Participation

• You might need to change your pad during class and explain to your friends why you are not going to the swimming carnival.
• You might be scared you will bleed through your uniform because there aren’t any sanitary bins in the junior years’ bathroom.
• It shows how schools can act as gatekeepers of knowledge about this essential and very normal part of human development.

Period shame exists but is not inevitable

• Shame about periods has existed in many parts of the world for centuries.
• A 2021 survey found 29% of 659 menstruating Australian students aged ten to 18 were concerned they would be teased at school for having their period.
• A 2022 Australian survey of 410 university students who menstruate found only 16.2% felt completely confident in managing their periods at university.

What is taught in Australian schools?

• We can assume schools would cover it under topics such as “understand the physical […] changes that are occurring for them”.
• But without explicit mention to menstruation or periods, it is likely what is being taught across classrooms in Australia is variable and insufficient.

Our research

• We asked staff about their awareness of students who have experienced early onset menstruation, how their students are educated about periods, and what support is available to them.
• Staff spoke about how students who menstruated early “felt isolated” and voiced the need for earlier “matter-of-fact” menstruation education.
• However, several participants shared apprehension around having discussions about periods with young students.

Can we tell boys about this?

• As one teacher told us:
  It is a discussion that’s been done where they don’t really include the boys in it […].
• It is a discussion that’s been done where they don’t really include the boys in it […].
• School staff also raised concerns that teaching boys about menstruation might present an opportunity for bullying or teasing.

What needs to happen instead?

• But it also showed how the issue is driven by perceptions of children’s capacity to learn about periods, based on their age and gender.
• This research highlights the need for the Australian curriculum to introduce specific menstruation education by at least Year 3 or earlier.

Jessica Shipman receives funding from Flinders Foundation. Olivia Bellas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Sustained and rapid population growth has deep implications for development, exacerbating social, economic and environmental challenges from food insecurity and gender inequity to environmental degradation.
• At the same time, Sub-Saharan Africa also has a disproportionate vulnerability to climate change and environmental degradation.
• It is critical that population dynamics and reproductive health be at the forefront of ongoing environmental discussions.

Population dynamics and environment

• There are many just and humane ways to slow the pace of rapid population growth while also respecting human rights and the need for economic development.
• As individuals are given the means to choose the number, timing and spacing of their children, they tend to have fewer children.
• Discussions that highlight the negative impacts of global population growth are also often marginalized and perceived as unwarranted, alarmist, coercive and racist.
• Some regions of the planet are experiencing sustained population growth, while others are witnessing relative stability and even decline.

Sub-Saharan perspectives

• In collaboration with Nkechi S. Owoo, from the University of Ghana, we set out to explore stakeholder perceptions around these issues.
• We were surprised to learn that sub-Saharan Africans perspectives had not been individually documented, despite their unique relevance.
• Our study included a survey and follow-up interviews with 402 participants from 42 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Respondents overwhelmingly perceived population growth as a phenomenon representing challenges to environmental sustainability, economic and social goals, peace and security.

It is time to discuss demography

• Our survey suggests that a majority of those working in a field that is related to economic, social, or environmental development in sub-Saharan Africa consider the topic of population growth important.
• These individuals, more often than not, live in places where gender equity and access to family planning face significant challenges.

Céline Delacroix is a Senior Fellow with the Population Institute (USA), which provided financial support to pursue this research project by offering a fellowship to its authors.

• TORONTO and GATINEAU, QC, Feb. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Converge Technology Solutions Corp. ("Converge" or "the Company") (TSX: CTS), is pleased to announce that it will hold a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 results on Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 at 8:00am EST.
• The call will be hosted by the Converge leadership team, followed by a question-and-answer period.
• Converge will report its financial results in the morning prior to the call.
• Participant Dial-in Details with Operator Assistance:

• In addition, the shareholders who have registered for the meeting can follow the Annual General Meeting via a webcast.
• For further instructions, please refer to Section C. "Instructions for the Participants in the Annual General Meeting" of this notice.
• Valmet's Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting, that the number of members of the Board of Directors for the term expiring at the close of the Annual General Meeting 2025 be eight (8).
• The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board of Directors to resolve on the repurchase of the Company's own shares in one or several tranches.