With a protest in Zagreb and a new Menstruation Manual in hand, the Mensy Project aims to train 160 youth leaders across Europe.

By Abi O'Callaghan-Platt

Aileen and I, my diligent researcher on this project, flew to Zagreb this month to meet with the other 7 partners of the Mensy project. For 17 months we have been working on this project together and a face-to-face talk is what we needed for the final push.  

Whilst in Zagreb we held a conference, had an on-street protest, had tv interviews, had meetings, finalised our scripts for videos and made plans for our training day. Phew!  

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But what is this all about?

In the Mensy project we are looking to raise awareness around the environmental and health impacts of single-use menstrual products as well as bring the subject of menstruation out in the open.  

With this aim we are co-writing a Menstruation Manual with our European partners and the support of our youth advisory council, that will be used by youth leaders across Europe in any sector, to increase menstrual literacy in young people.  

The focus of the Menstruation Manual is on empowerment and sustainability.  

All partners will then hold a training day in their country for youth leaders, to train them to run this educational programme within their organisations.  A lot of our meeting in Zagreb was around planning for this training day, and reviewing the final draft of the manual.  

Why are we doing this?

There is widespread use of single-use menstrual products that are harmful both to our health and to the planet.  

Single-use menstrual products, such as pads and tampons, can have various health impacts due to the materials and chemicals they contain. While these products are widely used, there is a lot of unknowns around the chemicals found in these products and a lack of transparency around ingredients used. Recent studies have found arsenic, lead and cadmium in tampons so clearly there is a health concern with their ingredients.

                   "Switching to reusable menstrual products is a powerful act of climate action"

We aim to raise awareness of the reusable alternatives to single use, such as menstrual cups, period pants and cloth pads. Switching to reusable menstrual products is a powerful act of climate action. Every year, billions of disposable pads and tampons end up in landfills and oceans, contributing to plastic pollution and carbon emissions. By choosing menstrual cups and discs, reusable pads, and period underwear, you reduce waste, conserve resources, and lessen your environmental footprint.

So, what do we hope to achieve?

We hope to produce a comprehensive manual for youth leaders that will be available in 7 European languages and to train over 160 youth leaders across Europe in the Mensy programme.  

Tell us more about what you did on your trip? What was the on street protest about?  

In Croatia menstruation is a taboo subject, with the very language reinforcing this. Stidnica, the Croatian word for vulva, also means shame. In the Mensy Project we aim to challenge stigmas associated with periods and our partners in the project, Friends of the Earth Croatia, painted a large banner saying menstruation for us to hold in the main square in Zagreb, as well as placards on menstruation. A TV crew came and filmed us and FoE Croatia was interviewed.  

“We must speak openly about menstruation because the stigma surrounding it is deeply rooted. It stands in the way of menstrual health, sustainability, and access to essential products. This stigma stifles public discourse and allows the disposable products industry to continue offering harmful items by employing shaming tactics”, said Ana-Marija Mileusnić, from FoE Croatia.  

The following day we held a conference on menstruation.

I participated in the first panel discussion on Menstrual Poverty and Challenges, this was followed by a second panel on Future Solutions and Visions of Menstrual Justice in which Laura from our Catalonian project partner, Rezero, spoke. Again, a tv crew came and interviewed FoE Croatia, and Ana was invited to the tv studios later that evening to talk on period poverty, empowerment around menstruation and sustainable menstrual products.  

Are you a youth leader are you interested in our Sustainable Menstruation Manual? If so, please contact abi@voiceireland.org for more information.