Brook  Let's Talk. Period.  Healthy Lives For Young People

Let's Talk. Period. Delivering education and free menstrual products to vulnerable and/ or disadvantaged young people who menstruate, aged 12-25 Funded by the Tampon Tax, through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Mention the specific criteria that we look at, specifically FSM and Homeless youth but also: Care leavers Young carers  Asylum seekers  Young people missing from home Young parents Young people experiencing issues with housing Young people with mental health needs Young people defined as a ‘Child in Need’  Young people regularly missing school, due to period poverty (this may be a hidden reason – for ex, they may call in sick)  Young people with special educational needs or a disability

Locations Teesside Liverpool Manchester West Midlands Bristol London Cornwall Liverpool London Manchester Teesside West Midlands Locations Bristol 4 London Boroughs – Lambeth, Southwark, Barking and Dagenham and Hackney

Plan International UK: Break the Barriers Report 42% of girls have been forced to use makeshift products such as toilet roll, socks and newspaper because they’ve struggled to afford products 27%of girls in the UK have used a sanitary product for longer than the recommended time because they couldn’t afford a fresh one 48%of girls in the UK feel embarrassed by their period Let’s Talk. Period is being run in partnership with girls rights charity Plan International. Break the barriers report published in January 2018 survey of 1004 girls aged 14-21 in the UK - their experiences of menstruation. Over a quarter didn’t know what to do when first started their period. The “Toxic Trio”: high price of products, lack of education, stigma and shame.

Partnership with Plan International UK Wider research Community of practice Onward grants to tackle period poverty Community of Practice: Promote learning, share best practice, promote partnerships and provide an opportunity to expand on the ground breaking work already being done to tackle the toxic trio. (cost of sanitary products, lack of education, shame stigma and taboo)

Tackling Period Poverty through Education We provide a range of pads, tampons and menstrual cups – however much they need for their periods But deeper problem is the stigma and lack of information as well as being able to afford products as we can see from the stats Education element of the project is just as important as the distribution of the products – feedback from schools and homeless shelters (story from Evolve) We educate to ensure safety and ensure hygiene. Informed decisions about how to manage their periods and what products to use Ability to recognize what is normal for them and their bodies so they will be able to recognise signs of infections or medical complications  Teaching young people to look after themselves so they become independent and empowered through knowledge of their own bodies. Empowered young people will be able to advocate for themselves in the long run, and get the support they need. 

Our Education Sessions We address: Anatomy The menstrual cycle Hygiene and period products Myth-busting Self-Care (getting to know your own body & managing your symptoms) When and where to seek medical advice THE FORMAT - In schools/ colleges ideally run the education sessions for 1 hour with 30 minutes on the end to distribute products to each young person, seeing up to 15 yp in a group at a time so they feel comfortable to ask questions. When working in other organizations such as supported housing, youth groups, youth offending service etc we run these less formally with hands on activities for shorter amount of time and often when seeing small numbers it can turn into more of a chat to answer any questions they have. - For under 16s – 1 month supply - Over 16s – 3 month supply Ongoing basis until March 2020. SUCCESSES In both schools and other organizations a great thing about the sessions that is clear to me is that the young people involved at first feel embarrassed, they’re not used to talking about vulvas, vaginas and periods - but then they open up have a huge amount of questions for us. Referals! – A benefit of the project being run by Brook is that we’ve been able to easily make referrals to the sexual health clinical team when needed – as sexual health inevitably comes up and so do concerns when talking about periods.

    We also encourage young people to get to know their bodies and cycle. If they know what is 'normal' they would then be able to identify when something isn't right and seek medical help. An example of this is the period tracker which we provide for everyone we distribute products to. This allows them to track when their periods are due, how long they last for, and any symptoms they regularly have. This is a helpful tool for these young people as they begin to acknowledge what is normal for them which can then be a referenced when something comes along which they are concerned about. We always recommend young people visit their GP if they are worried about their sexual health or pregnancy. 

Targets To work with 4,450 disadvantaged young people across the project. In London, to reach 970 young people by September 2019. To continue engagement with at least half those young people through till the end of the project.

Where we are at in London 553 young people 11 mainstream secondary schools 3 homeless organisations 2 youth groups 1 care leavers group 1 youth offending service 1 FE college 2 pupil referral units

Where next? Pilot – internal and external evaluation Importance of follow-up encounters A holistic approach, not just products Feedback from schools – education! Including boys in the discussion Staff training ‘P Card Advisors’ Youth ambassadors A ‘pan London’ scheme?

Contact Details Jo Newbery Project Coordinator: Let’s talk. Period. London Jo.newbery@brook.org.uk

Thank you. Any Questions?