It is very exciting to announce that the Town of Gawler has been successful in securing grant funding thanks to the Commissioner for Children and Young People to implement free period products in Gawler.
Partnering with TABOO Period Products, Gawler Council will provide free pads and tampons in bathrooms that are accessible to all in the Gawler Civic Centre. Initially, this will be for a 12-month trial period, as we seek feedback from the community on the initiative to guide its rollout into the future.
The program will also include a community education workshop, so members of our community have the opportunity to learn more about menstruation and what it means to achieve period justice.
Access to information, education, menstrual hygiene products and appropriate facilities for management and disposal of products associated with menstruation, is lacking. The lack of these essentials is referred to as ‘period poverty.’ According to the 2021 Period Pride Report, 1 in 5 Australian women experience period poverty.
This initiative will not only assist in the fight of achieving period justice, but help to remove the stigma and taboo of menstruation, as well as ensuring everyone who has a period has easy access to period products when they need them.
The trial is set to commence from the 1 July 2024, with the community information session being held soon after.
I would like to extend a huge thank you to all the community members, council staff and elected members who supported this project. It is just one small step, but I hope that we can be an example to other leaders in the community and inspire other organisations, businesses and community members to get on board in any way they can assist.
And of course, extremely grateful to the Commissioner for Children and Young People's Period Justice grant for making this possible. We look forward to working with TABOO and I can’t wait to see this rolled out in our community soon!
Read more about the other successful grant applicants here:
Comments