From the moment we are born, our understanding of our bodies is shaped by ideas and concepts that ultimately limit the right we have to experience our body as our own. Before we even understand what menstruation is, we understand it as dirty, shameful and something to be managed and hidden. Imagine a world where menstruating bodies are free from this conditioning - no longer defined by shame, silence, or stigma.
At Irise, we believe that this world would look fundamentally different, and it is our work to ignite progress towards building societies which embrace menstruation and its related experiences in all of their complexity, rather than pushing menstruating bodies into the shadows.
We are bold in our ambition to carve out new paths that challenge the status quo. Through channeling power and resources to young activists and grassroots action, a broader understanding of the diversity of menstrual experience and how menstrual justice is embedded within broader struggles for bodily autonomy and racial, gender, disability, environmental, and economic justice will begin to emerge. For us, it's not enough to work within the systems as they stand, we see our role as modelling and demonstrating how things can be different. This strategy sets out a roadmap for the coming years which builds on more than a decade of ground-breaking work, and is centred on building a global organisation that is resilient enough to care for ourselves and our community at the same time.
Join us on this journey...
Our Theory of Change seeks to capture the interconnected nature of how social change happens, and to identify the key factors which could ignite and catalyse progress towards realising menstrual justice for all.
We recognise that the realisation of our vision for a world which is fundamentally different depends upon the collective efforts of individuals, communities, organisations, movements, researchers, funders and policy makers all around the world.
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Menstrual injustice limits true bodily autonomy
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Menstrual experiences are diverse and shaped by overlapping and intersecting systems of oppression
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Young activists and grassroots leaders are powerful agents of change but are often overlooked, underfunded, exploited, and operate in unsafe environments.
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Menstrual justice cannot be achieved in isolation; it is linked to progress in other areas of social justice.
Our core ideas and beliefs that guide and shape how we do this work:
A world where menstruation is no longer stigmatised, but reclaimed for collective liberation.
We will dismantle menstrual injustice by channelling power and resources to young activists and grassroots leaders, sustaining them as powerful forces for systemic change, and advocate for others to do the same. We centre those facing intersecting forms of oppression, ensuring menstrual justice is embedded within broader social justice movements. Bold in our ambition, we refuse to work within the existing system, modelling new paths for a more just and liberated future.
Our Values, and how we remain accountable, have been co-produced by our team, Board of Trustees, and the Empower Period Committee. These values are at the heart of everything we do, shaping our work and guiding every decision we make - both as individuals within our work with Irise, and as an organization and a community:
We are Diverse and Inclusive
We have Integrity
We are Bold
We are Impact-focused
We are Sustainable