The Commissioner for Children and Young People’s Small Grants Program offers up to $5000 for activities related to raising menstrual awareness, providing menstruation education, and supporting menstrual management for young people.
Sports Clubs, arts organisations, community groups and local councils across South Australia are being supported to deliver much needed menstrual education activities and supply of free period products to benefit children and young people across the State.
The annual grant program is designed to provide crucial funding support to organisations committed to taking action to promote awareness and wellbeing around periods and menstruation including supply of period hygiene products and infrastructure where it is lacking.
In Mount Barker a proportion of grant funds will be used to support an artist to create a portable mural on themes of period poverty and menstruation. The artwork will be strategically positioned in high-traffic areas across the Mount Barker District to raise awareness and ‘spark meaningful dialogues’ across the community.
The African Women’s Federation of SA will be funded to build on their work of raising awareness amongst African communities via their ‘Resonating Voices: Empowering Young African Women and Families”, which seeks to remove period stigma by making activities and education workshops fun and geared toward discussion and taboo breaking.
Port Adelaide Netball Association will use their funds to provide education kits and a menstruation awareness game night, while Swimming SA will provide high quality education for the swimming community working in conjunction with Pelvic Pain Australia to deliver tailored workshops to coaches as well as swimmers.
The Town of Gawler will partner with TABOO to deliver a Period Products Provision Trial that includes an online period poverty awareness workshop as well as information about where those who need them can access free menstrual hygiene products. The Council is committed to supplying free products within Council facilities that young people use including within their youth space, the local library, the tertiary hub, heritage centre, council café and business innovation hub.
Volleyball SA will roll out their education program ‘Game Changing. Period’. Also working in conjunction with the Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia and purchasing sanitary pads and tampons to be added to equipment boxes located on site at volleyball venues.
SHINE SA will use their grant funding to provide sustainable period products and menstruation information to Aboriginal Health Services and schools that might not be able to afford these essentials and to support their delivery of menstruation education.
This is the third year the Commissioner has provided grant funding for period education and products. The Commissioner devised the funding program after many conversations with children and young people that revealed the scale of the issue, and the seriousness of the stigma and taboo young people were experiencing.
For information relating to community grants see the What’s Happening page or search the site using the keyword ‘grant’.