Blog Post

Calling All Students! Internship Opportunity

  • By Chloe Tingle
  • 19 Apr, 2017

Interested in getting some experience with us?

We have a volunteer opportunity to join our team as an intern for 8 weeks. 
If you are a student looking for experience in the third/voluntary/start-up sector this summer please get in touch, we are open to ideas and suggestions and keen to take on volunteers for short periods of time over the summer. 
We are currently looking for an intern to start on 8th May for 8 weeks- 2 days a week (sorry I know its exam season!).

See below for the details:

Job Description- Events and Crowdfunding Internship

Reference: NMT/120

Job Purpose: No More Taboo is a social enterprise empowering society to revolutionise the way we talk, view and manage periods. We are passionate about ensuring all women everywhere have a happier, healthier and more affordable period. Whether that is empowering a woman living in poverty in Bristol to have the confidence to access sanitary products, or helping a girl in Bolivia learn the facts about menstruation, or providing women and girls in the UK with a choice of sustainable sanitary products.

We are at a pivotal stage of our development, we are currently launching a brand new subscription box and plan to launch this through a crowdfunding campaign, the crowdfunding will start on 28th May (international menstrual hygiene day) and run for one month, we are aiming to raise a minimum of £10,000. As part of this campaign we plan to have a major Launch Event in mid-June, which we need support in organising. This is an opportunity to gain experience in event management and to have the freedom to be creative. We are already working on developing an exciting crowdfunding campaign but need support to put this into action. This is an ideal internship for anyone looking to gain experience in the not-for-profit, charity, social enterprise or start-up sector. Working in a small team you will have responsibility, will play a key role in our development and gain a wide range of experience.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

-Plan and deliver our major Launch event in mid-June.

-Marketing and promoting events and crowdfunding campaign with the support of the marketing and communications team.

-Helping with expanding networks and finding key supporters for the crowdfunding campaign.

-Helping to develop and source resources for crowdfunding campaign including video and rewards.

-Developing, coordinating and running activities for the events.

-Managing and administrating the events budgets with support from the Directors.

-Organising venue(s), communicating with venue owners exactly what is required and setting clear expectations, including preparation of venue.

-Ensuring all resources for events, such as leaflets, promotional materials and any extra equipment required for running a successful event are prepared in a timely manner.

-Promoting the events and crowdfunding with local media, including writing press releases.

-Engaging the Bristol public, through social media or other means in the build up to the event and crowdfunding.

-Managing, assisting with recruitment and training of other volunteers to help out at the event.

-General promotion of the no more taboo ethos and advocacy of the issues throughout the duration of the role.

-Assisting with general administration including answering emails, sending out invitations, preparing resources, managing the budget, keeping clear records of spending and reporting back to manager.

Full training and induction shall be provided.

Skills/attributes/knowledge/experience

Essential:


Confident self- starter

Experience of coordinating events and/or teams

Committed and able to dedicate two full days each week to the role.

Interested in our causes and ethos around menstruation, sanitation and the environment.

Proven verbal and written communication skills

Team working experience.

Confidence to work on own initiative with minimum supervision but knowing when to consult with and inform others.

Organised, able to set and meet own targets and goals.

Happy to work from home on occasion and prepared to work in hot-desking spaces.

Desirable:

Creativity and imagination.

Confidence to experiment.

Experience of events promotion.

Experience of crowdfunding or similar fundraising tools.

Competent with social media and communication tools.

Experience of working with the charity or not for profit sector.

 

Salary: Travel and food expenses- £8 per day.

Location: Bristol with occasional working from home.

Hours: 15 hours per week (Equivalent to 2 full days but flexible)

Term: Minimum 8 weeks, 120 hours.

Reports to: Alex Kmiecik (Director)

How to Apply:

Send a copy of your C.V to chloe@nomoretaboo.org and complete the application form available here: https://goo.gl/forms/CwRTjSdbtYdYz5TW2

Closing Date: Midnight, 30th April

You will hear back from us on 1st May whether you are successfully through to interview stage or not.

Interview Date: 3rd, 4th, 5th May 2017 in Bristol, (we appreciate this is a tight timeline and will have flexibility on times of day e.g. we can interview in the evening or at a time to suit you)

Start Date: Week commencing 8th May.

Voluntary Internship working 2 days per week. Responsible for planning and running events and supporting the delivery of our crowdfunding campaign to launch a new product. Ideal internship for anyone looking to gain experience in the not-for-profit, charity, social enterprise or start-up sector.


By Chloe Tingle 25 Feb, 2019
We are hosting two period poverty training courses this spring. See the details on eventbrite.
By Rebecca Batala 30 Jan, 2019
Here's a little insight into what our Staff Training at CoLab was like...
By Chloe Tingle 18 Oct, 2018

WOW Women of the World festivals have been popping up across the world, if you get the chance to go along to one we would strongly recommend it.

WOW – Women of the World  festival celebrates women and girls, and looks at the obstacles that stop them from achieving their potential.

Around the world, individuals and communities are insisting on the simple proposition that women and girls must have equal rights and asking the question: why is gender equality taking so long?

Southbank Centre's WOW – Women of the World  festival is a global network of festivals which provides a platform for celebrating what has been achieved, and exploring all the ways we can change the world for the better.

What’s not to love?

Our Founder, Chloe, and her Mum Angela went along to represent No More Taboo with a stall across the two days. Here’s her highlights:

“Although we didn’t get much time to take in all the discussions as we were kept busy wo-manning the stall (thanks Mum for helping out)! We had some great discussions around gender, equality, inclusivity and of course periods with new customers, supporters, other panellists and some old friends who came to see us.

In fact, we were really pleased to catch up with Plan International UK who were opening the festival with a discussion about Period Activism exactly one year on since the launch of our #BreaktheBarriers research and Period Poverty Conference that we ran in collaboration with Plan.

By Catherine Blom-Smith 01 Oct, 2018
We look at what introducing menstrual leave to workplaces in the UK might mean.
By Iloni Kingston-Smith 17 Sep, 2018

On the first weekend of September, No More Taboo set up shop at Lush Cribbs Causeway for their Charity Pot weekend.

The Lush Charity Pot is a wonderfully creamy shea-butter hand lotion where all the sales money (excluding VAT) goes towards a chosen charity or non-for-profit. This scheme is designed to help boost grass-roots, small and local organisations, like ourselves, financially so that we can continue to do the work we do such as our Tackling Period Poverty programme.

As we were Lush’s chosen organisation for the weekend of the 1-2 September, one of our volunteers, Iloni, and one of our advisors, Carolyn, went along to wo-man the (suitably Lush-styled aesthetic) stall that Lush had kindly provided for us. We took along a range of our products, stacks of leaflets and information as well as our enthusiasm for talking about all things to do with periods.

Over the weekend, we sold over £200’s worth of stock with Ruby Cups and Honour Your Flow re-usable pads proving most popular with Lush customers. On top of this, Lush sold so many of their Charity Pots that £340.60 was raised for No More Taboo – which was amazing! 

However exciting the money side of things were with this event, what I personally took away as being the real highlight of the weekend was the number and nature of conversations we shared with customers. 

Mothers and daughters came and chatted to us about how they agreed it was so important to use re-usable products for personal and financial reasons as well as for the planet’s sake. Boyfriends accompanied their other halves as they prodded and probed the range of menstrual cups on display. Older women commented on how it’s such a relief to be able to talk about menstruation in public and with people you’ve only just met. They regaled of a time when periods were even more hush-hush and celebrated with us out mission of there being No More Taboo.

We would like to thank Lush Cribbs Causeway for being such wonderful hosts, encouraging every customer that came through their doors to consider buying the Charity Pot or simply to chat with us. Each member of their staff team was incredibly warm and so keen to find out more about what we do. On behalf of all of us at No More Taboo, thank you.

By Catriona Dickie 26 Jul, 2018
What is a Mooncup?

If you're following No More Taboo, chances are you are already aware that a Mooncup is a silicone menstrual cup. It is inserted vaginally and used throughout your period. There are two different sizes: size A, for those who are either thirty and over or have given birth vaginally, and size B, for under thirties who have not birthed a child vaginally. 

Why Use One?

The main reason I wanted to convert to a Mooncup is because I was feeling concerned about the amount of waste my period was generating every month. During the twelve years I've been menstruating I must have thrown thousands of tampons into landfill , and as I became more aware of the impact this is having on the planet, switching to a sustainable sanitary product seemed like a straightforward lifestyle change that would really make a difference.

Another advantage for frugal (or rather, perpetually skint) me was that for a £20 upfront investment I'd have an item that would last up to 10 years. And while a box of own-brand tampons is only a pound a pop, there's always a risk that a trip to Boots will result in an impulse buy and before I know it I've bought a new nail varnish and a Graze box and end up spending a tenner.

I also love to travel and have more than once found myself in a situation where I'm in a country without ready access to tampons. I'm not a big fan of pads and had found myself obsessively carrying around a box of tampons with me at all times and becoming anxious when I didn't have one on me. The great thing about the Mooncup, for me, is that all you have to do is empty it out and with a quick rinse or wipe it can be used again.

Finally, Mooncups are not known to carry any risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, which I think we'll all agree is what nightmares are made of for those of us who menstruate. 

Putting it In

I was lucky enough to come on my period on a lazy Saturday afternoon. With no plans for the day that involved leaving the comfort of my home, I was able to fiddle around with folding and inserting and looking up advice online. After three failed attempts , the cup stayed put and I heard the satisfying sound of the vacuum seal closing in. Minimal leakage did occur over the course of the day but once I got the hang of the fold-and-insert method I was confident enough to wear my proverbial white jeans, like those women in the adverts who bleed blue menstrual blood.

Out and About

As I write this I've been using my Mooncup for about 6 months, and it did take me about 3 cycles to completely get used to it. I think after over a decade of using tampons, which are a lot smaller and more streamlined, this is probably normal. For me it was worth persevering and the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, of which I can't think of any aside from the following: I have dropped it down the loo while taking it out a couple of times. This has never been much of a problem until last weekend when I dropped it down a portaloo never to be seen again. So much for that 10 year investment.

Verdict

What can I say, I'm a convert. For anyone willing to spend £20 I'd really say its worth giving the Mooncup a chance and persevering with the tricky first days. As for me, I'll be buying another to replace my lost menstrual cup and will be using organic tampons at festivals from now on.  

Feeling Inspired?

Are you ready to give the Mooncup a chance? Buy your Mooncup, or another menstrual cup, from our shop , where all profits go towards tackling period poverty in the UK.

If you're wondering how else you can reduce your plastic consumption, read about how me and Catherine challenged ourselves to a plastic-free fortnight

By Catherine Blom-Smith 19 Jul, 2018
Watch this space for information on how No More Taboo will be involved in Big Green Week, UWE's annual festival of eco ideas, events and smart living. 

For more information, take a look at their website:  https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/whatson/biggreenweek.aspx
By Catherine Blom-Smith 19 Jul, 2018
A whole week of period-related and enviro-conscious action! What could be better? This event will run from the 13th of to the 20th of October. Watch this space for details on how No More Taboo will be involved. 

Read more here:  https://www.wen.org.uk/environmenstrual-week-of-action/
By Catherine Blom-Smith 19 Jul, 2018
At this year's Women of the World Festival, our founder Chloe will be holding a workshop at their event in Exeter. She will be talking everything you need to know about cups! This event is on Sunday 14th October. Find out more at this link:  https://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/events/women-of-the-world/
By Jenna Yates 19 Jul, 2018
Find out how we've been getting ready for the highlight of our summer, Shambala Festival, where we'll be helping you safely navigate the festival period... Jump on board for a period-friendly weekend trip away with the monthlies!
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