A CONVERSATION WITH: TOTM ON ALL THINGS PERIOD DIGNITY

Last month OutsideIn joined forces with TOTM, an incredible brand focused on high-quality, sustainable and affordable period care, to support Period Dignity among women experiencing homelessness! This exciting collaboration formed the giving part of our Women’s Collection that was launched to celebrate International Women’s Day and the incredible women in each of our lives.

Working alongside TOTM, we were able to provide 400 period kits to the Simon Community - one of our long-standing charity partners who do INCREDIBLE work to help and support individuals experiencing homelessness here in Northern Ireland. This means that 200 women will receive two of TOTM’s period kits to support their next menstrual cycle.

And as with all our impact, we absolutely could not have achieved this without the unbelievable support of our customers. To each and every one of you who copped one of our beautiful Period. Tee’s, shared the campaign to their socials or bought a giving pack specifically for a woman in need, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

We are so grateful for the support we get from our Oi Fam - you make making a difference possible 💜

To celebrate the success of the impact this campaign achieved, we chatted to TOTM to find out more about who they are, what they do, and why Period Dignity is so important to them! Plus, catch up with Miranda, our Social Impact Officer, on delivering the packs to the Simon Community and see the impact your generosity and support has had!

So, this is our conversation with TOTM - Enjoy! ✌️

So, you guys are all about bringing dignity back to periods! But why is the issue of a lack of Period Dignity so important to the team at TOTM?

TOTM is powered by a small but passionate team who want to change the narrative around periods and how we manage them. Everybody deserves period dignity, yet statistics show how so many women and people with periods in the UK are struggling to access period care. Therefore, we’re proud to partner with organisations such as OutsideIn and the Simon Community to help supply period care products to those who need them. We also proudly support Binti International with an ongoing donation scheme and are part of the UK Government’s Period Equality task force.

A lack of Period Dignity also has a direct impact on the availability of period care products. What would you say is one of the biggest challenges that a lack of high-quality, easily available period products creates? 

Periods are natural and are a big part of our lives. When people are struggling to access quality period products, then it’s clear something must be done in society to eradicate the problem. Plan UK found that young girls were missing school due to having no access to period care, and our own research has shown that the same issue exists in workplaces with workers caught short and unable to freely access products. We all need to campaign for change to ensure period equality and dignity is a reality for all.

We love that you are so passionate about this very real, very serious issue but that you are also so action-orientated in making sure it doesn’t just remain as a problem waiting to be solved. Can you tell us a bit more about some of the impact TOTM is working so hard to create? 

Periods are shrouded in secrecy which means they’re not visible in society or represented in a real, honest way. We want to change this and challenge negative attitudes towards menstruation. Alongside using our platform to run taboo-breaking awareness campaigns, we’re working with our charity partners to widen our impact and support. So far, through working with Endometriosis UK, we’ve donated over £20,000 to support those living with Endometriosis. In 2020 alone, on top of supporting Endo UK through our online channel, we donated over 50,000 period care products to various UK causes.

That’s incredible and so encouraging to see! We know that from your support of our International Women’s Day campaign that you not only talk the talk of making a difference but you walk the walk too. How can other individuals who are wanting to be action-orientated in supporting some of these causes you mentioned above, as well as the very important cause of true Period Dignity across the UK, get involved?

Everyone can get involved in supporting period dignity across the UK in lots of different ways! Even something as simple as changing how you talk about periods makes a difference. By promoting positive attitudes and open conversations about periods, we can continually shine a light on issues such as period equality and dignity. You can also support period dignity campaigns or initiatives in your area which are aiming to improve access to period care. Last year, Scotland passed The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill which makes products available for free to people who need them - it would be AMAZING to see the rest of the UK follow Scotland’s lead. 

There is also an immediate need for period care products largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as 3 in 10 girls are struggling to afford or access products in a Covid-world. There are organisations who are working at grass-roots level to give products to those who urgently need supplies. Therefore, donations are always welcome (top tip: always contact the charity / project first to find out what products they need as some specify for pads or certain absorbencies!).

Last but not least, do you have any tips on how we can contribute as individuals to creating a better awareness about the lack of Period Dignity and how to change it? 

Using your platform to run impactful collaborations such as OutsideIn’s International Women’s Day campaign, and to support period dignity directly is already a positive step in the right direction! We think it would be great for OutsideIn to continue to run similar initiatives and share real experiences to raise awareness of what women experiencing homelessness may face when managing their periods.

Visit https://www.totm.com for more about who they are, what they do and the incredible products they produce! You can also find them on @totmorganic on Instagram 💜

CHECK OUT MIRANDA’S UPDATE FOLLOWING HER VISIT TO THE SIMON COMMUNITY, N.I. 😊

Hey guys! Miranda here ✌️

I am so excited to give you an inside look at our International Women’s Day giving! As with all our impact, this was made possible because of YOU! So from the Social Impact Team and the rest of the fam here at OutsideIn, THANK YOU!

The day started off with Chris (our new Social Impact Officer whoohoo!) and me adding our signature ‘Tags of Hope’ to each of the period kits. This is our small, intentional was of reminding those we are helping of their dignity and worth, and each tag shares a small piece of encouragement that says:

This kit was purchased with you in mind. You are strong, resilient, and powerful.

Once these kits were packed and ready to go, we left the Oi HQ and headed to the Simon Community’s Belfast location. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the amazing Rebekah who works at Simon Community. Rebekah was so excited to receive these kits as she began to explain the impact that your support would have on the women supported by the charity. 

She explained that the Simon Community is a client-centered organisation that is passionate about ensuring true and tangible dignity for all those who find refuge from it. For women experiencing homelessness, many encounter difficulties when it comes to period maintenance and menstrual health and hygiene. We both agreed that it is so important to create environments where both physical and emotional health is promoted and encouraged, and that women should always have the choice in how they would prefer to look after this very normal part of their lives. Everyone, no matter who you are, what your life looks like or what situation you may find yourself in, deserves to have free and easy access to these essential items.

Okay, so now that you know the impact these will have, you might be wondering where exactly these period kits are going?

Well, every two kits will help to provide true Period Dignity for a woman experiencing homelessness supported by the Simon Community. These ‘Share One’ period kits will be added to the Simons Community’s well-being boxes that assist in providing compassionate care and dignity for every woman who walks through its doors.

Because of the phenomenal support from TOTM, the OutsideIn customers, the Oi team, and the generous online donations of the Period Packages, we were able to provide 400 period kits which means that 200 women experiencing homelessness will be helped and have access to these amazing products!

We are so grateful for your support and we hope that you feel so proud of the impact you have contributed to making possible. 

THANK YOU, OI FAM!