Frequently Asked Questions

Who was sacRED MOONtime created for?

We designed sacRED MOONtime for girls ages 8-16 and their mother(s), grandmother(s), aunt(s), or maternal guardian(s) to attend. We’ve even had fathers known to listen from afar. 

What are the benefits of sacRED MOONtime Sessions? 

To provide a safe space for girls to learn about, explore, and discuss the following topics:

• The Menstrual Cycle

• Anatomy/Physiology (The 11 Body Systems and their role in menstruation)

• Healthy Lifestyle Practices (foods, breathwork, yoga)

• Holistic Developmental Changes (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual)

• Helpful Herbal Knowledge (from germination to extraction)

• Sustainable Alternatives to “Catch their Flow”

• Myths vs. Facts

• Our connection with the Earth and the Moon

• and more!!

How are the sessions being offered?

What are the days? 

sacRED MOONtime Sessions are a hybrid mix of:

• Nine virtual held on Sundays

•  Three in-person held on Saturdays

• One weekend camping experience Friday - Sunday

 

Do these sessions cover Sex Ed (“Family Life Education”)?

While we understand that this topic is integral and intertwined with human development, sacRED MOONtime does not cover family life education during the 12-week Cohort. We do, however, explain the purpose of the menstrual cycle as it relates to pregnancy, but we delve no further into the details of the process of life.

I noticed the word “sacred” in the title. Is this a religious program?

We draw upon the definition for our program from Merriam-Webster: sacred - “entitled to reverence and respect.” sacRED MOONtime is NOT a religious program, but we incorporate honor, reverence, and respect for our bodies, minds, and spirits.

​

What is the cost to participate in sacRED MOONtime?

We have received generous donations from supportive community members in addition to grants from the National Black Food & Justice Alliance (NBFJA) and Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA), and for now, participants of the cohorts require a $150 administration fee.

​

Where can I find more information about this program?

I’m interested in inviting sacRED MOONtime to my school or community organization. Is that possible?

Yes! Please contact Iya Ifafolowe Stacey Fluker at: sacredmoontimesessions@gmail.com

FACTS

 

• "More than 66 percent of Alabama’s public schools, or 850 schools, are Title I eligible. Of the 218,000 girls in grades five through 12 in Alabama, more than 53,000 of them suffer from period poverty." - Women in Training 

 

• 76% of students say there is a negative association that periods are gross and unsanitary

​       and 65% agree that society teaches people to be ashamed of their periods. - Period.Org 

 

• 62% agree the world is not set up for them to manage their periods with full confidence,

      and 58% of students are negatively affected by negative associations with periods. - Period.Org

​

• In a lifetime, a single person who menstruates will use somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000 pads and

tampons and is expected to throw away roughly 400 pounds of period product packaging. In the US,

around 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are thrown out every year and a year’s worth of disposable

period products leaves a carbon footprint equivalent to 5.3 kilograms (nearly 12 pounds) of CO2.

Tampons, pads, panty liners, packaging, and wrapping generate more than 200,000 metric tons of

waste annually. What’s more, plastic and non-compostable materials in period products can take 500

to 800 years to decompose.- Global Citizen 

 

• You will spend nearly 10 years of your life on your period. From the time of her first cycle to menopause, the average American woman will have around 450 periods in her lifetime. That’s a lot of periods. This equates to around 10 years — or about 3,500 days — of the average woman’s life that will be spent menstruating. Translated into period products, this works out at around 11,000 tampons that the average woman uses in a lifetime.

       -Helping Women Period

​

• Many girls do not have complete and accurate understanding of menstruation as a normal biological process. Educating girls before their first period -- and, importantly, boys -- on menstruation builds their confidence, contributes to social solidarity, and encourages healthy habits. Such information should be provided at home and at school. -UNICEF 

 

• There are more than 380 (out of 1,060 proteins total) proteins in your menstrual blood. 

 

• You will use over 16,000 sanitary products in your lifetime.

 

• The sound of your voice changes when you're on your period. -Mother And Baby