Free period products at Aberystwyth University
The Red Box Project is a community-based charity, which aims to support young people throughout their periods by providing red boxes filled with free period products to schools and colleges.
The Students’ Union also run a campaign, ‘Helo Periods’, whereby students can access free reusable period products and is inclusive of all genders. You can learn more here https://www.abersu.co.uk/changeaber/campaigns/heloperiods/
The Red Box Project and Aberystwyth University
The University first implemented the project in December 2019, and as far as we are aware, we were the first university in Wales to do so.
The Red Box Project was founded in March 2017 by three friends who wanted to give young people in their local area access to menstrual products. After reading about ‘Period Poverty‘ in the news, they were angered at the idea that young people were missing out on their education because they couldn’t afford the products they needed during their period.
They decided to take action and contacted several secondary schools in Portsmouth to ask if a constantly stocked box of menstrual products would be welcomed. The feedback from teachers was that the issue was real and the resource was needed.
Since then, the project has expanded and gained a nationwide status, operating across the whole of the UK with each project being run by passionate volunteers.
A big thank you to the Facilities Team for making the project happen!
FAQs: