Lucia Klander

The burden of care placed upon mothers as a result of their gender identity has a detrimental impact of their mental health and wellbeing. Moreover, the disparity and competitive motherhood within a playground space has further impact on this, often creating an anxiety-fuelled environment for a lot of mothers in this space. Psychologically it has been proven that interpersonal female friendships have a positive impact on female wellbeing and self-worth. As a result of these findings, I questioned how we can bring mothers together in a shared space to assess the roots of these issues, putting a spin on casual coffee mornings.

This visual, conversational and creative workbook is designed to help mothers curate new conversations around wellbeing in playground spaces. The workbook is purely aimed at transforming the narrative of cliques and bullying between parents in the playground. Written by mothers through various means of conversation, survey and using social media to reach out to those I don’t have direct access to, the workbook has been curated into five stages or levels as a result of gathered research, which are designed to be completed collaboratively in a workshop setting. The first stage is called Love, which encourages mothers to learn to love themselves and be confident in their skills not only as mothers but also as individuals. In this stage, the participants engage in activities and exercises that promote self-care, self-love, and self-awareness. The second stage is called Help, which focuses on challenging the cliques that form between mothers in playgrounds due to misconceptions or standards held by the participants. In this stage, mothers will learn how to identify harmful behaviours and how to intervene in ways that promote healthy relationships and productive communication. The third stage is called Make, which is about curating safe and open camaraderie in the playground space to feel welcome and accepting of others. In this stage, mothers will learn how to create a positive environment that fosters inclusivity and a sense of community. The fourth stage is called Keep, which is about overcoming conflicts and maintaining strong connections within busy environments. In this stage, mothers will learn how to resolve conflicts constructively and how to sustain healthy relationships over time. The fifth and final stage is called Hand, which encourages the participants to wrap up what they have learnt through the collaborative guide and pass on the advice in a caring and constructive way to those who need it through the means of a postcard, intended to be filled out and handed to a new or distant mother in the playground who they would like to be closer with. As well as providing as a tool for what was mentioned earlier contextually, it also provides as tool for mothers to overcome the challenges they may face in playground spaces and create a more positive and supportive environment for themselves and in turn also other mothers.

Revising my experience of going to an all-girls secondary comprehensive school, I always wondered why these female-centred spaces were branded with words which surround the narrative of toxic femininity and patriarchal perceptions of female interactions. After a vital conversation with a friend, we found that the lack of understanding surrounding female psychology and the patriarchal impacts on women’s mental wellbeing are immense and usually become apparent during the developmental stages of the ages where we all begin to get our periods. In the current education curriculum, periods are only taught at a science level, not a psychological or conversational one, which does not help build the bridge between real connections between people who menstruates’ psychology and their own biology.

Red Talk is the name for this project that consists of two conversational card games. The aim of the project is to encourage discussion and expand the narrative around menstruation, specifically for those who experience periods. The project has three distinct objectives:

1. To assist menstruating individuals in comprehending their menstrual cycle relative to that of others, which can aid in developing their communication abilities with others.
2. To support menstruating individuals in understanding and utilising their menstrual cycle as a means of managing their productivity, emotions, and social interactions.
3. To reinforce the idea that the menstrual cycle significantly impacts individuals' physical and mental well-being and that its effects extend beyond the times when menstruation and bleeding occurs.

This card game is available in two editions, one for adults and one for adolescents. The adolescent (or 'teen') card game is for building bridges in conversation between those who have just begun menstruating and those who are yet to begin, as well as becoming an educational tool for period education. The adult edition focuses more on the narrative surrounding how menstrual cycles can impact work-life, relationships, finances and wellbeing.

I intend to create a wider community of people who are passionate about changing the conversation around periods. By bringing people together around this important topic, we believe that we can create a movement that will help to normalise menstruation and promote greater understanding and acceptance for all those who experience it.

Follow the Instagram page for this project below as it transforms into a wider collective for period activism...

https://www.instagram.com/redtalk.cards/