FACILITATORS

Foundations of Menstrual Education

We are really excited about our new Foundations of Menstrual Education training!

This is now a prerequisite part of the Celebration Day for Girls Facilitator Training program.

The first part of the new CDG training is Foundations of Menstrual Education. This will be available online as an 8 week course, with weekly Zoom reflection, connection and discussion sessions. This course runs twice a year, usually in February and September. Make sure you are signed up to our mailing list to get notifications of upcoming training dates.

The second part is the Celebration Day for Girls Facilitator Training itselfwhich will be available as in-person 2.5 day training or online over 8 weeks. As well as giving you all you need in programme materials, you will leave with the physical resources to start offering workshops straight away and a comprehensive toolkit of promotional materials and ongoing support.

We’re excited about the evolution of Celebration Day for Girls and look forward to sharing this journey with you.

Foundations of Menstrual Education

Foundations of Menstrual Education will also be available as a stand alone training providing practical and engaging menstrual education workshops to support the creation of a positive menstrual culture where ever you live, work, study and play.

Go here for more information and here to receive updates.

Why train with us?

For instance for girls:

  • Many will start their period before they finish primary school(1), and many more will be wondering when they will start
  • Currently a majority of girls anticipate their periods with dread, disgust, embarrassment and even shame. Some experience period-shaming and bullying about the changes of puberty
  • An overwhelming majority of women report a negative, poorly supported experience of menarche and this has not improved significantly for girls experiencing puberty today

Australian and international studies have linked girls’ experience of menarche and menstruation to impacts on:

  • the risk of depression (3,6,9)
  • self-esteem (2,7,8,9)
  • body image (2,4,5,7,8,9,10)
  • confidence in peer relationships (2,3,6,7,9)
  • the confidence to make healthy choices (3,4,9)
  • later childbirth experiences (5)

What can we do differently to create a more positive outcome for girls, women and other mensruators?

At school we can promote a positive menstrual culture with confident communication about preparation for menstruation, body literacy, menstrual management and self-care as a natural and easeful part of a girl’s life.

Our trainers are education, health and community service professionals with a special interest and skills in positive menstrual education. We have a commitment to bringing the best evidence, best resources and best practice to support you in your quest to create a positive menstrual culture in your school, workplace, sports or other organisation, and at home.

Enquire here for more about our programs.

GGroup of 10-12 year old girls gathered around activity cards on the floor

References

  1.  Whincup, PH, Gilg, JA, Odoki, K, Taylor SJC & Cook, DG ‘Age of menarche in contemporary British teenagers: survey of girls born between 1982 and 1986’ British Medical Journal 322:1095
  2. Beausang, CC and Razor, AG, ‘Young Western Women’s Experiences of Menarche and Menstruation’, Health Care for Women International (2000), 21(6): 517-528
  3.  DeRose, LM and Brooks-Gunn, J, Running Head: Adolescent Emotional Development and the Emergence of Depressive Disorders, 2007,    Cambridge University Press, UK
  4. Leger, L, ‘A Baby Born to Body Literacy’, Femme Fertile (2006)
  5. Moloney, S, ‘How menstrual shame affects birth’, Women and Birth, (2010)23,153-159
  6. Patton, GC, Hibbert, ME and Cartlin, J et al., ‘Menarche and the onset of depression and anxiety in Victoria, Australia. Journal of Epidemiology and   Community Health, (1996)Dec;50(6):661-6
  7. Rombeck, G, The Winding Road to Womanhood, Geson Hyltetryck, Göteburg, Sweden, 2008
  8. Rombeck G, Möller, M and Gunnarsson, RK, ‘Attitudes and feelings towards menstruation and womanhood in girls at menarche’, Acta Pædiatrica  (2006) 95:707-714
  9. Shah, N, Menstrual Education: The Impact of its Shortcomings, National Women’s Health Network; the Women’s Health Activist (March/April 2009)
  10. Witwicki, D, ‘Stuck in a Body Literacy Gap’, Femme Fertile (2006)