Grassroots Efforts Research Articles

“We Continue to Keep This Crisis in the Forefront”

Homicide has an effect on the community, as family members are left to grapple with the loss. The Women Survivors of Homicide Movement (WSOHM) is a grassroots effort aimed at empowering women of color to advocate for themselves as a homicide survivor. A systematic analysis was conducted to examine how power and privilege impact the groups’ approach to change-making. Mixed research methods were employed including key informant interviews and document review. Findings indicate WSOHM employs multiple strategies to achieve its goals, which are focused on bringing attention to unsolved murders in Boston and ensuring survivors and victims are given respect.

Indigenous education as community of practice: a case of grassroots learning of the Manobo in the Philippines

ABSTRACT Indigenous education efforts across the world’s Indigenous communities are being implemented to address varying challenges of poverty, cultural discrimination, resource dispossession and isolation. Engaged in a decolonisation agenda, most Indigenous communities are leading diverse localised efforts that turn inwards to their own rich tapestries of knowledge, culture and relationships. In this paper, we argue for the need to broaden the conceptualisation of Indigenous education models to account for the invaluable role that social learning and practice play in sustaining grassroots efforts on how a particular Indigenous people engage with formal educational processes. This paper explores Indigenous education as a community of practice that exemplifies mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire, as crucial elements in sustaining Indigenous education endeavours. We use Lave and Wenger’s “communities of practice” as a theoretical framework to better understand how the Manobos, an Indigenous group in the southern Philippines, have been able to successfully operate their own school. Drawing from participant-observation and key informant interviews with teachers, community leaders and missionaries, we foreground examples of how the Manobos rely upon mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire of actors to show that they belong to an overarching community of practice. More specifically, we demonstrate that Indigenous education as practiced by the Manobos is a socially constituted enterprise that entails grassroots learning at the individual and collective level, collaborations with external groups, as well as strategic negotiation and compliance with government’s policies that ultimately help them sustain the school’s operation.

Radical care in displacement: Rohingya women’s activism amidst neoliberal humanitarianism and repression

ABSTRACT This paper examines the activism and care work of Rohingya women in displacement settings, focusing on grassroots efforts in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps and transnational advocacy by diaspora activists. Drawing on 43 in-depth interviews and applying a feminist ethics of care framework, we argue that these women's activism constitutes a form of radical care that challenges both neoliberal humanitarian practices and repressive state policies. Rohingya women activists forge networks of solidarity and empowerment that extend beyond conventional humanitarian interventions, providing emotional support and shared experiences that contribute to the social ecology of care for refugee women. Their grassroots work contests the neoliberal emphasis on individual self-reliance, instead highlighting the vital role of relational care in fostering collective resilience. However, these activists face significant risks from multiple sources, including state repression, community backlash, and online harassment. They employ strategies such as ‘strategic invisibility’ and digital activism to navigate these dangers. Despite the transformative potential of their work, it remains systematically undervalued, leaving activists vulnerable to burnout and depletion. By centering the experiences and agency of Rohingya women, this study reveals a complex landscape of resistance, care, and empowerment, offering insights into how refugee women create change amidst intersecting forms of oppression.

Influence of a community practice innovation on a statewide cancer drug repository network.

115 Background: Cancer drug repositories (CDRs) have the potential to minimize cancer medication waste while improving medication access to patients in need. Despite multiple states having legislation allowing for CDR programs, implementation remains suboptimal. The first CDRs to launch in Michigan were a fortuitous result of the support provided in embedding clinical pharmacists into community oncology practices via the Pharmacists Optimizing Oncology Care Excellence in Michigan, POEM, program. We describe these grassroot efforts as well as barriers to sustainability, ultimately resulting in formation of a statewide CDR Network, YesRx. Methods: This qualitative analysis of barriers and facilitators was conducted from interviews with Michigan’s first CDRs. Virtual group meetings were conducted monthly for 6-months from January 2023 – June 2023. Meetings were led by the coordinating center team of POEM. Workgroup attendees included POEM pharmacists who established the first 3 CDR programs in the State, a medical oncologist and longstanding advocate of CDRs, and a patient representative. Brainstorming sessions included open ended questions on experiences to date, benefits of CDR programs, barriers to growth, limitations in current CDR models, and beneficial areas for support. Interview findings were categorized as barriers or facilitators of site-specific implementation and recommendations for CDR model optimization. Results: All 3 CDRs reported positive outcomes from initiating the CDRs related to patient benefit and physician satisfaction. Items reported as challenges/barriers in the sustainability of individual site-managed CDRs: space (inventory growth exceeded designated storage capacity), complexity of inventory tracking, resources (staff and financial), inability to search state-wide for available inventory, inability to easily transfer medications between CDR sites (due to cost, documentation, and staff), inability to ship medications directly to a patient’s home, inability to serve cancer patients across the State who may be in need of medication or interested in donating. The top recommendations for CDR model optimization formed by this workgroup were a centralized, shared database of CDR inventory across the State, support for CDR medication transfers, and additional resource and storage capabilities. YesRx, a nonprofit service organization, was founded in July 2023 in collaboration with the first 3 CDRs to address the experienced barriers resulting in exponential state-wide access. Conclusions: Grassroot efforts of community-based clinical oncology pharmacists resulted in the first CDR programs in Michigan and their experiences guided the launch of a statewide network of CDRs created to expand cancer medication access for vulnerable and underserved people and communities.

Misogyny and Gender Conflicts in South Korea

As a nation renowned for its economic miracles and technological advancements, South Korea officially, the Republic of Korea is simultaneously grappling with deeply rooted gender conflicts that reflect a broader societal struggle. Despite its rapid modernization, South Korea remains deeply influenced by Confucian traditions that have historically dictated rigid gender roles, resulting in the ongoing patriarchy and systemic marginalization of women in many aspects of their lives. These entrenched norms have given rise to pervasive misogyny, a significant social issue that continues to shape gender relations and provoke conflicts in contemporary Korean society. The seemingly veneer of modernity belies the persistent influence of traditional Confucian and patriarchal values that continue to profoundly shape gender relations and power structures within the country. Ultimately, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of South Korea's gender landscape, illuminating the connection between its modern strides and the enduring influence of its cultural heritage. By exploring this dichotomy, it seeks to inform policymaking, social discourse, and grassroots efforts to foster a more equitable and inclusive future for all Koreans, irrespective of gender.

Reigniting the Flame: Moving from Burnout Toward Resiliency at an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center

<i>Introduction</i>: Resilience and burnout are current healthcare buzzwords. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts to create programming to improve healthcare worker resilience while minimizing burnout symptoms in the workplace environment have increased exponentially. Informal, grassroots effort gave rise to a robust resiliency committee and the development of a Division of Employee Resiliency entirely dedicated to building employee resilience and preventing burnout at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, in Buffalo, NY. <i>Methods</i>: Qualitative data was obtained through conversations with multidisciplinary staff members to understand organizational strengths and growth areas. The Mini-Z 2.0 survey was offered to all employees to understand the experience of joy at work, supportive environment, and pace and stress. <i>Results</i>: Qualitative findings indicated that while serving patients and focusing on the mission are consistently identified strengths, concerns about workload, recognition, work relationships, fairness, autonomy, and values conflicts exist. Quantitatively, scores on the Mini-Z suggests that employees do not experience a joyful workplace, working in a under supportive environments, do not have manageable stress and pace, and experience burnout symptoms. <i>Discussion</i>: A strategic approach combines individual interventions with programmatic and organizational initiatives designed to support systemic change. As burnout and moral distress remain high due to evolving stressors and challenges, tracking burnout, and implementing system-level change, based upon quantitative data and qualitative accounts, may improve workplace culture, promote individual resilience, and improve patient outcomes.

How Medical Students Benefit from Participating in a Longitudinal Resource Stewardship Medical Education Program (STARS): An International Descriptive Evaluation.

STARS (Students and Trainees Advocating for Resource Stewardship) is a medical student leadership program that promotes integration of resource stewardship (RS) into medical education in at least seven countries. Little is known about how participation affects student leaders. To understand how partaking in STARS impacted participants' knowledge, skills, and influenced career plans, and aspirations. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with STARS participants (n = 27) from seven countries. STARS was designed to facilitate grassroots efforts that embed RS principles into medical education. STARS programs globally share common features: participation from several medical schools, centralized organizing hubs and leadership summits, and support from faculty mentors. Students take lessons learnt from centralized programming to implement changes that advance RS initiatives at their schools. Students finished STARS with better RS knowledge, enhanced change management skills (leadership, advocacy, collaboration), and a commitment to incorporate RS into future practice. Nearly all respondents hoped to pursue leadership activities in medicine, but most were unclear if they would focus efforts to advance RS. STARS participants gained knowledge as it relates to RS, change management skills, and catalyzed a commitment to incorporate high-value care into future practice. Medical education initiatives should be leveraged as a key strategic approach to build RS capacity.

Exploring community resilience based on co-produced micro-regeneration projects in China: Two case studies

ABSTRACT This paper attempts to answer the question: How can community micro-regeneration projects in Chinese cities be situated and contextualized as particular kinds of practices to build resilient communities? Amidst rapid urbanization and social transformation over the past four decades, historical areas in Chinese cities have faced neglect, exacerbating inequalities and marginalization. The emerging strategy of micro-regeneration, emphasizing public participation and co-production, addresses this issue by revitalizing small community spaces using local resources and empowering grassroots efforts. This research contextualizes micro-regeneration within the global discourse on community resilience, highlighting communities’ agency and collaborative strength in adapting to change. Through the analysis of co-productive micro-regeneration cases in Beijing and Shanghai, this study offers insights into resourcefulness and the transformative potential of resilience, shedding light on China’s urban regeneration shift toward co-production and heightened social focus.

Speaking Against Silence: Examining Social Work’s Response to Genocide

Since October 7, 2023, the world has witnessed Israel’s unrelenting mass assault against the people of Gaza, killing more than 37,000 Palestinians. The response to this genocide in most sectors of professional society has largely been one of denial and suppression of solidarity with Palestine, unveiling extremes of the longstanding Palestine exception in progressive politics. This article contextualizes the social work profession’s response to Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinian people after October 7, 2023, including responses from schools of social work, social work agencies and organizations, and academic journals. This examination finds that social work institutions continue to engage in three primary silencing tactics: passive silence, active repression, and the drawing of false equivalences. Despite the profession’s pervasive silencing, many of us in social work continue to engage in efforts toward a free Palestine, aligned with the profession’s stated values. This article highlights and juxtaposes the grassroots efforts of social workers and social work students for a free Palestine with the repression from our professional institutions. We demonstrate a range of existing and emerging possibilities for sustained solidarity among social workers seeking to end rather than manage state violence, with Palestine as no exception.

Messaging that resonates with a community during airport construction

Airports throughout the world are remodelling, expanding and upgrading to handle increasing travel demand and Salt Lake International Airport (SLC) is no exception. In 2020, SLC opened the first new hub airport built in the USA in the 21st century. There were many challenges along the way, such as a worldwide pandemic and an earthquake with an epicentre just miles away from the airport. Perhaps the most monumental task was to build a 4 million square foot airport adjacent to an operating one. But beyond navigating construction and operations, building support for a new airport — when the existing airport was so beloved in the community — created additional challenges. SLC’s communication and marketing team was tasked with crafting messages to help the community navigate this change, while also educating, informing and engaging the public. This paper discusses how, in order to provide a roadmap for communicating through the massive construction project, a Strategic Communication and Marketing Plan was developed for The New SLC Redevelopment Program that outlined goals and audiences, messaging, branding, marketing, traditional and social media and video production. The paper presents how the campaign was rooted in research and continually adjusted based on feedback and other evaluation mechanisms. The first step in developing a comprehensive communication plan was to conduct research by surveying SLC’s audiences prior to undertaking a branding programme. An important research component was to identify key audiences and stakeholders, including internal audiences — such as employees and tenants — to help spread the project’s message through grass-roots efforts. Once feedback from the survey was compiled, a brand was developed that resonated with the intended audiences. Just as important was to develop strategic messaging to inform audiences, while also educating and engaging. Next, determining the most effect ways to deliver the message was key, and was done through a combination of advertising, events, press conferences and traditional and social media.

Utilizing data to drive solutions for healthcare worker wellbeing.

9012 Background: Oncology Healthcare Workers (HCWs) provide extraordinary treatment to patients coping with distinct challenges. While experiences of burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral distress are not new, the COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized that intentional effort is needed to mitigate these negative work-related consequences. While Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Roswell) initiated pre-pandemic grassroots efforts to examine burnout and build organizational resilience, deliberate resources were deemed necessary to support HCW resilience and well-being. Roswell committed to building a division solely focused on employee resiliency and burnout prevention. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to identify organizational needs and pain points. Qualitative data was collected by the Resiliency Director who held over 100 conversations in 100 days with diverse personnel across the institute. Discussions focused on two questions (e.g., What’s working well? and What are the pebbles in employees’ shoes?) to assess organizational strengths are growth areas. Quantitative data was obtained through the Mini-Z, a validated burnout screener. All employees were emailed an invitation to take the survey over an 8-week period starting in December 2022. Concerned employees could self-refer to the Employee Assistance Program at the screener’s conclusion. Results: Qualitative data was categorized into Maslach's burnout drivers (workload, relationships, recognition, fairness, autonomy, and values conflict). Highlights included staff shortages, eroding of relationships during the pandemic, siloed communication, inconsistent recognition, micromanagement, and use of antiquated systems. Mini-Z results are displayed in the table. An interactive dashboard helped further examine demographics, role, and departmental data. Press Ganey employee engagement data also supported improvements for staff well-being, transparent communication, collaboration, recognition, and enhanced technology. Conclusions: Quantitative and qualitative data can drive individual, departmental, and organizational interventions to support HCW well-being. The newly established MedStaff Satisfaction and Wellness group is using the data to focus on recognizing the needs of the medical staff on an organizational level and is preparing to offer solutions to key stakeholders. HCWs are now incorporating activities aiming to build psychological safety, enhance communication, and advance well-being into their work routines through training, wellness activities, and emotional support. The Mini-Z screener has been made available in the Employee Health Portal permitting ease of personal reassessment. [Table: see text]

Walk With Me: reducing harm and confronting the toxic drug poisoning crisis in small British Columbia cities through community engaged research

In an era of escalating and intersectional crises, the toxic drug poisoning crisis stands out as a devastating and persistent phenomenon. Where we write from in British Columbia (BC), Canada, over 13,000 deaths have occurred in the eight years since the toxic drug poisoning crisis was declared a provincial health emergency. While many of these deaths have occurred in large urban centres, smaller rural communities in British Columbia are also grappling with the profound impacts of the toxic drug poisoning crisis and are struggling to provide adequate support for their vulnerable populations. In response to these challenges, the Walk With Me research project has emerged in the Comox Valley of Vancouver Island, BC, employing community-engaged methodologies grounded in pluralist knowledge production. Walk With Me seeks to understand the unique manifestations of the toxic drug poisoning crisis in small communities, identifying local harm reduction interventions that can foster community resilience, and aiming to catalyze sustainable change by amplifying the voices of those directly affected by the crisis to advocate for policy changes. This paper outlines the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of the Walk With Me project as a harm reduction initiative, which holds community partnerships and diverse ways of knowing at its heart. It presents the community-engaged research framework used by the project to address overlapping health and social crises, offering practical examples of its application in various research projects across sites and organizations. The paper concludes with a reflection on the impacts of Walk With Me to date, highlighting the lessons learned, challenges encountered, and opportunities for future research and action. Overall, this article captures the urgent need for community-engaged approaches to address the toxic drug poisoning crisis and other multidimensional crises facing society, particularly in smaller and rural communities, underscoring the potential for meaningful change through collaborative, grassroots efforts.

+Ciencia: a training program to increase evidence-based science communication and literacy for Hispanic high school and undergraduate students.

Science misinformation represents a significant challenge for the scientific community. Hispanic communities are particularly vulnerable due to language barriers and the lack of accessible information in Spanish. We identified that a key step toward enhancing the accessibility of information for non-native English-speaking communities involves imparting science communication education and training to Hispanic youth. Our goal was to provide them with the skills to become science ambassadors who can effectively engage with their communities and bridge communication gaps. To address this, we developed the first science communication training program in Spanish for Hispanic high school and undergraduate students in Puerto Rico. The program called +Ciencia aims to provide training and education on science communication for Hispanic minorities through experiential and collaborative learning. In the short term, our multifaceted approach works to counter misinformation and promote science literacy within the broader community. Over the long term, our grassroots efforts with students will evolve into a generation of professionals equipped with strong engagement skills and comprehensive training in science communication with a specific focus on Hispanic audiences. Herein, we describe the components of this educational program and provide open access to educational materials and articles developed by three cohorts.

Innovative Green Social Work Practices for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development

This study explores innovative practices in social work methodologies aimed at environmental protection and promoting sustainable development. In the face of an escalating environmental crisis, this approach integrates the principles of ecological preservation and social equity to address complex global challenges. This paper also underscores the role of green social work in promoting environmental preservation, fostering sustainable progress, and enhancing community welfare. It examines a range of creative initiatives, including grassroots efforts, policy reform advocacy, educational outreach, and the establishment of collaborative partnerships, illustrating the significant contribution of social work to ecological sustainability. Furthermore, it addresses the challenges faced in implementing these initiatives and the importance of active community participation. In conclusion, it calls for a collective effort from social workers, policymakers, environmental advocates, and the broader community to tap into the transformative potential of green social work, guiding us towards a more sustainable and equitable future. Key words: Environment protection, Sustainability, Green Social Work, Practices.

Abstract 820: Decolonizing data: Diversifying cancer registries to include SWANA

Abstract Southwest Asian/North African communities (SWANA) make up over 3-4% of immigrants in the U.S. and yet their health status is largely unknown because these ethnic groups are misclassified within the U.S. racial schema as White, deeming them ‘invisible minorities’. Administrative forms specify that White includes Middle-Eastern but SWANA persons may also self-identify as Black, Asian, and Other. With the rise of Islamophobia and increased US intervention in the Middle Eastern region, SWANA Americans face unique challenges that require a deeper understanding of their health status.One methodology to obtain cancer statistics on SWANA is using naming algorithms. Similar to SWANA, the Latine population was invisible in administrative data prior to the 1970’s. Grassroots efforts and advocacy from the Latine community led to the development of validated Latine surname algorithms which have been implemented by the National Cancer Institute. Similarly, SWANA activists have advocated for the creation of a federal identification category for over 50 years arguing that SWANA communities are not perceived as White due, in large part, to a long-standing history of political racism in the United States.The purpose of this study was to develop a SWANA Surname Algorithm (SSA) to inclusively identify SWANA in cancer health data. We used surnames by country of descent to leverage interpretable decision trees to effectively distinguish SWANA from non-SWANA individuals by iteratively selecting the best surname roots at which to split the data to maximize the separation of SWANA individuals from others based on their surname. We integrated these patterns into our SSA so that when presented with a new surname, the algorithm simply follows the decision patterns down to the leaf nodes, otherwise known as the predicted class (SWANA vs non-SWANA).We developed a preliminary SWANA Surname List (SSL) using publicly available naming databases by country of origin (N=71,300). We cross-referenced the SSL against the VCU Massey Cancer Center data repository and found 4.9% of all cancer patients from 2016 to 2020 matched as SWANA. Notably, the prevalence of SWANA patients has been increasing over the last few decades, 3.8% in 1991-1995, to 4.2% in 2001-2005, and then most recently 4.9% in 2016-2020. We will use our SSA to validate these findings. These preliminary findings underscore the valuable insights that naming algorithms can provide in elucidating the true demographic composition of cancer patients. Lack of racial/ethnic disaggregation perpetuates existing inequities in access to essential health resources among SWANA communities. The inclusion of SWANA in cancer disparities research would allow researchers to better examine the cancer health status of this underrepresented but growing community while also aligning with the true racialization of SWANA in the United States. Citation Format: Guleer Shahab, Michael Preston. Decolonizing data: Diversifying cancer registries to include SWANA [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 820.

A Systematic Analysis of Statewide Reports on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples in the U.S.: What We Know and Where to Go from Here☆

AbstractFor generations, Indigenous communities have been calling attention to a widespread form of victimization known as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP). In response to grassroots efforts across rural communities, there has been a marked increase in legislation at the federal and state levels to address MMIP from 2018 to the present. Federal legislation has provided the most comprehensive and coordinated model of response to MMIP. This study analyzes how the scope and themes of federal legislation addressing MMIP are mirrored in the bills recently enacted by 14 states addressing MMIP. One goal of this study is to identify strengths and limitations within state legislation and provide insight into critical areas of focus for improving state legislative responses to MMIP. Next, we analyze reports from federal MMIP legislation and the 10 states (among the 14 with legislation) that have currently published MMIP reports to date. Our analysis of MMIP reports expands knowledge on (1) how data were collected and interpreted across jurisdictions, and (2) whether states experience MMIP in similar or different ways. Drawing on our comparative analysis of legislation and reports across jurisdictions, we offer data‐driven recommendations for states to consider when addressing MMIP.

Language revitalization through a social movement lens: grassroots Galician language activism

In this article, a social movement lens is applied to examine the dynamics of an urbanbased language revitalization movement in the Autonomous Community of Galicia (North-western Spain). The potential of Resource Management Theory is explored as a way of systematically analysing the dynamics of urban-based language revitalization movements. It does this by identifying factors which both helped fuel the emergence and growth of this Galician grassroots movement as well as those constraining its potential development. Drawing on in-depth interviews and observations collected over six months of ethnographic fieldwork in one of Galicia’s main cities, social movement theory is used to analyse the role of Galician social movement activists as social agents in shaping the success of their language revitalization initiative. We argue that a social movement lens provides a useful analytical toolkit to focus on the grassroots efforts of social agents involved in peripheral ethnolinguistic mobilization in minority language contexts such as Galicia. Ultimately, we aim to show that these social movement revitalization initiatives go beyond language as an object and are centred around language-based struggles which not only address strategy dilemmas but also scaffold social relations and ties among speakers as they mobilize within particular institutional fields.

Waria, Worship, and Welfare: Exploring Trans Women's Conditions of Precarity Amidst COVID-19 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

AbstractDue to the widescale impact of 212 Action's anti-blasphemy campaign in 2016, there has been a spike in Islamic moral panic discourse and religiously driven vigilante attacks targeting LGBTQ citizens in Indonesia. Simultaneously, gender nonconforming citizens who have gained social recognition, like a segment of transwomen communities called waria, have continued to carve out alternative spaces and subvert anti-LGBTQ discourse. Waria activists in Yogyakarta, for instance, created the world's first trans-led Islamic boarding school in 2008. Despite suffering attacks from Front Jihad Islam members in 2016, the school has managed to reopen and even to expand its services further for waria communities. In capturing the recent trajectory of activism at the waria Islamic boarding school, this article highlights the multifaceted conditions of precarity faced by Muslim waria in Yogyakarta in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenting ethnographic data from the summer of 2022, this paper argues that since the pandemic, in addition to demanding the right to practice Islam, Muslim waria activists have increasingly focused on wellbeing (e.g., food sustainability and emergency shelter) in their rights advocacy in Yogyakarta. Merely perceiving the Islamic boarding school as a site of religious activism diminishes a fundamental aspect of its current grassroots efforts, which is to gain access to basic welfare — a key strategy for the survival of LGBTQ citizens in Yogyakarta and beyond. With greater socioeconomic and psychological uncertainties sparked by COVID-19, human rights for waria and what holistic security means for Indonesian LGBTQ citizens, must also be carefully understood through a lens of health, welfare, and wellbeing.

Labour, the Unions and Proportional Representation

AbstractThe Labour Party's support will likely be crucial to any major change of the voting system in the UK. While Labour has supported first past the post for most of its existence, a resolution was passed at the 2022 party conference calling for Labour to include in its manifesto a commitment to change the voting system to proportional representation after the next election. This resulted from an effective campaign by activists to change the party's policy on electoral reform. The position of the trade unions, often perceived to be conservative on constitutional issues, was particularly important. This article focusses on the campaign to change the opinion of the British trade union movement. It outlines the British trade union movement's historic reservations about electoral reform and then analyses the grassroots effort behind this movement, focussing on the organisation of Make Votes Matter, Labour for a New Democracy, and Politics for the Many. The article concludes by offering insights into the potential long‐term consequences of this campaign and its potential impact on the ideological direction of the Labour Party.

Fighting for menstrual equity through period product pantries.

Menstruators facing period poverty often struggle with menstrual hygiene and waste management, which can result in harmful short- and long-term health outcomes such as urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and vulvar contact dermatitis. Research indicates that 42% of menstruators in the United States have difficulty affording period products. Traditional methods of distributing period products through social services may unintentionally undermine menstruators' agency, leading to disempowerment and inefficient resource allocation. Period product pantries are a novel approach aimed at addressing period poverty, inequity, and inadequate menstrual health education in the United States. This paper aims to examine the development, organization, and implementation of two distinct period product pantry networks in Ohio and New York. It seeks to compare the advantages and challenges of grassroots versus nonprofit-led models and to provide practical insights for future pantry operators. The study examines two models of period product pantries: a grassroots effort led by three local residents in Ohio and an initiative spearheaded by a nonprofit organization in New York. The design includes a comparative analysis of both models' organization, funding methods, and operational structures. The authors gathered data on the construction, operation, and usage of two pantry networks, focusing on factors such as accessibility, community engagement, and sustainability. The study employed a combination of qualitative methods, including interviews with organizers, and a review of organizational documents to analyze the effectiveness and scalability of each model. Both pantry networks increased accessibility to period products in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, which are disproportionately affected by period poverty. The grassroots model, while resource-limited, fostered strong community ties and local engagement. The nonprofit-led model benefited from dedicated staff and a more stable funding structure but faced bureaucratic challenges. Despite their differences, both models demonstrated the potential to empower menstruators by preserving their dignity and autonomy. Period product pantries represent an innovative and equitable approach to addressing period poverty and inequity. The analysis of the two models offers valuable insights for organizations and individuals interested in establishing similar initiatives. While each model has its unique benefits and challenges, both are effective in empowering menstruators and providing accessible menstrual hygiene products to those in need. Not applicable.