By Navjit Bajwa and Dilpreet Kaur, Staff Writers
The Period Poverty Club is a new club in Townsend Harris that raises awareness for what many people consider to be an embarrassing and offensive topic: menstruation. Many students agree that by starting a conversation about the menstrual cycle, we can change the stigma about periods at not only our school, but throughout NYC.
The founder of the club, junior Nicole Monaco, was inspired by articles about period poverty, a growing concern for many females throughout the country with the rising cost of menstrual products. She explained, “As a community, we can come together and raise awareness in NYC to donate to different homeless shelters that will allow them to gain access to these resources.”
Starting a club about something many people consider “taboo” comes with a certain level of opposition. Nicole believes that with further conversation, others can become more aware of what is going on outside of our school environment.
Junior Olivia Jablonski believes that menstrual products should not be considered a luxury and people need to understand it is a mere necessity for anyone who is menstruating, regardless of socio-economic background. Olivia, who is a part of this club, explained that the group has taken strides to address this issue by “[making] bracelets to sell and with the money, [they] buy menstrual products and donate them to shelters.”
Junior Joshua Bae explained his reason for joining this club: “I knew that my friend Nicole was passionate about this and I felt that I should help her raise awareness. I want to help as many women as I can.” Joshua is hopeful that other boys will also join this club and become a part of the movement.
Ultimately, the Period Advocacy Club hopes to transform the stigma about periods throughout the student body by raising awareness. They plan to accomplish this by holding bake sales, printing and reading excerpts of the period power menstrual manifesto, and making friendship bracelets. The club hopes to create a strong social media presence and create a movement throughout the student body at Townsend Harris.
The Period Poverty club meets every Thursday in room 534.
