Period Dignity in RSA: Breaking the Stigma and Making Period Products Accessible
By Marie Li, Year 13 pupil
It is a pleasure for all of us in the Period Dignity Team to inform you that RSA has launched our new Period Dignity scheme!
For anyone who hasn’t heard of this amazing scheme yet: ‘Period Dignity refers to the accessibility and availability of essential care needed to support a period, in conjunction with the breaking of stigma and taboo around periods.’ says the CCEA Period Dignity website.’
We are proud to be in the 25% of schools across Northern Ireland to participate in the scheme and would also encourage the remaining 75% of schools to support this incredible initiative to break the stigma and provide support to anyone who needs it!
We are hoping as a school community to help break the stigma around periods by introducing feminine hygiene products in bathrooms to provide those in need with essential menstrual products. We will also be educating young people in the school about periods, covering a range of topics from period health to period poverty. We are trying to make this an all-inclusive scheme, and we will be taking it one step at a time to try and reach our goal.
Miss Sproule, teacher in charge of Period Dignity in RSA said:
‘If you think about it, periods impact around half of our school population, every month. Girls are often made to feel embarrassed about this, and some simply don’t receive the information, support or products that they need. The Period Dignity Scheme is aimed at dealing with this issue by raising awareness and providing educational tools and products in an effort to dispel the taboo around periods. It is, frankly, well overdue. Both girls and boys should be taught to understand the impact that they can have on girls’ bodies, mental health, purse strings and indeed the environment.’
To start us off, we have placed boxes filled with feminine hygiene products in some of the main bathrooms. These are for anyone who may need them, especially when it might have caught you off guard, be it your first period or not, as well as anyone who might struggle to get access to feminine hygiene products at home.
To our pupils: You can find these boxes in the main Girl’s Locker Room bathrooms, the ones upstairs from the Dining Hall and those out by Business Studies. Please make sure to encourage others to use the bathroom boxes properly, as we want everyone to be able to access the products when they need them.
If you have any questions or suggestions about Period Dignity, or if there is something in particular that you would like to know more about, feel free to drop us a message on Google Classroom or talk to any member of the Period Dignity Committee!
