Women around the globe gather for topical presentations and rich dialogue in our Virtual Red Tents, one of the fabulous options included in our Mentoring Girls Training.
A recent juicy conversation focused on how to help girls understand, honor and connect to their uterus and ovaries. (If trans girls are in the group, they can still learn about these organs and connect to their Womb Centers.)
Here are some fun facts shared by JOYW Grad and Certified Fertility Awareness & Reproductive Health Educator Caitlin McMurtry of cycle-wise.com:
- The uterus is the strongest muscle in the human body by weight.
- The moon cycle of waxing and waning is 29.5 days on average. The average young menstruator’s cycle is 29.5 days.
- The average age of menopause is 52 years old. There are 52 weeks in a year.
- The average menstrual cycle is 4 weeks long. There are 4 seasons in a year.
- There are 13 lunar cycles in a year. 13 (well, just under) is the average age of menarche.
- Menstruation is the only type of human bleeding that does not signify injury or sickness, but rather a normal healthy body full of vitality, fertility and life.journeyofyoungwomen.org/menarche-preparing-for-her-first-moon/Menarche: Preparing for the First Moon
For ideas on helping young people understand and honor menstruation, check out these blogposts:
... as well as Toni Weschler’s Cycle Savvy, a fantastic menstrual literacy book for teens.
To join as many of our Virtual Red Tents as you wish - and to enjoy the Red Tent Video Library with dozens of titles - join the Mentoring Girls Certificate Training. For lower tuition, check out the non-certificate version of the training. Fine out more about our Virtual Red Tents including upcoming Red topics here.
P.S. Registered students are also invited to the JOYW Special Topic groups. In our Cycle and Body Literacy group, we've been talking about pills bleeds, welcoming trans girls into a Girls' Circle, and whether there is a purpose for ovulation other than simply fertility. Lara Briden talks about two of those topics in her book Period Repair, and I recommend it.
What's on your mind about helping young menstruants connect with their bodies and their cycles?
P.S.S. This is my first blogpost in a LONG WHILE! For the past year and a half or so, I've been intensely busy caring for my ailing father who passed away sweetly and knowing he was loved last summer. It was a life-changing honor and privilege to help him live well and then die well.
And I'm so glad to be back here, writing to all of you.
~ Katharine
Is it too late to sign up
No, Stacy, it is not too late. You’ll find the course description under the BE A MENTOR tab.