Wise Girls Workshop

Menstrual Wisdom Circle for all-age Girls

Can you imagine girls being initiated in their own embodied wisdom through a memorable educational experience?

The WGW is our Menstrual Education and Body & Cycle Literacy Program; an intentional container to celebrate girls' hormonal awakening and to give them life-changing knowledge and tools so they can be Healthy, Safe & Wise.

Why

Menstrual health problems in Latin America affect millions of women and girls. Lack of access to menstrual products and insufficient education impact their health, daily lives, and opportunities.

Menstrual poverty and gender inequality are forms of violence that violate their rights.

Inspiration

In today's fast-paced world, the essence of coming of age initiations for girls has faded. Young girls entering puberty are often met with confusion, embarrassment, and even rejection, as the rich tapestry of tradition of the women’s worth and power has been lost.

We're confronted with a harsh reality: Girls reach adulthood disassociated from their bodies, without fertility awareness and trying to ignore their menstrual cycles. The period stigma persists because we lack culturally established spaces to celebrate our changing nature and recognize the significance of menstruation and cycles.

But there is hope...

In Mexico over 3,000 girls have received this culturally sensitive education on menstrual health, body literacy, and cycle awareness knowledge. There are currently more than 120 Wise Girls Teachers in Spanish-speaking countries, and the program is taught in rural schools and indigenous territories in Mexico and Costa Rica.

Our methodology recognizes the importance of context, emotion, and personal experience in the process of acquiring knowledge.

We adapt to each environment and honor its cultural wisdom, and we teach the incredible anatomical and physiological science of the women’s bodies, in an engaging, interactive, memorable way for girls to cherish throughout their lives.

What is the WGW

The Wise Girls Workshop is a 10-hour menstrual education and body/cycle literacy program for all girls preparing for, or experiencing puberty, and especially those in rural, indigenous and underprivileged schools and communities.

Delivered by certified Wise Girls Teachers with a culturally sensitive, age-appropriate and experiential approach to education, the Wise Girls Workshop offers girls an embodied pedagogy that teaches the physiological understanding of the cycles, fertility, menstruation and human rights.

Our methodology is founded on the biological maps of the female body and cycles, and also recognizes the importance of context, emotion, and personal experience in the process of acquiring knowledge, aiming to adapt to each environment by honoring its cultural wisdom.

Description

The WGW is an embodied and impactful educational experience on menstruation and fertility which:

Boosts girls´ self-esteem through sexuality and health awareness.
Strengthens peer bonds and trusted support systems.
Ensures continued schooling by providing sustainable menstrual supplies.

Expected Outcomes

95% of girls who come to WGW with a negative perception of menstruation change it to positive.
85% of girls who graduate from a WGW are able to identify their human rights related to menstrual hygiene; i.e., the right to health, education, work, non-discrimination, and gender equality.
85% of girls who attend the WGW can identify the physiology of the menstrual cycle, understand basic fertility, and identify biomarkers in the menstrual cycle.
95% of girls who take the WGW are able to identify menstrual management options while at school and in their personal environment, and can decide which option is best for them.
We anticipate a 50% increase in school attendance during menstruation.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Wise Girls has aligned indicators with UNICEF’s “Guidance for Monitoring Menstrual Health and Hygiene 2020” to ensure both reliability and validity are built into our survey instruments. Before, during and after the WGW, we collect data that is quantified and interpreted, to measure the program’s impact and results.

Wise Girls Kits

The sustainable menstrual management kits that are distributed to the WGW graduates are made by local or regional women’s rural enterprises. Wise Girls creates synergy and encourages these small entrepreneurship projects to jointly manufacture the kits conceived especially for girls who begin to menstruate.

The Wise Girls kit contains 6 reusable pads of different sizes (1 small, 4 regular size, 1 large) made with high quality and safe materials for the users. A transport bag made of waterproof material to store the used pads for later washing is included. Everything comes in a nice, colorful, drawstring bag.

The Wise Girls Kit eases the financial burden of continuously purchasing disposable menstrual pads, lessens harsh environmental impacts, promotes girls’ health because it is non-toxic, and allows a girl to develop relationship with her body and its natural processes

Wise Girls Workshop

Duration: 10-12 hours of education distributed in 5 modules

Period: One week (Monday to Friday, 2 hours each day.)

Venue: Local schools and/or community centers

Beneficiaries: 20 girls per WGW, ages 10-17.

Join Our Girls Guardian Community and become a monthly to offer girls:

The Wise Girls Workshop education

A Wise Girls Kit

WGW education + Kit