Amplifying youth voices for menstrual equity and education
- syoung679
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Holly Johnston (she/her), youth mentor and founder of Project RED Vancouver
On May 3, 2025, the students from Project RED’s after-school club brought Canada’s very first Youth-Led Period Symposium to Vancouver! “We just wanted to spread the word and make it a less stigmatized topic—having your period or menstruating,” says Ida, a symposium participant. This was our chance to share this opportunity with the community. And at The Beaumont Studios we created a space with an inclusive vibe—it was the perfect place to have a day of fun and learn more about our bodies!
It was exciting to have some of the original Project RED group join us for our first big event, and we couldn’t believe the turnout—everyone was there to talk about periods! One attendee told us, “It’s nice to talk about it like it’s a normal thing, because it is.” This just reminds us of what we already knew: it’s important to young people to have a space like this to learn and share, where their feelings and thoughts matter.
We were able to put on this event thanks to an amazing group of sponsors and some youth local grants. We also raised some money through bake sales after school. Project AIM Community showed up from Agassiz with free products—kids walked away with bags and armfuls of stuff. They even took time to demonstrate how some of the new period products were used, which was an amazing opportunity for some attendees to learn about product options they never even knew existed.
Molly Fenton, founder of the Love Your Period Campaign, came all the way from Cardiff, Wales, to be our headliner. We had been collaborating with her from the very beginning of Project RED, after we found an inspiring article of hers from her local paper. The article explained how she learned about her brain tumour based on impacts with her monthly cycle. It’s just another reminder about why it’s so important to learn about our bodies and have the education to help understand what’s normal and what’s not.
It was thrilling to host an amazing period panel of inspiring young speakers: Brayden Olgivie from SAMMY (Student Advocacy for Misrepresented and Marginalized Youth) Initiative; Carly Pistawka from Periods for All; Qwisun Yoon-Potkins from Free Periods Canada; Alysha Somerton, queer sexual health and relationship educator; and Anne Woodruff from joni (plant-based period care). They talked about what menstrual equity means, how periods have no gender, the importance of menstrual justice and activism, and including boys and men in conversations about it.
We even had an interactive community menstruation exhibit in collaboration with two local artists, Ariann Mangas and Helena Wadsley, where students shared their period journeys through both sound and art.
And of course no youth symposium would be complete without a photo wall, period cookie decorating, button making, tampon target practice, a book table, t-shirts, education postcards, and, obviously, lots of stickers!
Our wishes are that periods aren’t regarded as weird, embarrassing, or something whispered about in the bathroom; that we have access to the products we need in every washroom when we need them; that everyone is kind and compassionate to each other on their cycle; and that a Project RED club is in every school so that all kids can learn about themselves and their periods just like we have. And if you’d like to do just that, we’ve put together a kit for you to hold your own Project RED after-school club at your school! If you want to learn more, or have a peek at the event itself, you can find all of it on our website at www.ProjectRedVan.com.
