Hello Qraters!
On the 28th of September, we hosted two menstruation workshops in ONE day. Our facilitators Felicia and Candice started the morning with a workshop at Brescia House in Bryanston for the girls of grade 7s, 8s, and 9s. As part of the Menstrual Project, Brescia House is committed to ending period poverty by donating period products to schools in need. Their teacher, Mrs. Williams is very passionate about the power of education and felt the need for the girls to learn about everything period related.
The fun-filled and jam-packed workshop kickstarted with our fun icebreakers to ease the girls into the workshop. Following that a video took the participants on a visual journey of the experience of the first period in a world of full-fledged period positivity and support for periods. The workshop included an eye-opening quiz that assisted the participants to debunk numerous menstrual myths and taboos. This activity aided to contextualize the challenging circumstances that millions of menstruators face around the globe. Following that, the students were tasked with participating in a period poverty quiz that allowed them to understand the dire circumstances that menstruators in South Africa and the rest of the world have to face every single month. In our final activity, we did our favorite task the Alien Game where five girls were nominated to present period products and explain the use and purpose of each period product. In conclusion, the girls did a period pledge to remain committed to building a period-positive world.
Brescia House High School Teacher, Genevieve Savary-Williams thoroughly enjoyed the workshop in particular in highlighting the economic challenges menstruators faced in South Africa. She even discussed the plans for Bresica House to be involved in donating period products to other school organizations in Johannesburg in the upcoming future.
Later on in the day, we teamed up with The Pad Princess to deliver a quick menstruation workshop for the girls of Sparrow Combined Technical Skills School in Melville. The Pad Princess has recently launched their own dignity kits that include reusable pads, period underwear, and toiletries that young menstruators require when on their period. As part of their program, The Pad Princess team invited Qrate to deliver a presentation on understanding periods and in particular understanding how to take care of period products.
The girls of Sparrow Combined Technical Skills School had a lot of engaging and important questions which added to the positive mood of the workshop. Facilitators Candice and Felicia spent a lot of time going into the biological process of periods and in particular dispelling any myths and stigmas around period products.
We can confidently say that the girls of Sparrow Combined Technical Skills School and Brescia House are Edulifted about periods!