In honor of International Women’s Day and theme #BeBoldforChange, the organization, Camions of Care, is boasting a new look.
Mechanica helped to rebrand the organization and changed its name to PERIOD. The Menstrual Movement, while Portland based agency Swift conceptualized, designed, and developed the new website.
The organization was founded in 2014 by then 16- year old student Nadya Okamoto to organize the distribution of menstrual hygiene products to women in shelters throughout the Portland, Oregon area after her family faced some financial struggles.
“The new name is much more intuitive and aligned with our mission to celebrate periods and provide menstrual products for those most in need,” Okamoto explained.
“Women’s menstrual needs are too often overlooked when we think about ways to support the disadvantaged, sheltered and homeless,” she added. “Young people with periods turn to unhealthy and unthinkable alternatives – old socks, rags, paper bags – when menstrual hygiene products aren’t readily available. We want to change the narrative — having your period is not a luxury and menstrual hygiene is not a privilege, it is a right.”
To date, PERIOD has addressed over 75,000 periods by distributing menstrual products to shelters throughout the U.S. and internationally with the help of over 60 registered campus chapters at universities and high schools.
Currently, PERIOD advocates for state and federal policy change as it relates to the access women have for essential menstrual hygiene products, practices eliminating the taboo of talking about menstrual cycles, while distributing menstrual hygiene products to women who are disadvantaged, sheltered and homeless.
As the organization’s purpose and mission expanded, so did its need for a new look.
“After learning about PERIOD‘s mission from Nadya Okamoto, who is incredibly passionate and action-oriented, there was no question that we would take on this project,” Liz Valentine, CEO, Swift told DIVERGE. ”Menstrual care is a basic human right and when your eyes are opened to the fact that homeless and disadvantaged people don’t have regular access to period products and how they cope, you naturally want to help.”
“As a women-founded agency, we’re extremely proud to partner with PERIOD, an entirely youth-led organization, to change the cycle,” she added.
The re-branding to PERIOD includes a new look and name designed to drive greater awareness for the mission of providing menstrual hygiene products to women in need while working to eliminate the social stigma surrounding women and periods.
Additionally, Swift and the organization hope that by the work of PERIOD as a conversation starter, people can help break the ice, eliminate the stigma, and increase word-of-mouth for the life-changing mission of PERIOD.
Valentine also explained two interesting effects of designing and developing a new website for PERIOD:
“First, Swifties volunteered to work on it and it opened up opportunities for younger employees to take the lead on the project. Second, it’s changed the way people think and talk about periods within our walls, it’s really broken down any stigma or awkwardness around the topic.”
Swift is part of Indivisible, an alliance of creatives founded to support and serve groups threatened by the Trump administration.
“As an Indivisible studio partner, we commit to completing one pro bono project per year for each of the next four years,” Valentine explanined. “We’ve always done pro bono work for causes we care about and recognize that now the needs are greater than ever and are excited to see what this network can do as a whole.”
