Franke Global Leadership Initiative (GLI) Oral Presentations
Educate, Empower, Change: Strategies for Overcoming Stigmas Surrounding Menstrual Health
Presentation Type
Presentation
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Menstruation is often misrepresented, stigmatized, and ignored. A lack of education and distorted view of menstruation in society greatly impacts young menstruators as they begin to have periods and can have long-term negative effects on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In order to design a project that effectively addresses this global problem, we used the Human Centered Design method. This method involves three steps: inspiration, ideation, and implementation. During the inspiration phase, we conducted expert interviews with professionals in the field of menstrual health and completed a literature review in order to further our understanding of the issues facing menstrua tors and explore different possible solutions. On the basis of our findings, we developed a website and a social media campaign to educate, empower, and change attitudes towards menstruation. During the ideation stage, we worked with a consultant and applied strategies from different fields to develop (1) a website that included educational materials, podcasts, games, etc., and (2) a social media campaign that allowed us to reach our target audience efficiently and effectively. During the implementation phase, we conducted a survey, interviews, and focus group discussions with a sample of the target audience, our partner organizations, and menstrual health experts to obtain input for improving our website. In addition, we applied evidence-based strategies to launch a social media campaign. To evaluate our project we preformed the following: (1) assessed the outcomes by collecting quantitative data from our social media followings and website interactions and (2) assessed the impact by conducting a content analysis of shared stories and discussions through brand-based hashtags and social media posts. Our goal being to create a sustainable, wide-reaching social campaign that empowers girls to take control of their bodies, educate everyone, and break the cycle of silence through increasing and normalizing conversations surrounding menstruation.
Category
Interdisciplinary (GLI)
Educate, Empower, Change: Strategies for Overcoming Stigmas Surrounding Menstrual Health
UC North Ballroom
Menstruation is often misrepresented, stigmatized, and ignored. A lack of education and distorted view of menstruation in society greatly impacts young menstruators as they begin to have periods and can have long-term negative effects on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In order to design a project that effectively addresses this global problem, we used the Human Centered Design method. This method involves three steps: inspiration, ideation, and implementation. During the inspiration phase, we conducted expert interviews with professionals in the field of menstrual health and completed a literature review in order to further our understanding of the issues facing menstrua tors and explore different possible solutions. On the basis of our findings, we developed a website and a social media campaign to educate, empower, and change attitudes towards menstruation. During the ideation stage, we worked with a consultant and applied strategies from different fields to develop (1) a website that included educational materials, podcasts, games, etc., and (2) a social media campaign that allowed us to reach our target audience efficiently and effectively. During the implementation phase, we conducted a survey, interviews, and focus group discussions with a sample of the target audience, our partner organizations, and menstrual health experts to obtain input for improving our website. In addition, we applied evidence-based strategies to launch a social media campaign. To evaluate our project we preformed the following: (1) assessed the outcomes by collecting quantitative data from our social media followings and website interactions and (2) assessed the impact by conducting a content analysis of shared stories and discussions through brand-based hashtags and social media posts. Our goal being to create a sustainable, wide-reaching social campaign that empowers girls to take control of their bodies, educate everyone, and break the cycle of silence through increasing and normalizing conversations surrounding menstruation.