On February 23rd through the 25th, the Girl Up club ran a product drive at Schaumburg High School in the Showcase Hallway before school. The product drive collects tampons and pads not only to benefit people who menstruate and lack access to the proper supplies, but also to raise awareness about the impacts of period poverty.

The period drive was able to collect approximately 250 tampons and 400 pads; while the number is significant, members seek to collect more in order to make a larger impact on our community. 

Their goal, as members of a club, is to advocate for the impairing effects of inequalities based on gender, and encourage students to educate themselves on gender issues and take action to remedy problems they come across. While not an obstacle in everyday life, the menstruation cycle can be incredibly difficult when one lacks access to products that facilitate normal activities of life. 

“We are trying to raise awareness about period poverty (a lack of access or inadequate access to menstrual products, often due to economic hardship), and how it can interfere with equal access to educational, social, and career opportunities for people who menstruate,” stated club sponsor Ms. Ksiazek.

First held by the Girl Up club three years ago after learning about product drives occurring elsewhere, Girl Up club members spent time planning and becoming more knowledgeable regarding the purpose and necessity for a product drive. To destigmatize the issue of menstruation, the Girl Up members actively sought to inform the Schaumburg High School community of the debilitating effects of period poverty. The period drive and its collection of menstrual products served as an efficient method to spread the word about period poverty, but to also give back to their community and make a difference for those impacted by period poverty. 

While the drive is specifically directed towards those who lack the reliable access to menstrual products, Girl Up also hopes that the product drive itself also serves as a method of awareness in helping others learn the value of empathy. The drive also tackles larguer issue; it addresses the inequalities of gender that we have gotten used to skillfully ignoring in our society. Therefore, it is our duty as the next generation to rectify the mistakes our society has brought forth, and it all starts from just donating some pads or tampons at the next product drive, here at Schaumburg High School. 

“We intend to continue the drive annually for as long as Girl Up exists or, more optimistically, until period poverty is a thing of the past,” Ksiazek added.