Laura is a maths teacher at Park View School in Tottenham. She studied Arts and Sciences at UCL before teaching, and has a history of youth work with young people in informal education environments. Laura is an alumna of the Be Her Lead’s pilot programme in Spring 2019.
Introduction: hope through activism
Laura’s tweet about the letters her students sent to their local MP, David Lammy, was picked up immediately and helped the girls feel like their actions could make a difference.
When I began teaching, I knew that at the heart of my passion to teach was the opportunity to help students believe in the power of their own voice. Having grown up in a youth movement, I knew what it was like to feel powerful enough at the age of 16 to make a positive change both in my own community and in society at large. Later as a youth leader I was able to work with young people in relaxed, informal settings to help them achieve this same experience. The challenge I set for myself as a teacher was to empower young people in formal educational settings. This blog is a testament to that aim, and it tells the story of a group of girls who had an idea to make a big change, and my work in supporting their dreams and words to become a reality.
Recognising the hidden reality of period poverty
In 2017 a group of Year 9 girls from my school went on a trip to the WOW Women of the World Festival at the Southbank Centre, where they heard 18-year old Amika George speak passionately about the issue of period poverty and the very real and debilitating impact this has for women worldwide. Five of the girls in the audience were captivated by George’s call to action, and left the event committed to ending period poverty in their own school community.
“The students spoke about the school nurse who had to make weekly trips to Wood Green, where she purchased enough sanitary products for the girls at school with her own money”
On their return to school the girls discussed all the ways they knew period poverty affected girls in their own school community. They realised that they could change the narrative for women and girls who had to miss school for lack of sanitary products, for those who had to use socks instead of pads, for those who could not discuss the issue without being shamed. They spoke about the school nurse who had to make weekly trips to Wood Green, where she purchased enough sanitary products for the girls at school with her own money, and as a consequence had to charge girls for using the medical room’s supply of sanitary products. As a group of girls who had recently and were continuing to make the transition through puberty, the newfound knowledge that our government considered sanitary products to be luxury items, and as a result taxed women for the privilege of buying such items, shocked the girls into turning their words into actions and making a permanent change for girls and women in their own school community.
How we took action… and initiatives that helped
This change began by the girls discovering the initiatives available to support girls in schools. A little research quickly revealed a number of sanitary product producers and independent charities who were already working hard to support girls in schools dealing with their periods, regardless of whether they could afford it or not. The girls coordinated the delivery of 2,000 sanitary pads free of charge from Always. This first action meant that the school nurse could stop spending her own money on sanitary products for the school, and as a result girls did not need to worry about funding their own sanitary protection and could focus on their learning.
“Such brilliant initiatives and charities fuelled by the wider community’s recognition of this urgent issue further inspired the girls to make a bigger wave in their community”
Soon the girls and I reached out to further charities to seek a more permanent supply of period products and found the Red Box Project, who delivered and regularly restocked period products as well as tights, knickers and other needed items to be kept in the medical room for any girl who needed. Such brilliant initiatives and charities fuelled by the wider community’s recognition of this urgent issue further inspired the girls to make a bigger wave in their community, and they chose the route of education to do so.
Student-led workshops
By now the girls were in Year 10, and started spending their lunchtime and after-school hours with me planning a workshop to run for all Year 7 girls, in which their aims were to address the taboo of talking about periods, and to educate the younger year group on the issue of period poverty with the aim of galvanising their interest and taking concrete steps to end period poverty.
“The workshop began by the girls facilitating smaller group discussions with the Year 7s, using a variety of tactful questioning techniques to begin conversations”
When the workshop had been written, scripted, practised and rehearsed, the girls gathered their confidence and led the workshop for 106 girls on a Thursday morning in January 2019. The workshop began by the girls facilitating smaller group discussions with the Year 7s, using a variety of tactful questioning techniques to begin conversations on how periods were spoken about at home, at school and with friends. The conversations extended to discussing what kind of period education the Year 7s had received and led to tips about how to organise yourself practically and hygienically as a young woman dealing with periods in school for the first time.
Once everyone was well and truly comfortable discussing the ins and outs of periods, the workshop moved on to educate the year group on the issue of period poverty. The Year 10 girls spoke about the surprising items considered non-luxury by the government which were untaxed (bingo cards, exotic meats, jaffa cakes…) compared to period products which remained as taxed, luxury products.
Getting our MP on board
With the Year 7s suitably shocked, the girls played a video created by the #FreePeriod campaign run by Amika George, which aptly explained demonstrated the issue of period poverty and how it affects many girls in schools across the country (and the world). The Year 7s discussed their opinions and reactions, with some girls even being brave enough to discuss their own experiences of period poverty, and the very real impact this had for them on days where they couldn’t access education due to the inaccessibility of menstrual products. The Year 7s were then presented with pre-made templates of letters to be written and delivered to the local Tottenham MP David Lammy. 106 Year 7 girls wrote and signed letters urging Lammy to bring the issue of period poverty and the lack of sanitary products supplied in school to Parliament.
“106 Year 7 girls wrote and signed letters urging their MP David Lammy to bring the issue of period poverty and the lack of sanitary products supplied in school to Parliament.”
A tweet I shared showing the letters to be sent to David Lammy immediately caught his attention. With his support intact, the girls felt enthused by their efforts so far and began to see that their actions could have tangible consequences for the girls in their community.
By February 2019 legislation was passed in Parliament to supply all UK schools with sanitary products, a success solely down to the efforts of everyone in support of the #FreePeriod campaign. This watershed moment cemented the girls’ belief that when you challenge an injustice, success can come.
In October 2019, the now Year 11 girls delivered the same workshop to all students in attendance at the Be Her Lead Conference. They adapted the workshop as legislation had been passed, but urged the participants to realise the continued need of addressing the stigma and taboo surrounding period poverty and encouraged them to take active steps to dissolve this stigma in their own school communities. They were also featured in this article in The Guardian about period poverty activism.
Conclusion: the impact of student-led initiatives
Laura’s students delivering a workshop for teachers at the Be Her Lead Conference in October 2019
The work the girls pioneered in our school community was inspiring for students and teachers alike. I was struck by the girls’ absolute commitment and passion to see through an issue they deeply cared about until tangible change had been made, not just for them but for schoolgirls in the UK at large. While I helped to guide and advise the girls on possible steps, the work done was student-led and as a result was exponentially more successful than anything teacher led would have been.
The Year 7s quickly saw the older girls as aspirational role models who chose to spend their school hours collaborating and speaking out on critical issues previously stigmatised and overlooked. The girls were not natural presenters, and although they were speaking out on this issue they did not have more confidence than any of their peers.
“The decision to lead workshops for other students pushed all of the girls out of their comfort zone.”
The decision to lead workshops for other students challenged their public speaking ability and in different ways pushed all of the girls out of their comfort zone. As ever, when someone leaves their comfort zone they inevitably grow from the experience. This is the case for all five girls who committed their time, energy and passion to champion this cause, and who know that going forward they have the power to successfully make change for the good.
Are you a female teacher interested in supporting girls and tackling gender inequality in your school? Apply for next academic year’s Be Her Lead programme here.