Red Box Project

[Mrs Y]

Hi,

Please help this wonderful project, I have recently become a co-ordinator, please let me know if you would like to contribute in anyway.

I would really like to place a few boxes in schools around the East Dulwich area and perhaps set a few collection points.

http://redboxproject.org/

Thank you.

[Alexthecamel]

I?m sure it?s a great project but could you describe its aims a little more? Many people are quite wary of clicking on links.

[rendelharris]

Alexthecamel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I?m sure it?s a great project but could you

> describe it?s aims a little more? Many people are

> quite wary of clicking on links.

I can answer that as the mob I volunteer for are tangentially involved with this up north. It's a project to provide free sanitary products for girls in schools, and a very worthwhile one it is.

The link is safe, by the way.

[Red Box Project SE]

Hello Alexthe camel!

Sorry for the brevity of the initial post! Here is more information:

The Red Box Project aims to quietly ensure that no young woman misses school or suffers embarrassment because she has her period.

It gives young women in need - whether for financial or social reasons - the reassurance of enough sanitary pads for their entire period plus a couple left over for next time. This is what makes it special.

It works by putting a red box filled with pads and pants into schools. Students take what's needed, and then it gets topped up again, with donations from the community of women supporting the project.

In SE London, there are several of us working as Red Box volunteers in East Dulwich, Peckham, Nunhead and Forest Hill. In the immediate area, we have boxes in Harris Girls School, Harris Academy Peckham, Goose Green Primary, Heber, Bellenden and many other local schools.

We are committed to ensuring these boxes are regularly topped up and filled with supplies... which means we are always asking for donations! We have set up donation points locally at shops and busineess including:

- Rye Books, Northcross Road

- Punk Me Up Ceramic Cafe

- Goose Green Clinic, East Dulwich Road (will be set up this week)

- Daisy Lets Offices, Forest Hill

- Bussey Building Shared Office Space, Peckham

*edited to take out the schools mentioned as drop off points which was an error

And the list of business supporting us is growing! If you could donation a pack of pad/towels (any absorbancies) to one of these donation points or send us a PM - we will come and pick up your donation!

As Mrs Y (our newest volunteer on the SE London team - yay!) we are also on the look out for more local businesses to become donation points if you can help with that as well! Another way people help is through gathering donations from groups they are involved with - we've had some fantastic support from local WI groups for example. Groups of parents, choirs, running clubs - any group where people might be happy to donate a pack of pads every other month would be very helpful. Again, send us a PM if you can help.

And, as Mrs Y pointed out in her initial post, we want to get boxes into more schools so if you work in a school, let us know. We are also part of a network of volunteers in other areas of South East London as well as nationally so if you work in a school outside the area, we can put you in contact with someone who can help.

Check out our facebook page here for more information: [www.facebook.com]

[EDmummy]

Is it just pads or do you also offer tampons? Some girls may not be keen on pads as they are thought to be bulky and difficult when taking part in sport (periods often being cited as a reason not to take part in sport). I?d like to see girls being given a choice. This is an amazing scheme. Well done. The name makes me a little squirmish - have you thought of something like ?Freedom Pack? or something equally empowering?

[Red Box Project SE]

Hello! We do put tampons in boxes for secondary schools but not for the primary schools we work with. Interestingly, we've had feedback from the secondary schools that pads are way more popular with the girls One of the secondary schools I work with keeps a tally of what is being taken from the box and in two months, only three girls picked boxes of tampons. So when they asked for a refill, they didn't need any more tampons... but needed lots of pads.

I guess there are a range of reasons this is so... younger girls might not be using tampons yet and girls from different cultural backgrounds might prefer pads over tampons. So now, when we ask for donations, we mainly ask for pads and usually do get boxes of tampons as well put in boxes because people often just buy an extra pack when they get there own supply which is fine as we can still put them in the boxes - but it doesn't mean we are left with an over-supply of tampons which has happened to many of the volunteers. {I also give personally to Southwark Day Centre for Aslyum Seekers and the volunteer there told me many of the women there prefer pads and would rather not use tampons but if there is nothing else, they will.)

The name of the project was decided by the national coordinators. The project was actually founded a year ago by three women in Portsmouth. They set it up so women can volunteer all over the country under the Red Box brand - and be self-sufficient and respond to individual needs. Here is the national website so you can find out more: http://redboxproject.org/

[Alexthecamel]

Brilliant! Thanks for the extra info.

[Jules-and-Boo]

It makes me angry that our young girls don't get free pads anyway.

This scheme is brilliant and I will happily donate. Have you thought about a justgiving page so people can just donate funds rather than the logistics of meeting up to hand items over?

[Red Box Project SE]

Thanks Jules and Boo... we did have a Just Giving Page but the fees were abit high. Rebecca, who is the overall coordinator for SE London and who got things going in SE London, set up a Pay Pal account for SE London for people to give cash donations if you email her at [email protected], she can provide you the details of how to donate. All donations are used by volunteers in SE London to buy supplies for the project which include the plastic boxes, paper bags, sanitary protection and pants. There is also a collection tin at the Old Nun's Head pub. In addition, most of the volunteers have set up Amazon wish lists - I have one for the Red Box Peckham Project and the other volunteers in ED, Nunhead and Forest Hill will have wish lists as well. If you type Red Box into the Amazon wish list search, you'll find many of the wish lists set up by volunteers in different areas of the country and in London.

[Jules-and-Boo]

Thanks - I looked in Amazon wish lists and there are several locations - only two in London - yours and one in Stokey.

I've therefore added a link to yours below - I didn't realise how easy it was. It tells you which are the most needed items and the items range from ?3.55 to ?10.47. You just select Gift Registry Address for delivery and that's it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/RMI7X5TN242I

I ordered some for you and I'm sure other people will support your fantastic cause.

:-)

[rendelharris]

Thanks JB, very useful, just chucked a couple of bob at it too.

[Red Box Project SE]

Thank you so much for your support - the products will go straight into the boxes that we take into schools! As well as the list I set up for Red Box Peckham listed above, there is also General SE London wishlistcovering the whole of SE London which has other items that we need for the project including boxes, paper bags (so girls can take the products discreetly and pants as well as pads: https://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/31RFXYEX7F9QT

[EDmummy]

Thanks for all the information about the project. It?s fantastic!

[Mrs Y]

As we are entering those Summer months, please spare a thought for the girls who have to skip school, wear certain clothing and are unable to participate in some summer activities because they cannot afford Sanitary Wear. Would you be interested in having a donation box for our project in your workplace or shop. We collect period products from our community & deliver them to local schools for young people who could otherwise go without. If you would like a red box for your school or play scheme please contact us.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this.

I look forward to hearing from you.

[email protected]

redboxproject.org

facebook.com/redboxprojectselondon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/RMI7X5TN242I

[Mrs Y]

Periods won?t stop for the holidays, so neither will we. If you know of a youth centre, summer camp or

community space where young people will spend time this summer, please do get in touch or suggest that they approach The Red Box Project to be provided with a box of free period products.

No young person should be without adequate menstrual protection, whatever the time of year.

[email protected]

redboxproject.org

facebook.com/redboxprojectselondon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/RMI7X5TN242I

[Jules-and-Boo]

It's a great project - thanks for keeping it highlighted.

WE sent some over via Amazon - it was really easy :-)

[Red Box Project SE]

Thank you so much for your kind donations via Amazon - they have been received and will be placed in a box to go to a school or summer youth project! People can also drop off donations at Rye Books, Goose Green Clinic (57 East Dulwich Road), or Punk Me Up Cafe.

On Saturday 7th July, we'll be at the Goose Green Primary School summer fair which is being held on Goose Green from 12 - 3pm. We'll have a stall where we will be taking donations of products and cash. Please drop by and say hello!

[edanna]

I wonder whether Dog Kennel Hill Adventure Playground might be interested? They run a summer scheme, as well as having lots of young people visiting in term time.

[Red Box Project SE]

Thanks Edanna - we did give DK Adventure Playground a Red Box for girls they work with a few months ago but it's reminded me to give them a call to see if they need a top up of supplies, particuarly for the summer!

[Dohchos]

Brilliant brilliant, a fantastic initiative.

[pecksniff]

Hoping to drop off some supplies at your event on July 7th. Such a worthy cause.

[Mrs Y]

Good evening,

We?re looking for local businesses to help support the Red Box Project, https://www.facebook.com/theredboxprojectuk/

a community project working to tackle period poverty in East Dulwich.

The Red Box Project takes donations of sanitary products from members of the public and puts them into boxes, which we take into schools for young women to use. We currently provide over 100 boxes in south east London and are looking for donation points in local businesses to help us grow even more.

If you work at a supermarket, pharmacy or other store that sells sanitary products, we would love to hear from you. Tesco?s, Sainsburys, Morrison?s and the Coop have all been very supportive of the Red Box Project in other parts of the country but we?re struggling to make the right contacts here.

Please message me to find out more about how you can help.

Terri Yuill - 07854669330

[email protected]

redboxproject.org

facebook.com/redboxprojectselondon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/RMI7X5TN242I

[Angelina]

what... our local Sainsbury on DKH? Are they not supporting this?

[Red Box Project SE]

Hi Angelina!

We're hoping to get into Sainsbury's at DK Hill soon, Sainbury's in many areas have been pretty supportive. As an update on the supermarket front, we've had a meeting with the regional Community Champions Coordinator at Tesco and it looks like a big donations bin for the project will be going into the Old Kent Road Tesco! Hooray!

And we'd like to thank the many people who have given donations - either locally at one of the drop off points at Rye Books, Goose Green Clinic and Punk Me Up cafe or through the Amazon Wish List. Every day something has come through the door to our Peckham Red Box Coordinator and it's been fab! Thank you all so much!

If you are a teacher at a school, we'd love to connect with you as we want to get the donations into all schools in the area and sometimes it can be difficult getting to speak to the right person so that we can place a box in the school (which we continue to top up whenever needed) So send us a DM if you work in a school and can help.

Finally, Monday night is s special fundraiser for the project at the Rooftop Cinema! There are still a few tickets yet and hope to see some of you there! https://rooftopfilmclub.com/london/bussey-building/film/the-redbox-project-presents-lady-bird/

[pecksniff]

Hi Terri

I noticed that the Feminist Library near to Elephant & Castle is a drop off point for a similar scheme ,Bloody Good Period . Maybe there might be an opportunity for both organisations to collaborate / support each other. Magda is the contact person at the Feminist Library.

https://www.bloodygoodperiod.com/