Period Positive Charter School Pilot Project
Donation protected
The Period Positive Charter is a bold plan to create a 'fair trade' mark for high quality menstruation education to improve menstrual literacy.
Based on the popularity of the tenets of the Period Positive Pledge, the rise of period positivity movement Chella Quint started while she was a head of PSHE in a secondary school in Sheffield, and the success of other charter marks to effect lasting change in other social justice issues, this charter seeks to acknowledge trained and trusted programs, support a worldwide investment in challenging menstrual taboos, and improve menstrual literacy.
Period taboos and the habits that uphold them lead to negative consequences like period poverty, late diagnoses of reproductive health problems, sustainability issues, unsafe behaviour, gender discrimination, and social exclusion all around the world, including right here in the UK.
The aims of the charter:
- to provide a framework for people and organisations working to create effective long-term solutions to period poverty
- to improve young people's and other service-users' understanding and awareness of reproductive health and how to confidently access support when needed
- to support improvements to organisational infrastructure that create period-friendly environments and policies
- to develop skills among key partners who can serve as local champions of the charter
- to measure organisations by this framework and award bronze, silver and gold level status to participating groups in order to celebrate success and create a network of forward-thinking, taboo-breaking, period positive people!
About #periodpositive :
The #periodpositive campaign and the concept of period positivity started as a phrase and then a hashtag coined by former head of PSHE, comedian and education researcher Chella Quint and grew into a movement.
#periodpositive uses humour, joy, and evidence-based learning activities to empower everyone to look at periods in a new way, find their voice, and work together to reverse the effects of negative attitudes.
Through policy advocacy, training, campaigning and tons of public engagement, we provide the building blocks that help young people, adults, organisations, and lawmakers to quickly and effectively transform the way we as a society address periods.
We strive to ensure that no matter what your gender, whether you menstruate or not, you’ll feel more confident and comfortable talking about menstruation publicly and privately, so that you can do your part and join the bloody fight.
Support #periodpositive so we can make this happen and keep it going long term!
From #periodpositive founder Chella Quint:
The charter serves as a valuable catalyst for transforming the menstruation landscape for young people now and in the future. It doesn’t just challenge taboos – it dramatically improves the environment that maintains the taboos, and encourages everyone in participating schools, hospitals, other settings and their wider communities to be a part of that culture shift.
Many schools and Learn Sheffield itself have already agreed in principle to the work - it's just a question of funding. The project has been tested across the city and throughout the UK through research at Sheffield Hallam University, through DECSY's Gender Respect Project and via #periodpositive itself.
Several cities want to take this on but Sheffield was the first, and since this is my adopted hometown where I first started the project, I want to see it through, and don't want the city's lack of funding to deter the work. Due to austerity the budget simply isn't there. With your support, we can make the commitment to sharing best practice far and wide and showing the world what we can do.
£10000 will allow for 35 full-day workshops to take place at schools in Sheffield, including training teachers, preparing and delivering practical workshops to pupils, providing kits of reusable product libraries to teach with, sharing resources that develop during the pilot, and holding briefings with the whole staff team to ensure that pupils are supported to challenge menstrual taboos at every level. This will be followed up with five days of evaluation and report writing.
Once this pilot programme is completed and evaluated, it will be possible to apply for larger funding bids and establish the #periodpositive charter scheme as a non-profit to develop a sustainable programme.
Testimonials and accolades:
The resources Chella has developed received national recognition from leading sexual health charities Brook and FPA for delivering innovative sex and relationships education to young people.
“This change in law means that the Government will be looking to develop new RSE guidance, and we’re keen to make sure that the decisionmakers are aware of the very best examples such as this. We hope that the programme being delivered by #periodpositive will be replicated across the country, so that all young people can benefit from the high quality, age-appropriate relationships and sex education they deserve." – Family Planning Association (FPA) Chief Executive Natika Halil
“#periodpositive provides well-researched guidance on menstruation education which is an essential element of gender equality work in all schools. The Gender Respect Project at DECSY recommends the #periodpositive Charter and it will be incorporated into a wider Gender Equality Charter Mark being developed with other European countries.” – Helen Griffin, Education adviser, DECSY (Development Education Centre, South Yorkshire)
“It was WONDERFUL to meet you and my daughter looked like a huge weight was off her shoulders, she smiled a lot after. It worked!! You have normalised and lightened her load and I am forever grateful Chella. I feel you did in an hour what weeks of family therapy has been unable to do and you did with such sensitivity, kindness and sweetness AND on top of that made it fun and informative and hugely funny too, you really have helped us so much. Thank you so hugely.” - A parent in London
"It was such a pleasure to have you in and the students just loved the session. I had some of those students the next morning (still wearing their stains, as was I!) and they wanted to share the experience. We had a really positive discussion and I found that you had given the students the confidence to push back at some challenging questions and statements from their peers." - UCL Academy Director of 6th Form
"With her games, props and jokes, Quint seems to work some sort of magic." - Abigail Radnor, The Guardian
Based on the popularity of the tenets of the Period Positive Pledge, the rise of period positivity movement Chella Quint started while she was a head of PSHE in a secondary school in Sheffield, and the success of other charter marks to effect lasting change in other social justice issues, this charter seeks to acknowledge trained and trusted programs, support a worldwide investment in challenging menstrual taboos, and improve menstrual literacy.
Period taboos and the habits that uphold them lead to negative consequences like period poverty, late diagnoses of reproductive health problems, sustainability issues, unsafe behaviour, gender discrimination, and social exclusion all around the world, including right here in the UK.
The aims of the charter:
- to provide a framework for people and organisations working to create effective long-term solutions to period poverty
- to improve young people's and other service-users' understanding and awareness of reproductive health and how to confidently access support when needed
- to support improvements to organisational infrastructure that create period-friendly environments and policies
- to develop skills among key partners who can serve as local champions of the charter
- to measure organisations by this framework and award bronze, silver and gold level status to participating groups in order to celebrate success and create a network of forward-thinking, taboo-breaking, period positive people!
About #periodpositive :
The #periodpositive campaign and the concept of period positivity started as a phrase and then a hashtag coined by former head of PSHE, comedian and education researcher Chella Quint and grew into a movement.
#periodpositive uses humour, joy, and evidence-based learning activities to empower everyone to look at periods in a new way, find their voice, and work together to reverse the effects of negative attitudes.
Through policy advocacy, training, campaigning and tons of public engagement, we provide the building blocks that help young people, adults, organisations, and lawmakers to quickly and effectively transform the way we as a society address periods.
We strive to ensure that no matter what your gender, whether you menstruate or not, you’ll feel more confident and comfortable talking about menstruation publicly and privately, so that you can do your part and join the bloody fight.
Support #periodpositive so we can make this happen and keep it going long term!
From #periodpositive founder Chella Quint:
The charter serves as a valuable catalyst for transforming the menstruation landscape for young people now and in the future. It doesn’t just challenge taboos – it dramatically improves the environment that maintains the taboos, and encourages everyone in participating schools, hospitals, other settings and their wider communities to be a part of that culture shift.
Many schools and Learn Sheffield itself have already agreed in principle to the work - it's just a question of funding. The project has been tested across the city and throughout the UK through research at Sheffield Hallam University, through DECSY's Gender Respect Project and via #periodpositive itself.
Several cities want to take this on but Sheffield was the first, and since this is my adopted hometown where I first started the project, I want to see it through, and don't want the city's lack of funding to deter the work. Due to austerity the budget simply isn't there. With your support, we can make the commitment to sharing best practice far and wide and showing the world what we can do.
£10000 will allow for 35 full-day workshops to take place at schools in Sheffield, including training teachers, preparing and delivering practical workshops to pupils, providing kits of reusable product libraries to teach with, sharing resources that develop during the pilot, and holding briefings with the whole staff team to ensure that pupils are supported to challenge menstrual taboos at every level. This will be followed up with five days of evaluation and report writing.
Once this pilot programme is completed and evaluated, it will be possible to apply for larger funding bids and establish the #periodpositive charter scheme as a non-profit to develop a sustainable programme.
Testimonials and accolades:
The resources Chella has developed received national recognition from leading sexual health charities Brook and FPA for delivering innovative sex and relationships education to young people.
“This change in law means that the Government will be looking to develop new RSE guidance, and we’re keen to make sure that the decisionmakers are aware of the very best examples such as this. We hope that the programme being delivered by #periodpositive will be replicated across the country, so that all young people can benefit from the high quality, age-appropriate relationships and sex education they deserve." – Family Planning Association (FPA) Chief Executive Natika Halil
“#periodpositive provides well-researched guidance on menstruation education which is an essential element of gender equality work in all schools. The Gender Respect Project at DECSY recommends the #periodpositive Charter and it will be incorporated into a wider Gender Equality Charter Mark being developed with other European countries.” – Helen Griffin, Education adviser, DECSY (Development Education Centre, South Yorkshire)
“It was WONDERFUL to meet you and my daughter looked like a huge weight was off her shoulders, she smiled a lot after. It worked!! You have normalised and lightened her load and I am forever grateful Chella. I feel you did in an hour what weeks of family therapy has been unable to do and you did with such sensitivity, kindness and sweetness AND on top of that made it fun and informative and hugely funny too, you really have helped us so much. Thank you so hugely.” - A parent in London
"It was such a pleasure to have you in and the students just loved the session. I had some of those students the next morning (still wearing their stains, as was I!) and they wanted to share the experience. We had a really positive discussion and I found that you had given the students the confidence to push back at some challenging questions and statements from their peers." - UCL Academy Director of 6th Form
"With her games, props and jokes, Quint seems to work some sort of magic." - Abigail Radnor, The Guardian
Organizer
Chella Quint
Organizer
