Women’s Centre Highlight: Menstrual Equity Project
Did you know on the third floor of the SLC you can find the offices of WUSA’s student services? The Women’s Centre (WC Landing Page ) is found on this very floor of the SLC at SLC 3104. The Women’s Centre is a service that provides support and resources for women and trans* individuals, however their services can be used by everyone. Through their dedicated volunteers the Women’ Centre connects their visitors with support and resources, both on- and off-campus. Some of their resources include sexual health, mental health, healthy relationships, etc. Throughout the semester, the Women’s Centre runs workshops, events, film screenings and campaigns that seek to educate students on issues from an intersectional feminist lens.
A current campaign the Women’s Centre is working on is the Menstrual Equity Project. This project has many initiatives across campus to ensure campus communities have access to menstrual hygiene products. Through the efforts of this project, menstrual hygiene products, like pads and tampons, are now offered in gendered and non-gendered bathrooms across campus. You can find a list of bathrooms with menstrual hygiene products here.
As part of the Menstrual Equity Project the Women’s Centre offers free menstrual hygiene hampers. There are two types of hampers available: a single-use hamper and a reusable hamper (a reusable bag with single-use products). These hampers contain enough products for one cycle (about 15 products). The Centre has additional products available upon request. The Centre also offer free reusable menstrual pads and liners. In the past the Centre has offered free menstrual cups although, due to popularity they are currently out of stock. Outside of their Menstrual Equity Project, the Centre provides access to free products such as condoms, lube, and pregnancy tests. These resources can be accessed by visiting their office in SLC 3104 between 12pm and 4pm.
If you are unable to access the menstrual hygiene hampers offered at the Women’s Centre, WUSA Food Support Service also offers menstrual hygiene hampers. You can request these by filling out their request form found here and indicating the type of hamper you require. These hampers are available for pickup at the Turnkey Desk after submitting a request.
When visiting their office, feel free to explore the Women’s Centre’s library, which has an extensive collection of more than 900 books covering a wide range of subjects relevant to women and trans* individuals. These include plays, poetry, queer theory, indigenous stories, and much more. If that isn’t enough reading for you, they recently published their 2024 VOICES publication (Voices Landing Page). VOICES is released every year on International Women’s Day and highlights talented artists, poets and writers. While you are there you can also check out previous year’s publications!
To follow along with the Women’s Centre give them a follow on Instagram @uwwomenscentre or on Facebook @uwwomenscentre! To read more about upcoming events at the Women’s Centre check out their events website. If you have any questions about the menstrual hampers or anything else you can send them an email womenscentre@wusa.ca or send them a DM on Instagram.
