Empowering Our Young Women through Menstrual Education in Western NSW during Women's Week 2025

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Seeking to help combat the shame, stigma and bullying often surrounding menstruation for young women, in partnership with Share the Dignity we are conducting a series of menstrual education events in the communities of Coonamble, Cobar, and Bourke across Women’s Week 2025.

• This initiative aims to empower girls aged around 10 to 12 by fostering understanding and confidence around their menstrual health. 
• This initiative aims to empower girls aged around 10 to 12 by fostering understanding and confidence around their menstrual health. 

1. This initiative aims to empower girls aged around 10 to 12 by fostering understanding and confidence around their menstrual health.
2. This initiative aims to empower girls aged around 10 to 12 by fostering understanding and confidence around their menstrual health.  

With a long history of engagement and advocacy in these communities, our locally based First Nations Community Development Workers identified a pressing need for comprehensive menstrual education. The secrecy and misconceptions often surrounding menstruation are negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of young women creating barriers to their development and self-esteem.  

Made possible through a $15,000 grant, awarded by Women NSW as part of the NSW Government 2025 Women’s Week Grants program, two events are being planned in each town.  

The first event is a fun and positive school-based session for young women with our highly experienced Relationships and Sexuality Education educators who will take them through a tailored and culturally safe “Managing Menstruation” education program. Every girl will leave empowered and confident plus receive a Share the Dignity teen ‘It’s in the Bag’ filled with personal care items. Our goal, to help these girls manage their periods with dignity. 

The second event is an educational session for teachers and community leaders to provide them with the latest accurate information and appropriate language around menstruation to help equip those with influence with the knowledge that enables them to create an environment where young women feel safe, supported and empowered. 

We were one of 15 successful recipients of this year’s grants, which collectively distribute more than $430,000 to support events celebrating women’s creativity, diversity and empowerment. The grants have been running since 2018 to fund innovative events that empower women and girls to participate in our communities, to advance gender equality in the longer term.

Interrelate are proud to have the opportunity to be able to support and empower our beautiful young girls at such a critical time. Our connections in these communities combined with our experience as a provider of Relationships and Sexuality Education really leverages our strengths so we know these events will be fun, educational and confidence building. We are also thrilled to collaborate with aligned charity Share the Dignity and thankful to the NSW Government for helping us make a difference.

“Breaking the shame and stigma around periods starts with education. When young girls have the knowledge and confidence to manage their period with dignity, we create a future where no one feels ashamed or left behind,” said Share the Dignity founder, Rochelle Courtenay. “This partnership allows us to ensure young girls in Western NSW have the information and period products they need to thrive, something that we believe every young person deserves.” 

The events will be held in primary schools across Coonamble, Cobar and Bourke throughout Women’s Week, the 2nd to 8th of March 2025. 

    

About Share the Dignity

Share the Dignity was founded in 2015 when founder Rochelle Courtenay first learnt of homeless women going without basic period products during their menstrual cycle, she decided the question was not, “why is no one doing anything” but rather, “what’s stopping me from doing something?” Since founding the charity, Share the Dignity has collected and distributed over 5 million packets of period products and over 1 million It’s in the Bag donations to those in need with the help of 3,300 volunteers nationwide.