SERC Students’ Union Launch Period Confidence Scheme

South Eastern Regional College’s (SERC) Students’ Union have launched a new scheme to provide free period products for students.  

The ‘Period Confidence’ project, funded through the Department for the Economy in NI (DfE), will make a range of free sanitary products available across all SERC Campuses, ensuring that no student is disadvantaged because they are unable to access period care.  

The project will provide products from Hey Girls, an award-winning social enterprise, operating in the UK and Australia, with a mission to end period poverty. The partnership will support our local communities by donating products, which have been purchased by SERC, to local foodbanks. 

All the products are plastic free and made with sustainably sourced bamboo and 100% certified organic cotton. Hey Girls products also use natural materials without any hidden chemicals, bleach and toxins and the plant-based ingredients are responsibly sourced and renewable. 

Heather Mc Kee, Director of Strategic Planning, Quality and Support, at SERC said, “The Period Confidence project is an important initiative that will support SERC students and help alleviate a barrier to education. Funding from the DfE has enabled our Students’ Union to deliver this service across all SERC Campuses.  

She added, “We are delighted that our partnership with Hey Girls and their ‘buy one, donate one’ scheme, will mean not only our students, but the wider SERC community, will benefit from free period care products through local foodbanks and therefore contribute to ending period poverty for local women.”

Catherine Shipman, Student Engagement Manager said, “We are delighted to be launching the Period Confidence project at SERC. The Students’ Union Officers and staff have worked incredibly hard to bring the project to fruition. This project will make a real difference to the lives and experiences of our students and will help start confident conversations about period care and break barriers for our students.  The products’ green credentials also support the College’s sustainability agenda.” 

Daisy Williams, Partnership Manager for Universities and Colleges at Hey Girls said, “Hey Girls are so happy to be partnered with South Eastern Regional College who are supporting their students with Period Products in their amazing Period Confidence Project. With the rising cost of living, students are often faced with tough budgeting decisions that may leave them without the Period Products they need. This can have negative consequences on their learning. SERC and the DfE in Northern Ireland are relieving their students of this worry by providing our sustainable Period Products with a social impact as all Hey Girls products purchased go towards the fight against Period Poverty.”  

Visit www.serc.ac.uk to unlock your future #BetterOffAtSERC.