From an Oscar-winning documentary (Period. End of Sentence), to a brand new emoji, to new sex education guidelines, periods have been making the news recently!
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. A recent survey has found that more than a quarter of people in the UK have been forced to miss school or work because they cannot afford period products. Previously believed to be 1 in 10 people, this new research suggests that actually 1 in 4 people have experienced period poverty.
In 2017 it was reported that 137,700 young people missed school that year as a direct result of period poverty, on average missing five days each. Young people were found to be resorting to tissues, newspaper, old t-shirts and socks instead of menstrual products. Now a year later, this problem is more prevalent than ever and it needs to be challenged!
The Red Box Project ensures that no one misses school because they have their period by providing free menstrual products to the young people in our local schools!
The project was founded in March 2017 by three friends who wanted to give young people in their local area access to period products. After reading about period poverty in the news, they were angered at the idea that students were missing out on their education because they couldn’t afford the products they needed during their period.
Since then, volunteers across the country have filled boxes with pads, tampons and underwear, delivered them to local schools and refilled them as needed. Kept with a trusted adult, the box is available for any student who needs to access it, no questions asked! There are now over 2,500 boxes in schools across the country supported by Red Box Project volunteers.
We’ve just set up the Oxford City branch of The Red Box Project and are working to support young people in Oxford! We have already set up a box at Oxford Spires Academy, and are planning to expand across schools, colleges and youth groups across Oxford but need your help to do so.
We need donations of pads, tampons and underwear to allow us to keep supporting young people.
You can:
If you have any other ideas or questions make sure to get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!
You can find out more about The Red Box Project here.
The Oxford branch of The Red Box Project is being supported by Oxford Hub, the centre for volunteering and social action. Oxford Hub believes everyone has the power and potential to shape a better Oxford. We run programmes across Oxford where people can make a positive change through practical volunteering, placements with local charities and incubating new projects.
Find out more about what we do at www.oxfordhub.org/projects.
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