What is Project Dignity?
Project Dignity is a student-led advocacy initiative working to pass school district–level policies that require free menstrual products in all female and gender-neutral bathrooms. Students learn how local policy works and advocate directly to their school boards for change. With guidance from The Fund for Women and Girls, participants gain real-world experience in civic engagement while working toward a tangible policy outcome that improves daily life for students in their schools.
Did you know? First Lady Lori Shapiro was instrumental in additional funding that school districts have received the past two state budget cycles. While visiting a nonprofit, she saw first-hand what communities must do to support female students – in this case, collecting menstrual hygiene products to give to public schools to ensure students had access. Having dedicated funding from the state is the first step in addressing this issue.
So often, products are kept in the nurse's office. This is problematic for two reasons – first, in large buildings, it can be hard to get back and forth to the nurse's office during the school day. Second, if a student realizes they need products after going to the bathroom, they now have to go to the nurses office and back to the restroom before returning to class. With these barriers, there are times where students do not go to school during their menstrual cycle. All of these issues lead to one main problem – female students are missing valuable educational time, all because they don’t have access to products in the bathroom.
This is a problem we can solve.
How are we doing it?
Project Dignity is a hands-on, student-driven program supported by The Fund. Policies already exist that require schools to have products, at no charge, in middle and high school bathrooms; however not all districts have these policies. Project Dignity teaches students how to advocate for these policies in their districts – directly impacting them and their peers at the most tangible level.
Participants:
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Learn how school districts and school boards function
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Understand how policies are proposed, debated, and passed
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Develop and deliver written and verbal advocacy communications
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Engage directly with decision-makers at the local level through communications and public comment during meetings
Students develop core advocacy skills and confidence while learning how to navigate systems of power.
Project Dignity pairs real policy change with leadership development. It creates impact now and civic capacity for the future.
Why do we choose to work on this?
Students cannot thrive when their basic needs are unmet. Lack of access to menstrual products affects attendance, concentration, and dignity, creating unnecessary barriers to learning and well-being. The high cost of menstrual products prevents some students from even going to school, resulting in truancy and lost learning opportunities. Over time, this loss of educational time impacts the students' outcomes – adding a barrier to success that we can remove.
"Nearly half (48.3%) needed period products at least once last school year but did not have money to buy them. The majority (62.1%) accessed period products at school last year. Seventeen percent missed at least one day at school because of an inadequate supply of period products, including significantly more ninth graders than 10th–12th graders (33.3% vs. 6.1%, respectively, p < .01)." - cite
Project Dignity also centers the voices of those most impacted. By pairing a clear policy goal with student-led advocacy, the program builds confidence, civic understanding, and leadership which helps students to see themselves not just as recipients of policy, but also as shapers of it.
“Young people have the power to change the world.”
— Greta Thunberg
What can
YOU do?
The Initiatives of The Fund for Women and Girls are funded by individuals and foundations of the community. If you are inspired by our work and want to support it, visit our donate page!
