where young people are taught to organize and mobilize

In Fall 2023, we launched The Youth Institute for Menstrual Freedom to equip and shift resources to young people looking to organize for menstrual justice in their communities. We accepted nine fellows into our program for its first year and hosted a 12-week organizer training series, matched each fellow with individual mentors, and funded community projects of their choice.

In Fall of 2024, we accepted six new fellows for our second cohort.
In Fall of 2025, we accepted six new fellows for our third cohort.

  • organizer training

    For the first three months of the seven-month program, fellows are given instruction on history, the ideology of menstrual freedom, advocating for change, dialogue and messaging, coalition building, and fundraising. This foundational knowledge sets each fellow up to ideate and launch a community project relating to menstrual freedom of their choice.

  • mentorship

    In the fourth month of the program, each fellow is matched with a mentor in their geographical area who will guide and assist them on how to launch their community project.

  • seed funding

    In the fourth month of the program, each fellow is provided seed funding for their community project as they continue to meet with our team, their mentor, and each other. For the rest of the duration of the program, fellows work on their community projects with teams they formed. We help them draft progress reports along the way to help keep them on track.

FAQs

  • Applications for 2026-27 will open October 2026.

  • Ages 16 to 29 are eligible to join as a fellow.

  • The 2026 cohort will begin in October 2026 and conclude in August 2027.


  • Fellows will be asked to join us for one weekday evening per week in the Fall. Each session will consist of two hours of instruction. In the Spring, fellows will meet with their team weekly, each other weekly, and their mentor bi-weekly.


2024 fellows

Gus Daniels-Washington

Gus Daniels-Washington

Abigail Suleman

Abigail Suleman

Hannah Min

Hannah Min

Sneha Harsh

Sneha Harsh

Autumn Brown

Autumn Brown

Alexandrea Cole Patino

Alexandrea Cole Patino

2023 FELLOWS

  • Shyla Adhikari

    Providing health education to Nepali-American youth through interactive games and a newly crafted children's book

  • Catherine Nguyen

    Providing health education to low-income students in Houston

  • Caitlin Celio

    Building an interactive video game to teach young people about their period and bodies

  • Grace Molina

    Filming a short documentary about environmental justice and sustainability in the period space

  • Manya Pradeep Narayan

    Encouraging small businesses to employ menstruator-friendly policies in the workplace