Jessica is a KESS 2 funded student at Bangor University and writes here about her involvement with a new campaign for period dignity, “It Won’t Stop Us”.
Through my research with KESS 2 and my partnership with Rygbi Gogledd Cymru, I got involved with the rugby players’ health and well-being campaign with Grwp Llandrillo Menai (GLLM) known as “It Won’t Stop Us”. It has been successful in raising awareness on Period Dignity and preventing period poverty amongst students by dispatching over 1800 bags of free period products and providing advice on how to manage pain and discomfort, alongside free complimentary exercise resources students can do at home safely. As one of the ambassadors for “It Won’t Stop Us”, I did an interview discussing how physical activity can help ease period symptoms and should not prevent women from participating in sport.
A virtual launch with Sport Wales and Colegau Cymru was aired on 9th December 2020, where I discussed the importance of how self-care through physical activity can help our social and emotional well-being and aid learning . Additionally, the launch also promoted the four key areas of the Health and Well-Being Campaign; 1) Remaining Active and Healthy, 2) Enhancing Social and Emotional Well-Being, 3) Looking after the Environment, and 4) Staying Safe.
It was an absolute honour to be part of the “It Won’t Stop Us” campaign, to promote the health and well-being of young women and normalising period taboos. It is great to see Grŵp Llandrillo Menai supporting and inspiring their learners with a proactive approach towards menstruation and education. The college also offers opportunities and services such as free virtual fitness sessions, online referral for well-being and mental support along with monthly well-being calendars which offer activities and information to their learners.
The “It Won’t Stop Us” campaign ran by Grŵp Llandrillo Menai (GLLM) is part of a wider period dignity programme, focusing on menstrual health and active wellbeing of learners, promoting the importance of physical activity for menstrual symptom relief. The college’s excellent wellbeing support services focus on the physical, emotional, and social wellbeing of their learners and are busy raising awareness on period poverty amongst young women. A range of inspiring female athletes and role models across North Wales, including Jessica Hughes, were featured in a series of interviews discussing their period experiences and how they manage menstruation whilst training. The aim is help students manage their periods confidently and normalise menstrual taboos, to reduce the number of missed learning days or physical activity involvement. GLLM has provided students with free sanitary products, which includes advice on managing period discomfort alongside complimentary exercise resources.
The Campaign was launched over social media (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook). Here is the link for the live launch with Sport Wales, Colegau Cymru and campaign ambassadors, including Jessica, discussing the importance of self-care through physical activity which can help students social and emotional well-being. Jessica’s interview begins at approx. 17 minutes. https://fb.watch/2gszQwlWOb/
More stories can be found using the hashtags #nidywnrhwystr and #itwontstopus
