MENSY Train the Trainers Day: empowering young ambassadors for sustainable menstruation

As part of MENSY – Menstruation: Sustainability and Empowerment, WECF organized a Train the Trainers Day in Amsterdam. The aim: to prepare young people to become MENSY ambassadors who can host workshops on menstruation, sustainability, and health.

Learning and sharing experiences

Seventeen participants worked with the newly developed MENSY manual and learned how to set up their own workshops on sustainable menstruation. Topics included:

• engaging young people in conversations about menstruation,

• breaking taboos and stigma,

• the biological aspects of menstruation,

• and sustainable menstrual product options.

The day was hosted in the inspiring venue Lola Lieven, a social initiative in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. A delicious lunch was provided by a collective of undocumented residents from the neighborhood, adding an extra dimension of community connection.

The program started creatively: each participant chose a Dixit card that represented their personal menstruation story, and introduced themselves using this metaphor. This created an open and safe space to share experiences and ideas.

Interactive workshops

After a short introduction to the project, facilitator Susanne Bouwman presented the content of the manual. In the afternoon, participants worked in small groups, each focusing on one chapter of the manual to design and deliver a mini-workshop. Some groups emphasized interactive methods, while others highlighted in-depth content.

“The alternation between listening and interaction was helpful in fully comprehending the training.” – participant

A hopeful conclusion

At the end of the day, each participant received a certificate and a goody bag with sustainable menstrual products and additional information to support them in organizing their own workshops.

“Being surrounded with like-minded menstruators, who all have their own experiences with menstruation and believe society can approach it differently, felt really hopeful and empowering.” – participant

Looking ahead

The new trainers are now ready to step into their communities and host their own workshops, contributing to breaking taboos and promoting sustainable choices. These training days are not only taking place in the Netherlands, but in all eight countries where the project is active, as part of the Erasmus+-funded MENSY project.