SRHR Fellowship: Youth Ki Awaaz Action Network

What it is: A 2-day, online workshop for you to learn powerful social media campaigning skills and launch your next big digital campaign to demand better menstrual health, and win a ₹50,000 grant to support your campaign.

Format: Once selected, the shortlisted participants are required to submit a brief pre-workshop assignment that is the first building block of their campaign. On Day 1 there are sessions on designing a solid campaign strategy, and Day 2 the sessions focus on using content and social media strategies to execute the campaign strategy. Once the workshop is over, we work closely with all the Action Network fellows to strengthen, shape and launch their campaigns.🔥

What will I learn: Campaign design and strategy, social media skills, storytelling skills and how to influence the media and decision-makers to demand action by mobilising people through your social media-driven campaign!

Tell me more about the issue: In India, the conversation around menstruation has taken great strides in the past few years on the internet, especially with movements like #HappyToBleed. Despite this, millions of menstruators are still denied the right to manage their periods in a dignified and healthy way. This issue perpetuates due to the prevalence of gender inequality, discriminatory social norms, cultural taboos, poverty and dearth of basic sanitation services.

Demanding better menstrual health and hygiene is integral to empowering menstruating people and creating a safe and gender-just space. Which is where the Youth Ki Awaaz Action Network comes in.

How can I campaign during COVID-19? As someone who uses the internet actively and is passionate about the issue, you can use the power of your voice to change the larger public narrative on menstrual health and demand policy action by designing powerful social media campaigns! You can check out 2 such amazing campaigns by Shalini Jha and Nitisha Pandey!

I'm in! How do I apply: Hit the button below and fill out the form with an existing campaign pitch, or a new idea. Make it as detailed as possible, targeting local decision-makers. If you clear the first round, we will interview you for the final selection.

Application Deadline: August 10, 2020

Count me in!

Understanding Intersectionality

How menstrual hygiene and health intersects with other diverse issues from education, SRHR, employment to water, sanitation and economic growth!

Understanding Intersectionality

How menstrual hygiene and health intersects with other diverse issues from education, SRHR, employment to water, sanitation and economic growth!

Designing Successful Campaigns

Using the power of stories and social media to inform people and advocate for implementation of policies to improve access to menstrual health and hygiene.

Designing Successful Campaigns

Using the power of stories and social media to inform people and advocate for implementation of policies to improve access to menstrual health and hygiene.

Developing A Network

Build connections with fellow campaigners, organisations and allies working in the same field to develop a mission-oriented network that can create bigger impact and take your impact from online to offline.

Developing A Network

What are the prerequisites for the MHM Action Challenge?

You will need the following to be able to complete the Action Challenge easily:

A good and stable internet connection.

Laptop with a good web camera and charger.

You may use a laptop microphone and laptop speaker. Headphones with an in-built microphone is even better.

Mobile phones are not preferred as this is difficult to capture the full experience for a participant and Moderator.

Notepad and pens

Is there a fee to apply or attend?

The Action Network is an all expense-paid opportunity, so everything from your application to the workshop are free of cost!

What's the duration for the Action Challenge?

The Action Challenge will take place over three days, through online sessions of three hours each. On Day 1 and 2 you will learn the essentials of social media campaigning from experts and begin preparing to launch your campaign. Trainers will give you feedback for your work by Day 3, which will take place a week later, before you set up for launch.

Why do I need to apply with a campaign idea?

Executing a campaign is the key prerequisite to be an Action Network Fellow and to be able to apply for a grant. The deeper rationale behind why the Action Network focuses on social media campaigning is:

To leverage the power of informing and influencing the public narrative as diverse audiences use social media
Communicating your advocacy will not only help mobilise and scale audience outreach but also use people power to support your advocacy
Shift the conversation on menstrual health in the domain of policymaking as the solutions to improve access to services and information needs a systems approach

How can I make my entry compelling?

Quick tips to make your entry stand out:

Make sure that the issue you wish to tackle is specific and localised

Keep your plan to highlight solutions to the issue handy - if you have a clear idea as to which decision maker you want solutions from with your campaign, nothing like it!

Your plan should be realistic. Set an achievable goal for yourself.

PS. Not every issue around MHM needs to be addressed to a Union Minister! The more specific and localised your plan of action, the higher chances of impact!

Can I send apply on behalf of someone else?

Your application only covers your participation in the workshop and only you are eligible for the grant, should you be selected. However, if you have someone in mind who would be interested, we urge you to spread the word and have them apply for the Action Network too!

How can I apply for the grant?

The process to apply for the grant will be made clearer after you've attended the workshop training. There are some prescribed benchmarks you would have to meet to qualify!

Will I continue being an Action Network Fellow if I don’t receive the grant?

Once you have attended the Action Network Workshop and launched your social media campaign, you are an Action Network Fellow [for life :)]. In case you are not able to secure the grant and continue running your online campaign, you will have continued access to support, mentorship, and several other opportunities and all our support!

I have another query.

If you have another question, don't hesitate to drop us a line here!

Wondering what to write about?

Here are some topics to get you started

“Every 15 Minutes, A Crime Is Committed Against A Dalit Person” Will We Find A ‘Cure’ For Caste-Based Violence? Start writing
The Darker Side Of The System: What Do You Think Of Police Brutality In India? Start writing
What Is One Movie Or Tv Show That You Can’t Stop Thinking About? Start writing
How Do We Begin Dismantling Locker Rooms That Carry On The Old Tradition Of Gendered Abuse? Start writing
What Lessons Have You Learnt During This Lockdown. Start writing

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An ambassador and trained facilitator under Eco Femme (a social enterprise working towards menstrual health in south India), Sanjina is also an active member of the MHM Collective- India and Menstrual Health Alliance- India. She has conducted Menstrual Health sessions in multiple government schools adopted by Rotary District 3240 as part of their WinS project in rural Bengal. She has also delivered training of trainers on SRHR, gender, sexuality and Menstruation for Tomorrow’s Foundation, Vikramshila Education Resource Society, Nirdhan trust and Micro Finance, Tollygunj Women In Need, Paint It Red in Kolkata.

Now as an MH Fellow with YKA, she’s expanding her impressive scope of work further by launching a campaign to facilitate the process of ensuring better menstrual health and SRH services for women residing in correctional homes in West Bengal. The campaign will entail an independent study to take stalk of the present conditions of MHM in correctional homes across the state and use its findings to build public support and political will to take the necessary action.

Saurabh has been associated with YKA as a user and has consistently been writing on the issue MHM and its intersectionality with other issues in the society. Now as an MHM Fellow with YKA, he’s launched the Right to Period campaign, which aims to ensure proper execution of MHM guidelines in Delhi’s schools.

The long-term aim of the campaign is to develop an open culture where menstruation is not treated as a taboo. The campaign also seeks to hold the schools accountable for their responsibilities as an important component in the implementation of MHM policies by making adequate sanitation infrastructure and knowledge of MHM available in school premises.

Read more about his campaign.

Harshita is a psychologist and works to support people with mental health issues, particularly adolescents who are survivors of violence. Associated with the Azadi Foundation in UP, Harshita became an MHM Fellow with YKA, with the aim of promoting better menstrual health.

Her campaign #MeriMarzi aims to promote menstrual health and wellness, hygiene and facilities for female sex workers in UP. She says, “Knowledge about natural body processes is a very basic human right. And for individuals whose occupation is providing sexual services, it becomes even more important.”

Meri Marzi aims to ensure sensitised, non-discriminatory health workers for the needs of female sex workers in the Suraksha Clinics under the UPSACS (Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society) program by creating more dialogues and garnering public support for the cause of sex workers’ menstrual rights. The campaign will also ensure interventions with sex workers to clear misconceptions around overall hygiene management to ensure that results flow both ways.

Read more about her campaign.

MH Fellow Sabna comes with significant experience working with a range of development issues. A co-founder of Project Sakhi Saheli, which aims to combat period poverty and break menstrual taboos, Sabna has, in the past, worked on the issue of menstruation in urban slums of Delhi with women and adolescent girls. She and her team also released MenstraBook, with menstrastories and organised Menstra Tlk in the Delhi School of Social Work to create more conversations on menstruation.

With YKA MHM Fellow Vineet, Sabna launched Menstratalk, a campaign that aims to put an end to period poverty and smash menstrual taboos in society. As a start, the campaign aims to begin conversations on menstrual health with five hundred adolescents and youth in Delhi through offline platforms, and through this community mobilise support to create Period Friendly Institutions out of educational institutes in the city.

Read more about her campaign.

A student from Delhi School of Social work, Vineet is a part of Project Sakhi Saheli, an initiative by the students of Delhi school of Social Work to create awareness on Menstrual Health and combat Period Poverty. Along with MHM Action Fellow Sabna, Vineet launched Menstratalk, a campaign that aims to put an end to period poverty and smash menstrual taboos in society.

As a start, the campaign aims to begin conversations on menstrual health with five hundred adolescents and youth in Delhi through offline platforms, and through this community mobilise support to create Period Friendly Institutions out of educational institutes in the city.

Find out more about the campaign here.

A native of Bhagalpur district – Bihar, Shalini Jha believes in equal rights for all genders and wants to work for a gender-equal and just society. In the past she’s had a year-long association as a community leader with Haiyya: Organise for Action’s Health Over Stigma campaign. She’s pursuing a Master’s in Literature with Ambedkar University, Delhi and as an MHM Fellow with YKA, recently launched ‘Project अल्हड़ (Alharh)’.

She says, “Bihar is ranked the lowest in India’s SDG Index 2019 for India. Hygienic and comfortable menstruation is a basic human right and sustainable development cannot be ensured if menstruators are deprived of their basic rights.” Project अल्हड़ (Alharh) aims to create a robust sensitised community in Bhagalpur to collectively spread awareness, break the taboo, debunk myths and initiate fearless conversations around menstruation. The campaign aims to reach at least 6000 adolescent girls from government and private schools in Baghalpur district in 2020.

Read more about the campaign here.

A psychologist and co-founder of a mental health NGO called Customize Cognition, Ritika forayed into the space of menstrual health and hygiene, sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights and gender equality as an MHM Fellow with YKA. She says, “The experience of working on MHM/SRHR and gender equality has been an enriching and eye-opening experience. I have learned what’s beneath the surface of the issue, be it awareness, lack of resources or disregard for trans men, who also menstruate.”

The Transmen-ses campaign aims to tackle the issue of silence and disregard for trans men’s menstruation needs, by mobilising gender sensitive health professionals and gender neutral restrooms in Lucknow.

Read more about the campaign here.

A Computer Science engineer by education, Nitisha started her career in the corporate sector, before realising she wanted to work in the development and social justice space. Since then, she has worked with Teach For India and Care India and is from the founding batch of Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), a one of its kind organisation creating leaders for the development sector through its experiential learning post graduate program.

As a Youth Ki Awaaz Menstrual Health Fellow, Nitisha has started Let’s Talk Period, a campaign to mobilise young people to switch to sustainable period products. She says, “80 lakh women in Delhi use non-biodegradable sanitary products, generate 3000 tonnes of menstrual waste, that takes 500-800 years to decompose; which in turn contributes to the health issues of all menstruators, increased burden of waste management on the city and harmful living environment for all citizens.

Let’s Talk Period aims to change this by

Mobilising young people between the age of 18-35 to become ‘Eco-Period Champions’ by making the switch to a sustainable menstrual alternative and becoming advocates for the project
All existing and upcoming public institutions (pink toilets, washrooms, schools, colleges, government offices, government buildings) across East Delhi to have affordable provisions for sustainable menstrual product options

Find out more about her campaign here.

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A former Assistant Secretary with the Ministry of Women and Child Development in West Bengal for three months, Lakshmi Bhavya has been championing the cause of menstrual hygiene in her district. By associating herself with the Lalana Campaign, a holistic menstrual hygiene awareness campaign which is conducted by the Anahat NGO, Lakshmi has been slowly breaking taboos when it comes to periods and menstrual hygiene.

A Gender Rights Activist working with the tribal and marginalized communities in india, Srilekha is a PhD scholar working on understanding body and sexuality among tribal girls, to fill the gaps in research around indigenous women and their stories. Srilekha has worked extensively at the grassroots level with community based organisations, through several advocacy initiatives around Gender, Mental Health, Menstrual Hygiene and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) for the indigenous in Jharkhand, over the last 6 years.

Srilekha has also contributed to sustainable livelihood projects and legal aid programs for survivors of sex trafficking. She has been conducting research based programs on maternal health, mental health, gender based violence, sex and sexuality. Her interest lies in conducting workshops for young people on life skills, feminism, gender and sexuality, trauma, resilience and interpersonal relationships.

A Guwahati-based college student pursuing her Masters in Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bidisha started the #BleedwithDignity campaign on the technology platform Change.org, demanding that the Government of Assam install
biodegradable sanitary pad vending machines in all government schools across the state. Her petition on Change.org has already gathered support from over 90000 people and continues to grow.

Bidisha was selected in Change.org’s flagship program ‘She Creates Change’ having run successful online advocacy
campaigns, which were widely recognised. Through the #BleedwithDignity campaign; she organised and celebrated World Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2019 in Guwahati, Assam by hosting a wall mural by collaborating with local organisations. The initiative was widely covered by national and local media, and the mural was later inaugurated by the event’s chief guest Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) Debeswar Malakar, IAS.