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8 Jan 2024

georgiastomp Events Tax Elimination

Join us for Tax Free Georgia Press Conference!

Join your voice with state leaders asking for Georgia to join the other

29 states that have no sales tax on period products!

January 18th 9:00 am

South Wing Steps on 2nd Floor inside Capitol

We will gather beginning at 8:45 am

Enter via security entrance on the south side of the Capitol on Mitchell Street, SW.

Once you pass security, turn to the right, and take the steps immediately to your right up to the second floor.

You must show your ID to enter Capitol Building.

3 Jan 2024

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP Updates, Success Stories

2023 Looking Back – Looking Forward

Happy New Year!

As I reflect on 2023, I am excited about the development and growth that Georgia STOMP has undergone. The team we have assembled is committed to this work. We are diverse in perspective and in the gifts we bring to the mission. For those who have been a part of this effort since its inception in 2017, you know we began as a small grassroots movement in Macon, quickly spreading to Savannah and then statewide. Not until 2021 did we formalize the coalition, seat a board and plan for a future beyond Georgia STOMP’s initial leaders. After two years of intense formational work, the future looks promising because of the team we now have in place!

Looking back at the past few years, nothing we have done has impacted the lives of menstruators as greatly as the funding in the state budget distributed via the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (GaDPH). With the help of both Republican and Democrat leadership at the Capitol, Georgia STOMP did that! Georgia was the first state in the nation to put a line item in the state budget for period product provision. Students in Georgia’s public schools have access to period products in ways that most states have not yet realized!

Georgia STOMP works very closely with GaDOE leadership to construct the list of approved items that can be purchased with state monies, suggest best practices for distribution and train school nurses. Specifically in 2023, working closely with GaDOE and a team of researchers from Emory University led by Dr. April Ballard (PhD, MPH) and Alison Hoover (MPH), we spearheaded a project to ascertain the advisability of allowing the state “feminine hygiene grant” money to be used to install free dispensers in school bathrooms to facilitate student access. Input was received from school nurses and facility managers. The research resulted in GaDOE adding dispensers to the approved list of items that school districts can use their state allocation to purchase. Partnering with Georgia Association of School Nurses (GASN) and Children’s Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA), Georgia STOMP has been present at every major gathering of school nurses in Georgia this year. These face-to-face gatherings provide opportunities to both train nurses and receive feedback from them. This mutual education makes usage of the state funds more efficient and readies us for advocacy under the Gold Dome.

Organizationally, with a full working board seated and trained, we were able to turn our attention to committee development, thereby giving more member organization leadership a voice in the direction of the coalition’s work. Currently, committees include Communications, Legislative and Finance. If you or someone from your organization is interested in joining a committee, reply to this email and we will include you in the list for 2024-2025.

As we move into 2024, an unfinished task before us takes us back to where we began – elimination of the discriminatory sales tax! Since the inception of Georgia STOMP, the number of states that have removed the tax has more than doubled. Georgia is now one of only 21 states to assess a sales tax on products about which we have no choice, are a medical necessity and are required for good health. As 2024 begins, YOUR voice is needed in this work! MUCH too often we hear from legislators that no one in their district has contacted them about the need to eliminate the tax.

Have you called, emailed, or otherwise spoken toyour STATE Representative and STATE Senator?

Have you let your friends and relatives in various parts of the state know to do the same?

Easy Take Action links are on this website. Use them and share them with others. We provide suggested language, but he emails are also easily edited, making it possible to personalize them quickly.

As I conclude, I want to remind you that 2024 is Membership Renewal Year. Georgia STOMP has a two-year cycle for memberships and EVERY organization’s is due to renew in January. Watch your inbox for an email with links from Membership Chair, Madison Shelnutt. Reply to it immediately to make sure your organization stays connected. It will only take a moment!

Thank you for being a part of this work. Please feel free to reach out with questions or suggestions at any time! We want to hear from you. We want to work with you to make Georgia the best state for menstruators!

Claire Cox, Chair Georgia STOMP, Inc.

21 Nov 2023

georgiastomp Uncategorized Coalition Member News

Over the Moon Diaper Bank seeks to decrease period poverty and diaper need

Destini Ambus | Savannah Morning News

Katie Griffith, the founder and executive director of Over the Moon Diaper Bank said that what they do at the non-profit is something that’s very tangible and can make effective change very quickly.

The organization provides diapers, period and incontinence products free of charge to those in need. Think about how a food bank functions − that’s exactly how this diaper, period, hygiene bank functions.

The organization, which started in 2019, and is the only one in the Coastal Georgia area has now grown to the point where a warehouse is necessary. They obtained space at Port City Logistics to store the thousands of diapers, pads, tampons, wipes and more that they receive through donations. The bank serves those in need, year-round from Beaufort to Brunswick.

Earlier this year, a bill made its way through the Georgia state Legislature to exempt certain absorbent diapers, undergarments and pads from sales and use taxes. Diapers and period products are taxed at a minimum of 4%, the statewide tax rate, but can reach 9% in certain parts of the state. In Savannah, the sales tax is 7%, a combination of the state, city and sales tax rate.

The bill did not advance out of the committee this year, but is still alive for January 2024 when the Legislature reconvenes. In the meantime, 47% of families with small children still experience diaper need – that’s one in two families. Two in five people struggle to purchase period supplies due to lack of income, according to Over the Moon website otmdiaperbank.org.

The vision for Over the Moon is simple: To improve the health, ease of life, and dignity of coastal neighbors because we believe everyone deserves to be clean, healthy, happy, safe and dry.

“These are problems that are solvable by laypeople,” Griffith said. “You know, you don’t have to be a healthcare professional to figure this out, but you know get some volunteers, fundraise some, connect with other people, and it just has this ripple effect. Anybody can do something.”

Griffith said that Over the Moon is something that had been building since 2017, when she and her family began donating to the Texas diaper bank after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston.

As she started learning more about diaper need, she realized it was something that people needed on a daily basis, not just during natural disasters. She began looking for something similar in the area, and the closest one was hours away – the only other banks in Georgia are the Diaper Bank of North Georgia in Gainesville and the Athens Area Diaper Bank in Athens.

After reaching out to the National Diaper Bank Network and different organizations in the Savannah area she began to slowly build Over the Moon, with the help of a lot of volunteers, who still volunteer their time to hep today.

“It’s very grassroots, but we wanted to work with organizations that already had systems in place that could easily and quickly get items out to people who need them, who already had those relationships built in,” Griffith said.

That’s the model – they have donation bins set up in various locations, volunteers pick up the products in the bins and bundle them based on size (of diapers), and then they stock them with partner organizations or have distribution events with local libraries, churches and community partners.

One of those partners is Live Oak Public Libraries. Savanna Waddle, the regional social services coordinator with the library system said that banks like Over the Moon are vital in expanding access to families.

“Diapers and period products are basic necessities, yet the price of these items is prohibitive for some folks,” Waddle said. “Over the Moon has brought the service to them.”

According to the National Diaper Bank Network, children require at least 50 diaper changes per week, or 200 diaper changes a month. Over the Moon gives away 50 diapers to each family at distribution.

“Most people they’re missing 50 diapers at the end of every month, so that’s what we provide,” Griffith said. “We try to time most of our giveaways at the second half of the month, when people need the help the most so they can get through to their next pay period.”

Russell Lewis, a single father living in Savannah, said the bank has definitely saved him financially. He said he’s a proud single dad raising a 2, 3 and 4-year-old.

“I’m doing my best and we all fall short sometimes,” Lewis said. “I just feel like the organization helps a lot of single parents, and saves a lot of headaches because kids can’t wait on diapers. they have to have it.”

The organization began distributing period products too immediately when they started. Period poverty is the lack of having access to sanitary products due to financial constrains or negative stigmas associated with menstruation.

“Period poverty lasts so long, and you know, half of the population menstruates for a large chunk of their lives,” Griffith said. “As soon as I learned about diaper need, you realize that a chunk of the population who’s dealing with that is also facing period poverty, because they’ll forego purchasing items or getting items for themselves because their baby needs diapers.”

Over the Moon recently held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate their new warehouse at Port City Logistics. Griffith said that she is grateful for the help Port City has provided them.

“I mean, it takes everybody really and that’s what’s also so great about this. It’s not about one person or one, you know, one group, this is a community effort,” Griffith said. “And this has benefited our entire community.”

View the original article.

2 Nov 2023

georgiastomp Events

Fall Summit 2023

Georgia STOMP hosted our annual Fall Membership Summit on Nov 1. We were excited to see so many coalition leaders in person and virtually. We are grateful to Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies who graciously provided their space and technology for the meeting.

Those in attendance enjoyed hearing spotlights from member organizations Georgia Association of School Nurses, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, S.H.E. for Women at Georgia Tech and one of our newest members A Princess and a Pad. Georgia STOMP’s Board was introduced and Membership Chair Madison Shelnutt introduced herself to the group, talked about her plans for her term and reminded attendees that 2024 is membership renewal year.

The 2024 Legislative Priorities proposed by Georgia STOMP’s newly formed Legislative Committee were presented with background as to how they were drafted. Input from coalition members received at the Summit will be incorporated when the Board adopts the final version of the 2024 Legislative Priorities. Following adoption by the Board, the Legislative Committee will develop talking points and with the assistance of the Communication Committee publish graphics and our yearly Guide to the Issues.

We look forward to connecting with the coalition each fall to hear successes, share challenges and together strategize for the upcoming legislative session. This year was no different! Together we will make it a productive legislative season!

18 Oct 2023

georgiastomp Events

Period Action Day 2023

Georgia STOMP hosted an empowering celebration of Period Action Day on Saturday, October 14, 2023. Founded in 2019 by PERIOD.The Menstrual Movement, this global day of advocacy highlights the monumental strides of the menstrual equity movement. The porch of Urban Pie Atlanta was standing room only as those gathered discussed progress made across the country and work done in Georgia. The celebration highlighted Georgia’s leadership as the the first state in the nation to put money in its state budget for the purpose of buying period products in schools and at local county health departments, but also focused on Georgia’s lack of movement to eliminate the state sales tax on period products, something 29 other states have done.

This event brought together state legislators, school nurses, and prominent leaders working at the forefront of menstrual equity in Georgia. House sales tax elimination bill (HB123) sponsors, Rep. Debbie Buckner, Rep. Kim Schofield and Rep. Rhonda Burnough brought greetings. Senate tax elimination bill (SB51) sponsor Sen. Nabilah Islam and bill champion, Sen. Nan Orrock, also challenged the crowd to get involved. Rep. Buckner stated “this is an unfair tax on a necessity. Period products are federally designated medical devices and such medical devices are already tax exempt in the Georgia Code. Period products should be as well.”

Lynne Meadows, Director of District Health Services for Fulton County Schools and Georgia’s first National Association of School Nurses’ Fellow, spoke as a nurse on the frontline of period product provision in schools. “Having products has been incredibly helpful and addresses a critical need. Students do not have to worry about or be embarrassed to ask for products, and school nurses do not have to struggle to find funding to purchase products.”

A “packing party” to assemble individual kits of period supplies was hosted and more than 360 kits were created in less than an hour. Supplies for the kits were collected from donations by Georgia STOMP members, the business community (including OI Organic Initiative), and the Women’s Caucus of the Georgia Legislature. Employees from Tyler Perry Studios (TPS) collected over 10,000 items. TPS was represented on Saturday by Jessica Hardaway, Director of Communications and Engagement. The period kits will be distributed statewide by Georgia STOMP member organizations. These include Helping Mamas and Atlanta GLOW in the Atlanta area, Period Project at UGA in Athens,and Macon Periods Easier serving middle Georgia.

The 2023 Period Action Day Event connected, energized and equipped Georgia STOMP advocates to be even more effective in 2024!

28 Aug 2023

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP In The News Coalition Member News

Teens are the leading voice to end ‘period poverty’

Laura Berrios

Chamblee High School senior Deeksha Khanna has spent the past year trying to understand period poverty and ease the injustices of it in her community.

She has learned that one in five women and girls do not have access to menstrual products, a basic necessity.

The 17-year-old has assembled personalized menstrual hygiene kits – with medications, pads, tampons, wipes, and sanitizers – and delivered them to homeless shelters, community centers and schools.

Period poverty describes the inequities of low-income women and girls who struggle to obtain menstrual products, and the stigmas attached to menstruation.

Deeksha, passionate about service and social justice, founded The Elea Project to end period poverty and ensure women’s menstrual health by partnering with other groups on this issue.

She has worked with 25 organizations in Georgia and other states in the past year. Through her GoFundMe account, she has collected $2,000 in donations and given out almost 13,000 products.

“Millions of women around the world have to miss school, have to miss jobs, have to take sick days because of something so fundamental to their existence,” said Deeksha. “As a student, I value my education. I felt a connection to those women and decided this is a perfect area for me (to serve).”

Teens like Deeksha are leading the way to humanize and break taboos around menstruation.

Their voice in period poverty is vital, said Claire Cox, chair of Georgia STOMP, a statewide coalition advocating for menstrual equity and elimination of period poverty in Georgia.

“It’s really a movement among young people these days,” Cox said. “They are asking for needs many of us never thought to voice. They’re speaking up and busting stigmas that are barriers to these conversations.

“They’re starting movements at their schools, and when they go to colleges and universities, they continue the movements. And I think five years from now, the workplace, and the restrooms in workplaces, will be different places.”

STOMP stands for Stop Taxing Menstrual Products, and it’s the group’s main message to state legislators. Every year since 2018, a bill to eliminate the state sales tax on period products has been before the Georgia legislature. Twenty-four states do not tax period products, and five other states don’t levy any sales tax.

Cox also works to destigmatize the topic by changing dated terms like “hygiene products” and advises schools that receive state funding for menstrual supplies. Georgia was the first state to fund period products for grades 5-12, she said.

In Gwinnett County, 17-year-old Rhea Sethi said she didn’t know “period poverty” was an actual term until she got involved last year with her school’s chapter of Period. – a global, youth-fueled organization that strives to eradicate period poverty and stigma through service, education, and advocacy.

This year, she’s leading the chapter, organizing donation drives to supply menstrual products at elementary schools, and ensuring her peers at North Gwinnett High know where they can get free period products on campus.

“After I got into the menstrual movement, it was such an inspiring thing,” said Rhea, a senior. “I immediately wanted to be part of it and see what impact I could have in advocacy and service.”

Members of North Gwinnett High Period. chapter – both girls and guys – twice went to the state Capitol during the last legislative session and spoke with lawmakers about the hardships of the sales tax.

“Having a tax on tampons and period products is inequity,” Rhea said. “Why do we have to have a tax on it? Seems like a punishment because you have to buy products like these.”

She said even a slight price increase causes women to use cheaper products, which may harm them.

According to Groundswell, the average woman spends about $120 per year on pads and tampons and an additional $20 each year on over-the-counter medication to combat cramps and other period-related side effects.

The North Gwinnett chapter tries to humanize the subject by keeping meetings informative and fun. Having male members serve in leadership roles helps to break down stereotypes and misunderstandings.

The Elea Project also focuses on education, and Deeksha has gathered some of the movement’s leading voices in the state for panel discussions that she posts on social media.

Deeksha said forming partnerships with like-minded groups has made her efforts more efficient and effective. For example, she partnered with the University of Georgia Period Project to assemble over 4,000 kits of menstrual supplies and helped to distribute them in Athens and metro Atlanta.

She said her most meaningful moment in this journey so far was partnering with the Global Village Project, a school for refugee girls in Decatur, and providing them with period products.

When learning that some girls could not speak about menstrual needs within their families or communities and would have to conceal their products to go home, Deeksha placed the items in paper bags so they could be discreet.

“A big part of Elea is to eradicate that stigma that exists around period poverty,” she said, “because it’s such a fundamental underpinning of being a woman.”

HOW TO HELP

The Elea Project: theeleaproject.org

Instagram: @theeleaproject

GoFundMe: gofund.me/e0aae3b3

All donations go to purchase period products that are distributed to community centers, shelters and schools.

Georgia STOMP: www.georgiastomp.org

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Teens are the leading voice to end period poverty by Laura Berrios

17 Aug 2023

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP Updates Increase Access

Period Product Dispensers Soon Available At Georgia Public Schools!

School doors have opened across the state which is still a shocker to some of us who never started before Labor Day! Returning to the classroom means, for many students, returning to a season of fear, facing questions like: when will my period start, will I have the products I need to attend class or after school practice and how will I ever catch up on schoolwork when I miss a week for having no pads or tampons.

Thankfully, as a result of Georgia STOMP’s advocacy, starting in 2019, the Georgia Legislature addressed these fears, designating money in the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) budget for the purpose of buying period products.The State Board of Education recently approved GaDOE’s division of this school year’s $1.45M. Funds are given to schools with high poverty rates serving students in grades 5-12 and are allocated based on the number of female students in each school. The funding list by district can be found HERE.

Each year when this list is published, GaDOE also sends a list of approved products that can be purchased with the funds. The BIG news for fall of 2023 is the addition of period product dispensers to the list!

Georgia STOMP has been integral to compiling this list since the money was first distributed in 2019. Together with GaDOE leadership we have faced tough decisions about what items the money is meant to cover. The first list consisted only of pads, tampons and pantyliners. Based on feedback from school nurses, we quickly expanded the list to include disposal wipes and underwear.

Last year, multiple school systems requested approval to purchase period product dispensers for placement in restrooms. School nurses recognize that ready access to products keeps students in the classroom and eliminates the stigma of asking for this basic need. GaDOE and Georgia STOMP discussed the possibility of adding dispensers to the list; however, both were determined to use research-based data to make the decision. Concerns focused on what type of dispensers should be allowed, where they would be located, who would stock them and the required coordination with facilities management personnel or maintenance and operations (M&O) departments. Alison Hoover, MPH and April Ballard, PhD, MPH, of Georgia STOMP member organization Dignity Pack Project, graciously agreed to lead this study. Dr. Ballard’s work emphasizes translating research for public health policy into practice and, as a researcher, is an Affiliate member of Georgia STOMP.

For the past year, Dr. Ballard, Hoover and Rachel Dornfest, a student from Emory Rollins School of Public Health, interviewed school nurses, facility managers and others examining the interest, problems, benefits and pitfalls of dispensers. The overwhelming positive response was indicative of the benefits of installing dispensers.

Last week, GaDOE released the money for period products to school districts using its distribution formula. Along with their graphic, GaDOE sent a document prepared by Dr. Ballard with important guidelines, options and considerations local school systems must follow if they use state money to purchase dispensers. Among other things, the document stresses that the dispensers must distribute products for free, be installed in student bathrooms in common spaces, be purchased collaboratively with facility management and that schools should make plans for proper disposal of period products.

As with many decisions related to school management in Georgia, great variations exist between school districts, and even between schools, as to what “dispenser” might mean and how their installation and maintenance is managed. With this input and following numerous conversations with GaDOE leadership, the Ballard/Hoover team took their work a step further. They researched and prepared a document with numerous types of dispensers and strengthened it by adding links to numerous supplier websites. This document is not meant to recommend any of these options over another, but is certainly a useful tool for local school systems to employ when choosing what is the best option in serving their students.

Georgia STOMP was grateful to be the convening entity in this research and to further our partnership with the Georgia Department of Education and with school nurses. For more information, reach out to us at info@georgiastomp.org!

Feminine Hygiene Grant Dispensers one pager_Aug2023_v3

24 Jul 2023

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP Updates

2023 Georgia STOMP Board Annual Meeting

On Saturday, June 15, the Georgia STOMP Board met for its second Annual Meeting celebrating the first time we’ve gathered to reflect on a full year of work together! It was a joyous day with some of us meeting in person for the first time! Hugs and smiles were shared all around!

Since August of 2021, the Board has worked to transition Georgia STOMP from a grassroots effort, led for the last seven years by Adele Stewart and myself, to a sustainable and inclusive entity, governed by the Board and operating as a non-profit in the state of Georgia. We’ve had some fits and starts and quite honestly, experienced some missteps, but nevertheless made steady progress towards the goal of ensuring this work is productive and long-lived addressing the needs of menstruators in Georgia.

Georgia STOMP 2023-2024 Board

: Claire Cox, Chair

: Adele Stewart, Vice Chair

: Sheryl-Anne Murray, Secretary

: Danielle Taylor, Treasurer

: Ashlie James

: Ashley Boyle, Communications Chair

: Madison Shelnutt, Membership Chair

: Areeba Hashmi

Welcome to New Board Members!

We are happy to welcome two new Board members — Areeba Hashmi and Sheryl-Anne Murray. Both bring experience and skills needed by the Board. Areeba has been actively involved in addressing period poverty needs among students in the Athens area and at the University of Georgia. Sheryl-Anne brings great depth of experience in the field of healthcare and a passion for community service and providing for the needs of youth. We look forward to employing their energy, knowledge and service to meet the needs of Georgians!

Growth and Service Opportunities

As a new Board with a wide range of experience in organizational leadership, it was important that we undergo training designed to empower every member of our leadership. We were fortunate to be led by Dr. Annise Mabry through a discernment process to recognize that we are a working board and as such, need opportunities to include many others in the work. Committees are the change agents necessary to expand the limited capacity of our all volunteer group. Watch your inbox soon for opportunities to join committees created on Saturday to advance the work. Your voice and your input is needed.

MANY of you have asked, “how can I be more involved in Georgia STOMP?”

Joining a committee — Communication, Finance, Legislative or Membership — is the answer to that question!

22 Jun 2023

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP Updates Coalition Member News, Increase Access

2023 Georgia Association of School Nurses Convention

Georgia Association of School Nurses (GASN) returned to hosting their annual conference this year and Georgia STOMP was on site to enjoy the reunion! This gathering of over 350 school nurses from throughout Georgia is an important educational and connectional event for our state. The conference, held in Savannah, branded with a lighthouse and themed “Restore our Light,” was filled with a sense of excitement, friendship and a desire to hone skills and learn about new opportunities to better serve students in Georgia.

Shortly before the pandemic, GASN became a member of Georgia STOMP and plans were initiated for our participation in the conference. After waiting three years for the plan to come to fruition, we made the most of the week. We spent long hours tabling with vendors in order to talk to school nurses individually, and were grateful for the opportunity to address the gathering in a featured segment for the whole conference. The week was rich in opportunities to connect and educate school nurses about the funding available in the state budget and best practices for distributing period products in schools.

Board Chair Claire Cox spoke directly to more than 150 nurses, learning from them about the sufficiency of the state funding for period products in their schools, listening to methods of distribution that have worked (and some that haven’t) and talking to them about best practices we have learned to distribute products without shaming. Adele Stewart presented to the gathering, letting them know more about the organization behind what most Georgia school nurses call “STOMP money.” It was an opportunity to ensure each of is aware of the presence of the money, how the funds which are allocated by the legislature are divided between schools and what can be purchased with the funds. Adele concluded by inviting the nurses to reach out to us if they have any questions or need more information and to connect with us via our newsletter signup.

We wish every one of you who has been a part of Georgia STOMP throughout the past six years could have been present to hear the incredible testimonies about the difference funding is making in the lives of students and their families, and the gratitude on the part of school nurses for the assistance. Prior to the state funding, our surveys showed school nurses and other administrators paid for the products out of their own pockets almost 60% of the time!

1 Jun 2023

georgiastomp Georgia STOMP Updates Public Awareness

Let’s Talk Puberty Education: An Interview with Dr. Marni Sommer

Well designed puberty education empowers young menstruators to feel confident in their bodies. While research and curriculum development is not a direct focus of Georgia STOMP, education and knowledge around periods certainly is. Prior to the pandemic, Georgia STOMP convened three roundtables of medical professionals, legislators, Department of Education leaders and academics to discuss the state of puberty education in Georgia and brainstorm paths to improvements. Connections made through that process have continued to fuel research, inform educators and expand knowledge around the need for better tools and methods in our state.

Several Georgia STOMP organizations work to provide accurate and empowering puberty education experiences to menstruators in their area, such as Atlanta GLOW, P3 Party for Girls, Raising BeYOUtiful Butterflies, and Girls on the Run. These groups supplement the puberty curriculum provided by schools and other more traditional channels of education.

In Georgia, the Department of Education (GaDOE) sets the standards for school-based puberty education and local districts have the discretion to select resources and create instructional plans. However, the standards set by the state are vague. There is only one standard specific to puberty and it only applies to Grade 5: “HE5.1g Identify the changes that occur during puberty. Example physical changes.”

Therese McGuire, health and physical education program specialist at the Georgia Department of Education, explains that GaDOE provides professional development and content-specific training and resources to school districts. McGuire is often called upon by local school systems and teachers to share new and helpful resources and is open to hearing from Georgia STOMP members who have helpful instructional pieces or specific lesson plans to share.

Georgia STOMP recently spoke with Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, a renowned leader in global health, researcher and professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Sommer co-wrote A Girl’s Guide to Puberty and Periods, which includes real-life stories of menarche from adolescents and teens across the United States.

Georgia STOMP: Why is puberty education important?

Sommer: Puberty education is hugely important because it’s a phase of life when young people are experiencing so much change as their bodies develop – ranging from the more obvious physical changes to the emotional and cognitive changes to the ways in which their families, peers and the wider world start to engage with them differently socially. It’s essential that young people understand what is happening so that they can feel confident and knowledgeable about all that is happening, and not confused, scared, or anxious about the experiences. We also know that young people who feel informed and supported as they undergo the many changes of puberty are more likely to have healthier outcomes, ranging from the physical to the mental and social.

Georgia STOMP: What are 2-3 key takeaways from your research on puberty education?

Sommer: There are so many key takeaways! However if I were to narrow it down I’d say: 1) Girls across the country are still not receiving adequate practical guidance and support as they reach puberty and transition through early adolescence; 2) It’s essential to prepare girls in advance of their first period to reduce their fear and confusion at seeing menstrual blood for the first time.

Georgia STOMP: How was the Girl’s Guide developed? What differentiates it from traditional public school-based puberty education?

Sommer: We developed the Girl’s Guide after doing participatory research with girls across the country, capturing first period stories from girls in 25 states, and also interviewing parents, teachers, coaches, school nurses, and others who engage with girls as they transition into and through adolescence. To be honest, it’s unclear what “public school-based puberty education” even is across the country as many states may not be providing any puberty information or if they are, it may be limited to the biological changes happening to the body. There may also be some school districts doing a wonderful job of providing thoughtful, practical information to girls and others who menstruate in their schools. What differentiates our book, I think, and why I would love to see it in every school library across the country, is that it incorporates the real stories of adolescent girls from across the US about their first period, along with their many questions — with answers in the book – so that we both normalize the experience of puberty and all the variation in peoples’ experiences, and we also keep the book very girl-centered.

Georgia STOMP: Are there benefits to involving boys in education about menstruation/puberty for people with periods?

Sommer: Absolutely! Both girls and boys – and all young people – experience so many changes as they transition into and through adolescence and the more they understand about the others’ changing bodies, the less they are likely to tease each other, and instead will hopefully be supportive. We reduce the stigma and embarrassment. That said, sometimes young people do want to learn about such changes privately – whether it’s reading a book alone, which is our thought for the Girl’s Guide, or with other young people experiencing the same changes that they are encountering. So it’s important to provide the puberty education in a way that helps young people to feel most comfortable.

Georgia STOMP: Feel free to share anything else that I did not ask that you feel is important.

Sommer: We developed the book with appreciation for how uncomfortable many parents/caregivers are talking about these topics – and the same for girls. Our recommendation is that the books are provided to young people to read on their own, but with the encouragement to seek out trusted sources of information if they have additional questions – just as we advise in the book.

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