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pme donates: Periodensystem e.V.

Maxi Bethge-Lewandoski has a vision: to end period poverty in Germany and promote education around the topic of menstruation. As the founder of the voluntary association Periodensystem e.V., she is committed to giving the topic of menstruation the attention it deserves. In this interview, Maxi gives us an insight into her inspiring work and the challenges involved. 

"The topic of menstruation and period poverty needs more social awareness and attention."

Who is behind the periodic table?

Maxi : We are an association founded and run by volunteers. Each and every one of us pursues the mission of creating more equality and providing low-threshold help and education on period poverty and menstruation. 

Our members have been collecting donations since 2016 to provide those in need with period and hygiene products. We also work with artists, gynecologists, schools and companies to raise awareness. The topic of menstruation and period poverty needs more social awareness and attention.

What does your daily work look like?

Maxi: We distribute period and hygiene items to emergency shelters, schools, organizations and mother and child homes, among others. We are also in close contact with homeless shelters and social institutions. This means we always know what is needed when and can guarantee that the donations arrive where they are needed. We supply emergency shelters such as those run by GEBEWO, Berliner Stadtmission, SKF and DRK directly with menstrual and hygiene products via our crowdfunding page on betterplace.org

Through our online community on Instagram and Facebook, we educate people about period poverty and the topics of menstruation, equality and more in general. 

In regular online live sessions, meet-ups and interviews, our team and community members provide information on topics such as intersexuality, pregnancy, homelessness and sexuality. We also offer workshops for companies, schools and events to raise awareness of the topic among as many social groups as possible.

We make the topic visible on Instagram and cooperate with companies to get it out of the taboo zone.


Access to menstrual products is not a matter of course.

How did you come up with the idea of campaigning for period education?

Maxi : I have always thought about what actually happens to menstruating women when they are in need. People think about food, clothes and sleeping bags first, but not about periods. 

Then I heard about projects in the UK and the USA and created a crowdfunding page on Betterplace.org. I got GEBEWO on board as a partner to buy products for their emergency shelter and that's how Periodensystem came about.

What do you think a fair world looks like when it comes to dealing with menstruation - and what do you think still needs to change to get there?

Maxi: We have five demands: more education through better education policy in schools and drop-in centers, more public toilets as a shelter for menstruating women, better social policy regarding rent policy and wage levels, better health policy with education and research into diseases, and free items in public buildings - like in Scotland.

What challenges do you face most often in your day-to-day work - be it in terms of organization, financing or dealing with social taboos?

Maxi: In the social sector, our work is widely respected and recognized. We are particularly well received in communities that are committed to equality and social justice. But as soon as we move into the corporate sector, we often encounter challenges. Here, the issue is often seen as a "nice to have" - a side issue that doesn't always get the attention it deserves. 

Especially in the current political and economic situation, there is a risk that topics such as menstruation and sex education will once again disappear from the focus of public perception.
At the same time, we are seeing an increasing demand for sustainable period products, which is pleasing, but also places a heavy burden on our financial and logistical capacities.

How do people react when they hear about your work for the first time?

Maxi: We often hear: "That's right, I haven't even thought about that yet."


According to Plan International menstruating people spend on average between 550 and 650 euros on period products per year.

Are there any stories or encounters that have particularly touched you?

Maxi: There are many touching stories, but the words of thanks from people we have been able to help directly are particularly motivating.

You have received a donation of 10,000 euros from pme. What projects have you already been able to implement or would you like to implement with it?

Maxi: The generous donation of 10,000 euros helps us enormously to drive our work forward and distribute sustainable period products exactly where they are most urgently needed. With these funds, we can not only cover acute needs, but also implement projects aimed at long-term education and awareness-raising.

When people want to support you: What helps you most at the moment - apart from financial donations?

Maxi: Please invite us to your companies so that we can talk about this important topic there. Such conversations help to raise awareness of sustainable menstrual products and remove taboos from the topic in professional environments.

You can also support us by sharing our Instagram profile. If you have school-age children, we would be very happy if you could promote the topic in your children's schools. "Ella's World" is a fantastic guide to providing age-appropriate and informal education about menstruation for 9-14 year olds.

Social commitment of the pme Familienservice

The "pme donates" fundraising campaign has been running for four years, giving pme team members the opportunity to nominate charitable organizations in the areas of international development aid, social work, climate and animal protection and culture for a donation, which they actively support. All team members then vote for the organizations they want to support. The organizations with the most votes receive a donation from pme Familienservice. In 2024, six national and international organizations received a total of 50,000 euros in donations.

zero Corona and puberty - a generation in lockdown

Schoolchildren greet each other with masks and elbows.

Lockdown and puberty - how parents can provide support

Young people largely adhere to the corona measures

Young people are better than their reputation. The SINUS Youth Study 2020 has shown that, for the most part, young people are complying with the coronavirus measures and acting responsibly. In the vast majority of cases, they are prepared to cut back when it comes to their lifestyle, meetings with friends and other things that were once taken for granted. They usually do this out of a sense of responsibility for their fellow human beings, be it their own family, older people around them or society as a whole.

 

Corona and puberty are a toxic combination

In times of corona, the life of an adolescent is particularly difficult, because corona and puberty are a toxic combination! This developmental phase is all about gaining autonomy, setting yourself apart from your parents and developing your own rules. But corona is throwing a spanner in the works: instead of finding their own way, they have to be with their parents all the time because of the lockdown - even though they are actually only interested in their friends.

pme parent advisor Kyra Wetzel also emphasizes that the lack of social contact is particularly difficult for young people. For young people, the peer group, together with the family, is the most important pillar in their lives. They miss their freedom and the ease of life. Every day is the same, there is little variety. This fosters a feeling of loneliness and a loss of impartiality. What's more, control and restrictions are particularly annoying at this age. However, it is precisely now that parents have to take responsibility for the coronavirus-related restrictions imposed on their children.

Conflicts in the family increase during the coronavirus crisis Kyra Wetzel reports that conflicts in families have increased during the coronavirus period. Families are spending much more time together. Added to this are the excessive demands and stress caused by homeschooling and working from home. The lack of variety in everyday life exacerbates the situation. The family is completely thrown back on itself. Conflicts that you might have been able to avoid before now escalate much more easily and new ones arise. This takes its toll, as all family members are under a lot of stress and frustration in their own way, and nerves are understandably often frayed.

 

Anxiety, depression and eating disorders as consequences of corona

The lack of structure provided by school in particular also has an impact. Developmental neuropsychologist Anja Karlmeier from the Bodelschwingh Foundation Bethel emphasizes that the brain development of children and young people is inextricably linked to their social and societal development, i.e. the opportunities they have to develop in family, school and leisure time. The school closures and contact restrictions therefore have direct consequences.

The COPSY (Corona and Psyche) study by the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf shows that more than 70% of the children and adolescents surveyed feel emotionally burdened by the corona crisis. This is reflected in anxiety, stress and depression, among other things. Psychosomatic clinics are currently receiving an increasing number of adolescents who are struggling with eating disorders, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. There are young people who are becoming more and more withdrawn and hardly leave the house or react with obsessive-compulsive disorders such as excessive hand washing. As paradoxical as it sounds, this is an attempt to regain control.

 

Media consumption by young people in lockdown

So young people suffer immensely in these times. But how do parents deal with this situation when the potential for conflict is already high? How do you organize family life? And should rules on media consumption etc. be maintained or should the leash be loosened?

Kyra Wetzel advises deciding together with the family when to have a media-free time. An outright ban or strict rules will lead to more conflict in most cases. Not all media consumption is the same. A distinction must be made between leisure, learning and information consumption. Young people have a right to participate in cultural life and a right to access the media. Parents should therefore carefully consider how much time their children are allowed to spend in their alternative media environment.
As parents, you should also offer alternatives. This could be a walk together, a games evening or cooking together. And: As parents, be a role model and pay attention to how you use digital media yourself. Clear agreements made together strengthen the relationship and trust between parents and young people and prevent conflicts.

The coronavirus pandemic and all the resulting measures affect us all. However, it is necessary to take a special look at the next generation, who should be setting the course for a successful adult life right now. This precious time is characterized by isolation, loneliness and restrictions due to the coronavirus crisis. The young people of today are the backbone of our society and the decision-makers of tomorrow. They should therefore have the best possible conditions to develop well.

 

Kyra Wetzel is a parenting consultant at pme Familienservice in the Stuttgart branch and is also responsible for the Concierge, Relocation & Outplacement product area

 

 

 

You may also be interested in these articles:
Corona: How the lockdown is putting children under psychological strain
School at home - how to make it work!

Mental consequences of the lockdown - are we at risk of burnout? 

Good grades at school: online tutoring with bidi

 

pme assistance - Our advice for parents

From pregnancy and birth to the child's adulthood - every phase has its upsides and challenges. Our team of social pedagogues, educators and parent counselors supports parents in every phase and takes the pressure off everyday professional and private life.

Find out more: www.familienservice.de/web/pme-assistance/elternberatung

 

Sources:

https://www.barmer.de/gesundheit-verstehen/coronavirus/sinus-studie-corona-248390


https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/familie/2020-07/kinder-corona-krise-psychische-folgen-entwicklungspsychologie


https://www.uke.de/kliniken-institute/kliniken/kinder-und-jugendpsychiatrie-psychotherapie-und-psychosomatik/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/child-public-health/forschung/copsy-studie.html