn Steward for help teaching young people with autism about periods, and Hey Girls who provide great resources for schools (see below).
