EVERYONE who has a period knows the feeling of being caught unexpectedly without what they need to manage in a way that preserves our comfort and dignity. For many, this is a temporary inconvenience, but for others, this anxiety and the want that produced it is real and ongoing. According to recent surveys, 15% of people with periods in Canada have struggled to get menstrual products, and are worried about their ongoing ability to afford them; and 35% have had to sacrifice something else in their budget to afford menstrual products.

At Concordia, this means that thousands of students – your classmates – are preoccupied with how they will avoid bleeding through their pants this month. They are dedicating mental bandwidth to figuring out how to solve this challenge when this mental effort would be better spent learning and finding solutions to the world’s problems.

The program we propose has three parts that are essential to a quality and comprehensive menstrual health management program:

1. Provide 2021-2022 Concordia students the opportunity to receive reusable menstrual management supplies (pads, cups).

2. Run a workshop to teach members of the Concordia community how to make reusable menstrual items, providing training and supplies.

3. Launch a formal advocacy campaign with the University to provide tampons and pads in campus bathrooms. These items would be stocked and replenished by the university’s custodial services in campus bathrooms. We aim to secure lasting funding by asking the University to include menstrual health management items in the Facilities budget line (the same as toilet paper). We will also advocate for providing disposable items that are as environmentally friendly as possible.