Mandy Smith

As a woman and feminist, I'm aware of the severity of period poverty, not just in the UK but around the globe. The concept of feminist empowerment and equality is deeply routed within the aims of the The Red Box Project. Speaking to Mandy in detail brought to light how much the project has grown, and how it has impacted on a national scale, helping the implementation of the law regarding free period products in schools (set to take place in early 2020). I've known Mandy due to being in school with her daughter Laura, and so I was inspired when I saw she was involved with the project.

Mandy's influence came from seeing the project online. She instantly felt a connection with the message and so she wanted to help. When joining the organisation, Mandy said she "contacted them and said this is the area I want to help cover [Sefton] and they said yeah, go for it! So that's what I did...I passionately believe no young person should have to pay, in fact no-one full stop shouldn't have to pay for period products." Mandy's passionate opinion drove her to invest her time in helping the community for young people in Sefton by going into primary schools, secondary schools, youth centres and sports clubs, providing free products for young people who need them most.

Mandy's influence came from seeing the project online. She instantly felt a connection with the message and so she wanted to help. When joining the organisation, Mandy said she "contacted them and said this is the area I want to help cover [Sefton] and they said yeah, go for it! So that's what I did...I passionately believe no young person should have to pay, in fact no-one full stop shouldn't have to pay for period products." Mandy's passionate opinion drove her to invest her time in helping the community for young people in Sefton by going into primary schools, secondary schools, youth centres and sports clubs, providing free products for young people who need them most.

"I've seen first hand if you've got a choice between food and buying products you're going to buy food." Mandy described when her and her daughters lived together when they were younger, especially as she was a single mum. Period poverty is an ever-growing issue that needs to be tackled, and that's exactly what Mandy is doing. Mandy has created period packs for schools so people can pick, freely at their will, which product they needed. The packs consisted of pads and tampons of all different sizes, panty liners, knickers, wipes, deodorants and sprays in order to create a comfortable and welcoming environment for people all over Sefton. (Putting that into perspective, Mandy told me that a secondary school box would usually cost £200 to fill!) Despite a majority of willing places that took the products on board, Mandy did discover that some places were reluctant to take them as it "may make the men uncomfortable." This response just goes to show how stigmatised periods still are. Instead, they should be recognised as a normal bodily function and doesn't need masking from men. Mandy believes that "its still seen as being unclean and dirty and we don't talk about it round men, well why not?!"

Not only is Mandy part of a huge organisation that helps provide these essential products, she is involved a much wider and on-going conversation about why periods are still frowned upon, and why we still feel as though we need to whisper every time we speak about it in order to make men feel more comfortable. 

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We then spoke more about the political side of the project and how they helped with legislation. "The girls who started it were involved with the government and did talks in order to provide period products in schools. Through those talks they've actually taken on board and listened [to them.]" The law now states that the opportunity for school to provide free period products for both primary and secondary schools. The word 'opportunity' though still suggests there's still a long way to go in terms of solving period poverty and providing free period products. Schools will have to willingly sign up for the implementation of free products and don't necessarily have to.

Mandy and the rest of the volunteers at the Red Box Project are prime examples of how passionate women can make huge impacts to society when it comes to tackling gender inequality. What once was a small project turned out to be a national organisation, inspiring thousands of people to get involved and help shape the present and future lives for young people. They have started a very important and ongoing debate regarding the provision of fee period products for people who may not be able to provide for themselves. Their determination to not back down despite obstacles was rewarded with the new legislation,  hopefully creating a pathway in ending period poverty once and for all.

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Because the Red Box Project have now achieved a goal in organising free products within school, they no longer need to take official donations anymore and have started to shut down their organisations in order to let the government take control. Due to this, Mandy now has a surplus of products and will drop them anywhere they are needed, such as sports and social clubs, food banks and many more. Mandy will always be on standby as a helping hand. If you know anywhere that may benefit from these products or have any queries about the Red Box Project, feel free to contact Herricane directly or contact the Red Box Project at http://redboxproject.org/. 

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