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Free period products for all English State-Funded schools and colleges!

We’re absolutely thrilled that, from Monday 20th January, every state-funded school and college in England will be able to order free period products for their students.⁣

Having access to free period products in school can have a huge impact on a young person’s ability to participate in their education, and so to reach their full potential. For some, this new scheme could even mean the difference between attending school or staying at home when they have their period.⁣

That’s why we have teamed up with Free Periods to urge every school and college in England to sign up for the Government’s new scheme.⁣

This is an amazing opportunity to achieve greater equality in our education system, but we need every eligible institution to use its allocated funding and make period products freely available to their students as soon as possible.⁣

The time has come: join the Period Revolution!⁣

International Women’s Day 2022

Happy International Womens Day!

This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias. Every day, we strive to be part of a society in which stereotypes and bias do not exist. Breaking down stereotypes can begin with education.

At the Red Box Project, we believe that no young person should miss out on their education due to having their period. Every person has the same right to an education and has the right to follow whatever career path they wish to take.

To our future female leaders; scientists, engineers, doctors, athletes, politicians, and company directors, whatever you might be – we see you and we will continue to champion you and #BreakTheBias

May be a cartoon of text that says "EMPOWERING OUR GIRLS ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY RED BOX PROJECT HAZEL EAD"

Illustratation by Hazel Mead

The Red Box Project stands with Ukraine

Image shows a blue back ground with the words "The world is with Ukraine" on the left hand side of the image and a fair skin person wearing a red skirt and light blue top with raised hands, holding a illustrated version of the Earth where the sea is soft blue and the land is golden yellow. There are also red hearts around the Earth
The world is with Ukraine

The Red Box Project stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. As a global charity whose ethos ‘Kindness Matters’ is at the core of every decision we make and action we carry out, we are like so many of you horrified and heartbroken at what we are witnessing in Ukraine. Feeling helpless has been replaced with taking action, where we can, to show our support.

The Red Box Project’s founding city, Portsmouth, has always shown itself to be kind and generous. To support the work of a community group in the City, who have and are currently driving the most urgently required aid to the Polish border, where many women and children are seeking refuge, we wanted to in some way show our support. In line with our deep-rooted belief in providing access to period products to all that need them, we have placed an order of period products which we hope in some small way helps. These will then be added to their collection and given to those who need them. We only wish we could do more.

We have also made a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) – Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. This will directly support their charities in providing food, water, shelter and healthcare to those families fleeing their home country. To all Ukrainians – we stand side by side with you.

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Flag of Ukraine

Red Box Project and Free Periods are shortlisted for a national award

We’re so proud to be shortlisted for the SMK National Campaigner Awards Best Use of Law category alongside Free Periods for our work in securing free period products for all schools in England!

Thanks so much to everyone who supported the campaign! Huge thanks especially to , Schona Jolley QC and Claire McCann from Cloisters Chambers, Hausfeld, Farrer Kane and The Little Social Company, whose hard work & passion made legal action possible!

As always, none of this would have been possible without our volunteer coordinators who worked hard, every single day; supporting the schools and colleges in their communities with love, unrelenting passion and the belief that change would come. That change has come!

We’re honoured (& a bit overwhelmed!) to be nominated alongside such incredible campaigns as Amnesty International UK #abortionrightsNI & RNIB #TactilePaving. What better examples of standing up for your rights & using the law as a powerful tool for change? ✊❤️

As we face these incredibly uncertain and challenging times, one thing is certain: periods will continue

The Red Box Project and Free Periods and have always fought to ensure that every young person has access to the period products that they need when they’re at school. But now schools are closing, perhaps for some time. 

We’re so relieved that phs have confirmed that they will continue to make deliveries of free period products to schools under the Department for Education scheme during the lockdown. 

We now need to ensure that all state-maintained schools and colleges in England continue to place orders and take steps to distribute essential period supplies to students at home (in a safe and appropriate way). 

Please support our campaign by:

SHARING THIS NEWS ON TWITTER

or

GETTING IN TOUCH WITH YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL OR COLLEGE: example wording is below:

Dear [Headteacher/ Head of Pastoral Support]

Thank you, firstly, for all you are doing at this extraordinarily challenging time. It is appreciated so very much.

I wanted to get in touch to ask if you knew that the Department for Education’s free period products scheme is still running for all state-maintained schools and colleges in England? 

Phs Group (who run the scheme) have confirmed that they will continue to make deliveries of free period products to eligible schools and colleges, despite the lockdown. They can make these deliveries in a contactless way, and (if a particular school is closed) they can redirect deliveries to neighbouring schools. 

As you know, periods won’t stop even though schools are closed, so it is really important that young people who rely on accessing period supplies at their place of learning are not left without this support. Even if you have not placed an order under the scheme before, it is not too late to access free period supplies for our students.

I know that you would need to think carefully about how best to distribute these products to students in a safe and appropriate way, given the social distancing measures that are in place. One idea I have heard is that, for some schools, they could add period supplies to a delivery of provisions relating to free school meals. Alternatives could perhaps include a one-off collection at school by a parent/ carer or contactless deliveries to students’ homes. 

Guidance on the scheme and how to place orders is available from the Department for Education here. If you have any problems placing your order, you can call phs on 01827 255500.

Many thanks again for all that you are doing. 

Best wishes

[X]

Guidance on the scheme and how to place orders is available from the Department for Education here. If you have any problems placing your order, you can call phs on 01827 255500.

Thank you for all of your support, especially those of you who were able to share our posts and write to your MP on this issue.

You really have made a difference.

Please do continue to shout out about this campaign – period products are a necessity and we need to ensure continued access to them, despite the lockdown.

Follow us on our Instagram page: @theredboxprojecuk

Roll-out of the Governments Period Products Scheme

We’re absolutely thrilled that, from Monday 20th January, every state-funded school and college in England will be able to order free period products for their students.

We have never expected young people to pack their own toilet roll or soap in their schoolbags; it is only right that these equally essential items are also freely available.

Having access to free period products in school can have a huge impact on a young person’s ability to participate in their education, and so to reach their full potential. For some, this new scheme could even mean the difference between attending school or staying at home when they have their period.

That’s why we have teamed up with Free Periods to urge every school and college in England to sign up to the Government’s new scheme.

This is an amazing opportunity to achieve greater equality in our education system, but we need every eligible institution to use its allocated funding and make period products freely available to their students as soon as possible.

The time has come: let’s join the Period Revolution!

2019: That’s a Wrap!

As we enter into the festive season, there is a natural break in our operations and a chance to reflect on what has been an incredible year for the Red Box Project.

We left 2018 with news that Scotland had rolled out a free period products scheme, funded by the Scottish Government, for all schools, colleges, and universities. Incredible, right? Wales also acknowledged period poverty and allocated £1mil of funding to welsh local authorities to explore period product provision as well as identifying and exploring potential resolutions for the stigma attached to periods.

The Red Box Project entered into 2019 with the ambition of reaching more young people, ensuring that no one missed out on their education due to having their period. We started the year with some amazing people who volunteered and showed brilliant dedication to running their local Red Box Projects and the Red Boxes we had out in educational settings was a true testament to this. The Red Box Project was off to a great start for 2019!

Towards the end of January, the Red Box Project partnered with the #FreePeriods campaign, founded by Amika George, to bring forward a legal challenge to the Government ensuring that they complied with their obligations of the Equalities Act 2010, within education.

As we entered into March 2019, it was International Women’s Day which our volunteer coordinators, up and down the country, got involved with events, talks and celebrations! It was also quite a big week for Government announcements in the world of all things periods!

The week was started with the Minister for Women and Equalities, Rt. Hon. Penny Mordaunt MP, announcing that the Government would be convening a task force for to investigate and explore the issue of period poverty. The task force was to be made up of public, private and third sector organisations who had expertise in period poverty. It was also announced, in the same week, that people who are in-patients in NHS hospitals would also have free period products available for them to use for the duration of their stay. This policy was further extended to cover people who had been detained and remained in police custody, they too would have access to the period products they require. We are sure you will agree, these were all positive steps forward to achieving a country that has resolved period poverty.

The following week, after International Women’s Day had been, brought some amazing news for the Red Box Project. Our campaigning and push to drive about change had been heard and on 13th March 2019, at the hearing of the Spring Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that funding would be made available for period products to be accessible in all schools and colleges. This day marked an amazing 2 years for the project!


Upon further analysis of the announcement, it was discovered that the new scheme would be available to secondary schools and colleges in England. This is an England only policy as education is a devolved matter to the other administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We continue to campaign to ensure that primary schools would also have access to the products they need and in April 2019, the Minister for Children and Families announced that the provision would be extended to cover young people in primary schools, too! Another fantastic achievement for the Red Box Project!

Since this announcement, the Red Box Project has been engaging and working with the Department for Education, the government department responsible for the delivery of the period products scheme, to ensure that this scheme is as successful as it can be.
The new policy scheme, that will see the provision of period products made available in all primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges, in England will be rolled out in January 2020.

So, what does this now mean for the Red Box Project? We are sure you will agree, it has been a triumphant year for everyone involved with the Red Box Project. 2019 will definitely be remembered for the year the Red Box Project brought about change! The Red Box Project has always been clear of our aim, to ensure no young person misses out on their education due to their period. So, with this in mind, the HQ team took the strategic decision to wind down our operations gradually towards January 2020, allowing for the Government’s new scheme to be rolled out and benefit young people.

As the year has progressed and the impact of our work and the message behind it has spread beyond Great Britain. We now have projects in the US, Canada, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Germany, Poland, Monaco, Tanzania, Japan and New Zealand! We are very touched that our work has managed to reach this far around the world and it is a real honour to work with such amazing and determined people!


The Red Box Project will continue to support international projects as much as we can. Our ambition of seeing a world where no young person misses out on their education because they have their period is coming ever closer to be achieved!

Anna, Clegg, and everyone who has volunteered with the Red Box Project over the past two and a half years would like to express our gratitude and sincere thanks for your tireless and continued support. None of the achievements that we have seen in 2019 would have been possible without you supporting your local project. So, truly from the bottom of our hearts, a huge thank you!

We wish you a very happy and merry festive break and all the very best for the New Year ahead!

With best wishes, as ever,

Red Box Project HQ ❤️

AN Announcement – England Government’s Scheme

We have news on the Government funded scheme for free period products in schools and colleges in England!

Please read the below and please do share, so that schools and colleges can sign up to the scheme in January, and make the most of this funding! 

Key updates:

  • As we know, the scheme is opt-in: schools and colleges will need to order their free products 
  • Products should be available to order from late January 2020 (this is later than originally intended – it is understood that this is because of restrictions on communications in the period prior to the general election)
  • Institutions will be able to place orders by phone, email or via an online portal – when this process is open, we will contact you immediately
  • A range of products will be available to order, including:
  • Always towels (normal and long)
  • Lil-lets environmentally-friendly pads (normal and super)
  • Lil-lets teen pads (day and night)
  • Tampax Compak tampons (normal, super and super plus)
  • Tampax cardboard applicator tampons (normal, super and super plus)
  • Lil-lets non-applicator tampons (regular, super and super plus)
  • Lil-lets organic non-applicator tampons 
  • Reusable pads by Bloom & Nora (mini and midi) and carry bag
  • Mooncups (in two sizes)
  • There will be a maximum Order Limit per Institution per academic year, which will be based on a specified amount being allocated for every “estimated menstruating learner” in each Institution. We do not have any information at this stage about how this amount has been calculated. The range of products vary in cost and therefore will affect how many products can be ordered within the Order Limit: for example, we expect Tampax Compak tampons would be more expensive than cardboard applicator tampons. The Order Limit will be notified to each institution by phs Group before the start of each academic year and prior to the placement of each order. 
  • In addition to products themselves, phs Group also plans to provide schools with guidance on the ordering process, information on the storage and safety of products (e.g. information on Toxic Shock Syndrome), briefing documents to share with pupils and practical resources to raise awareness of the scheme in schools (e.g. leaflets and posters)
  • All institutions will be able to place orders as soon as the scheme opens; from the start of the next term (Spring 2020), there may be staggered ordering windows during which time orders must be made. We do not currently have further details of this 
  • The free period products should be delivered no later than 5 business days of being ordered
  • The Government anticipates c.£6m being spent on products each financial year, which assumes around 35% take up of free products by menstruating students. The contract awarded has a value of £11m. Although it is not completely clear from publicly available information, it seems the greatest risk to the efficacy of the scheme lies with the Order Limits: if they are too small, the scheme’s efficacy will be in real jeopardy. 
  • Free products are available to all schools and colleges in England (including the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight). The following institutions are covered by the scheme:
  • All state maintained primary and secondary schools including academies and free schools
  • All state maintained middle/ all through schools
  • All general hospital schools, special schools, academies and free schools
  • All alternative provision institutions, including pupil referral units 
  • All Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funded schools, academies, colleges and independent learning Suppliers, with provision for 16 to 19 year olds (including those with older students where these have an Education Health and Care Plan)

This information comes mainly from a redacted copy of the contract between the Department for Education and phs Group, which won the tender to deliver the scheme. This can be found on a link on this webpage.

We would welcome feedback from eligible institutions about the impact of Order Limits in their schools, and any other comments on the scheme, as it rolls out.

We are committed to providing further updates on the scheme as soon as they are available. If you have any questions in the meantime, please do let us know.

The Red Box Project Tokyo

We are so pleased to see this update from The Red Box Project Tokyo! Their first box will be going into Yoyogi High School on December 10th.

We have made huge strides in Scotland, Wales & (soon!) England in terms of Government funded free period products, but we’ll never stop striving for equality for ALL young people ✊

#MenstrualEquity
#RedBoxProject
#FreePeriods

The Red Box Project arrives in Tokyo!

Well, this is something pretty exciting that we would like to share with you.

We now have a Red Box Project in Tokyo! It is mind-blowing to think that a community project, set up in Portsmouth, has caught the attention of a young woman in Tokyo. Kanna, we are so proud to have you onboard the team, supporting young people in your community.

Our overseas projects are growing and it is something we are really proud of. The issues we are tackling here in the UK, of course, happen across the world and our model enables individuals to take ownership of their volunteering experience and set up a project that is unique to their time and availability.

Welcome aboard Tokyo!

#TheRedBoxProject
#RedBoxProject
#Tokyo
#Equality
#MenstrualEquality
#KindnessMatters
#Volunteering
#FreePeriods