LIVE
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2018 Grants Challenge

Normalize Periods by Giving Back!

Idea by #HappyPeriod

An art installation of the words PERIODS and #HAPPYPERIOD in numerous locations within L.A county made for the public to donate menstrual products for a homeless passer-by to freely take.

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Please describe the activation your organization seeks to launch.

A 25-foot art installation of the words PERIODS and #HAPPYPERIOD set in five locations within Los Angeles county. The letters will be made of ply-wood with bins built in back, to be covered in packages of period products. The public will be encouraged to take photos with the installation and donate their unwanted disposable or reusable products for a homeless passer-by to take for themselves or someone else in need. #HappyPeriod will be able to refurbish and collect donations for shelters.

Which of the LIVE metrics will your activation impact?​

Healthcare access

Rates of homelessness

Rates of mental illness

Will your proposal impact any other LA2050 goal categories?​

LA is the best place to CREATE

In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?​

County of Los Angeles

How will your activation mobilize Angelenos?​

Digital organizing or activism

Encourage businesses to change practices

Influence individual behavior

Connect Angelenos with impactful volunteer opportunities

Increase donations to organizations and causes

Describe in greater detail how your activation will make LA the best place to LIVE?​

In a 2011 Feeding America survey, people of all income listed menstrual hygiene products as a basic essential or an item “that cannot be forgone or easily substituted.” Yet homeless women have to find substitutions every month such as plastic bags, old rags, newspaper, socks, and tissue. In Los Angeles County, 57,794 people experienced homelessness on a given night in 2017. Of this number, over 17,000 are women and nearly 500 are transgender. The average homeless female in Los Angeles County is a woman of color and is of reproductive age. Most of these women and girls will menstruate each month, which is a natural part of the reproductive system, yet it remains taboo. As a result, the challenges of menstrual hygiene are heightened due to the socioeconomic status of these women. A 3 foot high, 25-foot art installation of the words PERIODS and #HAPPYPERIOD set in five locations within Los Angeles county. The letters will be made of recycled materials with bins built in the back of each letter. The front of the letters will to be filled with packages of period products. The back bins will be made to also be filled with donations. The public will be encouraged to take photos with the installation and donate their unwanted disposable or reusable products for a homeless passer-by to take for themselves or someone else in need. #HappyPeriod will be able to refurbish and collect donations for shelters. With this activation, an individual in need would have a new resource from which to obtain period products at any time. This activation will ideally be installed in five locations across Los Angeles in communities with a high walk score, for example Hollywood, Downtown, Mid-city, Venice, and Santa Monica. The goal is to present an interactive way of giving and encourage digital activism.

How will your activation engage Angelenos to make LA the best place to LIVE​

This activation will ideally be installed in five locations across Los Angeles in communities with a high walk score, for example Hollywood, Downtown, Mid-city, Venice, and Santa Monica. The goal is to present an interactive way of giving back and encourage digital activism. Artists can get involved with the project and tackle the unique challenge of having to incorporate a way for period products to be housed on the structure. The installation could be made using environmentally safe supplies, and recycled materials that are similar to ply-wood or better. Signage will also be required for informing the viewers about the installation. The signage will include #HappyPeriod's mission, a sign-up sheet for volunteering, a petition to remove the tampon tax in the state, statistics on homeless community in Los Angeles, and instructions on how to directly participate in the activation. From selfies to donating, it will be a straight forward opportunity for engagement. The public will be encouraged to use social media to spread awareness on the activation and cause.

Please explain how you will define and measure success for your activation.​

Success of the activation will be defined by a number of key factors: 1) The number of products donated, 2) products that are taken by an homeless individual, 3) Analytics and insights, 4)Impressions on social media. Data science will be our biggest tool for measuring the impact of the activation. We will take a daily count of products donated and received, and this will be assisted with the help of volunteers. Since the public will be encouraged to use social media to spread awareness about the activation, hashtags will be key in measuring our success online. Hiring a data scientist or analyst will be definite in monitoring all of this victoriously.

Where do you hope this activation or your organization will be in five years?

After going global, I hope to turn my organization into a B corporation or social enterprise.