This week marks the start of the Consell de Formentera-backed New Period campaign by Rezero to normalise and promote the use of healthier, environmentally friendly, and fair menstrual products. To that end, this morning at the Casal de Joves, Consell de Formentera employees, Susana Labrador, vice-president and councillor of education, and Vanessa Parellada, councillor of youth affairs and citizen participation, took part in a workshop concerning options in existing menstrual products shaping awareness about critical and responsible consumption.

 Over the next two weeks, the campaign will be disseminated among years four, five and six at IES Marc Ferrer through an educational programme about the different possibilities of menstrual products. Tomorrow, Thursday 20 October, there will be a session for teachers, and Friday, a session for the players of the Cosmitos women's football club. In the words of Vice President Labrador, "the initiative aims to involve local schools, associations and sports groups in strengthening and amplifying the strategy of menstrual education on Formentera".

Public workshop
Wednesday 26 October, a session will be held for associations of the island and the general public at 5.00pm in the Consell de Formentera auditorium (Sala d'Actes; Plaça de la Constitució, Sant Francesc). Next week an additional workshop will be held for adult students.

This campaign is piloted by Rezero, a non-profit foundation which emerged in response to persisting taboos and stigma around menstruation. "A lack of adequate information and education perpetuates poor accessibility to safe (toxin-free), fair (tax-free and produced in respectful conditions) and circular (reusable) products for female-bodied individuals and others who menstruate", said Rezero project manager Marta Beltran.

In fact, according to Rezero, the vast majority of menstrual products on the market are single-use items like pads and tampons with environmental, economic, health and social impacts from production to disposal and beyond.

This initiative is backed by the Offices of Education, Equality, Citizen Participation and Environment of the Consell de Formentera.

17 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Consell de Formentera is proud to announce its partnership with New Period, a campaign by Rezero to normalise and promote healthier, more environmentally friendly and fairer menstrual products. Susana Labrador, councillor of education, described plans to reach years four, five and six at Marc Ferrer Secondary School by explaining "all the options of existing menstrual products and empowering students in critical and responsible consumption".

Workshops
Information will also be provided online and through five workshops for associations and groups focused on equality and sports and staff of the Consell de Formentera. The workshops will be geared toward strengthening and amplifying menstrual education on the island.

Rezero, a non-profit foundation, emerged as an outgrowth of the taboo and stigma that persist around menstruation. Marta Beltran, project manager at Rezero, decries a "lack of adequate information and education, which perpetuates poor accessibility to safe (toxin-free), fair (tax-free and produced in respectful conditions) and circular (reusable) products needed by female-bodied individuals and others who menstruate".

Bertran also points out that "the vast majority of menstrual products on the market are single-use items such as pads and tampons, which have environmental, economic, health and social impacts starting in production and continuing well beyond their disposal". In the Balearic Islands, the over 135 million menstrual products consumed in 2019 generated about 1,620 tonnes of waste.

"From reusables like menstrual underwear, linen pads and menstrual cups, to free bleeding and toxin- and plastic-free products, better alternatives to traditional menstrual products have been available for decades", says Beltran, "but only a minority of individuals know about and use them regularly".

This initiative benefits from the collaboration of the education, equality, citizen participation and environment offices of the Consell de Formentera.

13 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Formentera Office of Culture is pleased to report that the Marià Villangómez Library's second writing course of 2022 will be "Introduction to creative writing and literary appreciation", to be held in November and taught in Catalan.

As part of the initiative the Marià Villangómez Library has acquired related books in Catalan and Spanish that it will make available to participants.

Introduction to creative writing and literary appreciation
Individuals must be 16 years old to participate and may register by sending an email to biblioteca@conselldeformetera.cat indicating their full name, phone number and email address. Registration will be open 17 to 21 October, and no more than 10 can participate. Places will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Vicent Ferrer Mayans will give the workshop at the Marià Villangómez Library every Monday in November from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. There is no cost to participate.

Ferrer was born on Formentera in 1967. He works as a professor of language and literature, researcher, communicator, playwright and screenwriter. He also coordinates the graphic and literary review ADN.

The workshop will cover resources for writer's block; driving creation through constriction; rewriting literary texts; writing for social media and the basics of micro-poem creation.

For inquiries, contact the library team by e-mail at biblioteca@conselldeformentera.cat or by calling 971 32 33 86 during library hours.

13 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

Today Ana Juan, Alejandra Ferrer and Susana Labrador, the respective president, vice president and councillor of education for the Consell de Formentera, together with Margalida Ferrer, educational delegate for Eivissa and Formentera, paid a visit to the newly operational kitchen and canteen of the Sant Ferran de ses Roques primary school.

President Juan expressed her satisfaction at "launching a service that was at the heart of so many requests from the local educational community and one which will help islanders balance their professional and personal lives". She pointed up the Sant Ferran school's "tailor-made facilities" and said pooling the resources needed to underwrite the meal service had been "a collaborative effort".

For her part, Councillor Labrador said that when the previous concessionaire withdrew from the service, the joint decision by local government, the school and parents' association to take up the mantle meant "a great deal of work", and she applauded the Consell's partners in the endeavour. "We are the first island council to sign an agreement with the Balearic Government to run the meal service", she explained, adding that work was already under way so that in the coming months meals could also be offered in other public schools on the island.

Agreement
The Consell de Formentera struck a deal with the Balearic Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to take over management of the CEIP Sant Ferran school canteen service as a centralised kitchen from the 2022-2023 school year. The island's government runs the kitchen and cleans the spaces with its own staff.

Meal costs are set by the Sant Ferran school council. This year students who use the service every day will pay €6.50 and those who use it sporadically €7.15. The school parents' association will oversee payment collections.

Canteen monitors will be teachers from the school and will paid by the Balearic Government per ministry guidelines approved by yearly resolution. There may also be volunteer monitors from the parents' association.

Meal service for other public schools
Mestre Lluís Andreu and CEIP el Pilar de la Mola are taking administrative steps to apply for the canteen service through the Balearic Ministry of Education. Schools will have to provide a canteen space. Under the agreement, meals will prepared at the central kitchen at the Sant Ferran school and delivered elsewhere.

Children at the Sant Ferran nursery (escoleta) will also have their meals in the new canteen. "Until now they received meals from the kitchen at Escoleta La Miranda", said Labrador, "but now that the dining hall is operative, they will eat there a different time than primary pupils".

Neus Costa, director of CEIP Sant Ferran de ses Roques; representatives of the parents' association; Esperanza Suñer, director of Escoleta Sant Ferran; Neus Marí, director of CEIP Pilar de la Mola, and Santiago Ramírez, director of CEIP Mestre Lluís Andreu, also attended the event.

10 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera