Youth2Youth HPE Launches Period Poverty & Menstrual Equity Project

‘Period poverty’ is the lack of access to menstrual products.

Youth2Youth HPE, a program of United Way Hastings & Prince Edward has launched a new pilot project that ensures everyone who needs access to period products have them.  In partnership with the City of Belleville and the YMCA CEO, free period products are now available in public washrooms at the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre and in the changerooms of the YMCA Central East Ontario in both Belleville & Quinte West.

The Youth2Youth Period Poverty initiative aims to both draw awareness to and help reduce period poverty faced by youth in our community. The group of youth ambassadors, Maddy, Jessica and Katherine who created this initiative has a passion for human equity and knows how important this topic is to local youth; “Menstrual equity and equal access to period products has always been something I am passionate about. I started advocating for availability of free products when I was in high school and have continued to look for areas where access could be improved. Working with Youth2Youth HPE, has allowed us to bring period products to youth across the community” Youth Ambassador, Maddy (20).

Studies have found that having a period can create barriers to fully participating in activities, with 70% having missed school or work because of it (Dube, 2018). “We believe that our community will benefit from this project by starting conversations, reducing stigma, increasing access and practicing inclusivity” states Kaitlyn Lalonde, Youth2Youth Coordinator with United Way HPE.

To accomplish this project, the youth ambassadors and the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre staff worked together to create a system that was inclusive and safe. To do this, with the support of a City of Belleville grant, Youth2Youth and the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre installed free period product dispensers in the public male and female washrooms. A “take one, leave one” model is being used at the two local YMCA locations. As a result, this initiative was and continues to be inclusive of women, non-binary individuals, transgender males, and all who menstruate.

“We rely on the input from our community to help shape decisions of City Council,” said Mayor Mitch Panciuk. “Youth2Youth HPE gives us additional insight which we value greatly. This United Way Hastings and Prince Edward group has partnered with our staff at the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre to put this health initiative in place and we are very pleased to lend our support through City funding.”

Youth2Youth HPE

Youth2Youth HPE is a youth led group with a mission to spark innovative thinking and work in partnership with community leaders to help increase solutions to local problems – identified by youth. Youth2Youth HPE works with local youth, non-profit organizations, and the broader community to create new resources and improve experiences for youth in HPE so all youth have a chance to succeed. In order to create change for youth, we need them to lead the initiatives that address the issues they care about. We focus on key youth issues that empower youth and encourage them to take a leading role in grassroots change. Youth2Youth runs under the umbrella of United Way Hastings & Prince Edward and is best known for hosting two successful youth summits in our area engaging over 300 youth in conversations and solutions to issues important to them.