Period Education for Boys
Learn about the free Period Education Guide for Boys, which builds boys’ understanding of puberty and menstruation while fostering the empathy needed to support their female peers.
Say hello to Neel, Nahom, and Noah!
Many boys grow up with little understanding of menstruation, yet they shape part of the environment in which girls experience their periods. With the Period Education Guide for Boys, they explore the topic through the stories of characters like Neel, Nahom, or Noah. By following the characters' journeys, they learn about their own puberty, menstruation, and how to show up as respectful and supportive allies.
Help boys grow into allies with period education that builds knowledge, empathy, and mutual support.
Story-driven
The training centers on the story of a boy supporting his younger sister as she experiences her first period. Through engaging activities and real-life examples, boys explore how they can show up for the girls in their lives.
Group-based
Learning together as a group is at the heart of the boys period education training. It normalises the conversation and replaces stigma with understanding. In a group setting and reinforce positive norms.
Empathy-building
In the training, boys learn the fundamentals of puberty and body changes - but it doesn't stop there. They develop empathy, build confidence, and learn how to actively support girls and show up as allies.
What the boys learn
The training is designed for boys aged 9–14 and covers the essentials of boys puberty, menstruation, and allyship—equipping them to champion positive attitudes around menstruation.
In the training, boys learn:
The basics about the anatomy of both girls and boys
How girls' and boys' bodies change during puberty
The menstrual cycle, and possible symptoms
How they can become supportive allies
Designed to fit your programme
We created the Guides with you in mind. They are designed to support a wide variety of organisations, programmes and settings, making it easier for everyone involved to educate boys about puberty and menstruation.
Free to use
Using the Guide is entirely free of charge. Just sign up to the platform, download any version you want and you’re ready to get started!
Compact training
The complete training takes 1.5 hours. If it suits your programme better, you can split the content into two shorter sessions.
Easy to conduct
Facilitators do not have to be experts in menstrual health and hygiene. The Guides provide clear, step-by-step instructions that are simple to follow.
Low cost roll-out
The ready-to-use Guide is designed to keep implementation costs low: It requires minimal workshop materials and print-outs only for facilitators.
Get your Guide now
Join more than 700 organisations already using the Guide. Explore the collection of over 40 Guides designed to educate girls, boys and caregivers about periods.
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Explore the Guides by region
Together with local partners we have created different versions of the Guide that reflect local realities, languages, and needs. Find the Guide that fits your region and community.
Ready to get started?
Accessing the Period Education Guides is easy. After a quick registration, you can download all the materials for free. From then on, everything is saved to your account, so you can access your data at any time. At the start of each year, we ask you to share your impact data with us so that you can contribute to our collective impact.
Sign up
After a quick registration, you receive free access to all the materials.
Download your materials
Explore the catalogue and choose the Guide that fits your region and community.
Start your training
You're all set to begin! Start your roll-out and make sure you track how many girls, boys or caregivers you train per year.
Share your impact
Every January, you have the chance to share your annual impact data though a short survey and become part of the joint impact we measure.
Ready to get started?
Accessing the Period Education Guides is easy. After a quick registration, you can download all the materials for free and easily manage all your data on your account page. At the start of each year, we ask you to share your impact data with us so that you can contribute to our collective impact.
Sign up
After a quick registration, you receive free access to all the materials.
Download your materials
Explore all Guides and choose the version that fits your region and community.
Start your training
You're all set to begin! Start your roll-out and make sure you track how many girls, boys or caregivers you train per year.
Share your impact
Every January, you have the chance to share your annual impact data though a short survey and become part of the joint impact we measure.
A fit for all kinds of organisations
Whether you're a local community organisation, an international NGO, or a government body, the Period Education Guide has proven to be an effective resource for all.
Collective impact
The Period Education Guide for Boys is used by a growing global community of organisations, all dedicated to empowering boys through period education. Together, we're making a collective impact.
Schools
Boys educated
Trusted by top organisations worldwide
Say yes to roll-outs at scale
Planning to roll out your programme to an entire district or region? Let's make it happen! Explore how we can support you.
Ready for more?
The Guide for boys is a great place to start, but the learning doesn't have to end there. Make sure to also discover our Period Education Guides for Girls and Caregivers and bring period education to everyone in your community.
Girls
With the right solution, educating girls about menstruation is wonderfully straightforward. The Guide for Girls makes it easy to deliver engaging period education, equipping girls with the knowledge and confidence they need to navigate their periods.
Caregivers
Caregivers play a key role in shaping how girls experience menstruation, yet many grew up without open conversations themselves. With this Guide, facilitators support adults in building the confidence to talk openly, support their daughters, and create a more supportive environment.
FAQs
Find answers to common questions about the Period Education Guide for Boys.
We recommend using the Guide to educate boys aged 9–15.
Our evaluations show that girls and boys aged 9–15 are often shy around each other and have different perspectives on, and questions about, puberty and menstruation. Training both groups separately creates a safe space where they can openly share their thoughts and feelings.
We recommend a group size of 20–30 boys maximum per facilitator. This allows for an engaging experience, ensuring that everyone benefits from the training.
We recommend men as facilitators, as boys tend to feel more comfortable discussing unfamiliar topics with them. However, women can facilitate or co-facilitate a training if they are already a familiar and trusted figure to the boys in the group.
An undisturbed space where boys feel safe and comfortable to talk openly works best; it can be a classroom, a sports ground, or a community hall.
There are no take-home materials as part of the Period Education Guide training. However, the Sub-Sahara Africa version includes optional activity sheets that can be given to boys as take-home material.
No formal training of trainers is required. The Period Education Guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions that make it straightforward for any facilitator to run a session confidently without prior expertise in menstrual health and hygiene.
No, you can use the Guide digitally. Boys do not need their own copy; only the facilitator needs access to the Guide. We recommend using a tablet or screen so the illustrations are large enough to show the group, and the text readable for the facilitator.
All you need to collect is the number of boys you trained. Other information, like your feedback or any images are always welcome, but optional.
yes.period is not in a position to provide financial support. The Period Education Guide is specifically designed to keep implementation costs low, all you need is the free download of the Guide and a few locally available materials.
No, we cannot provide print-outs, but even one copy is enough to conduct the training. Printing in black and white is absolutely fine – it keeps costs low, reduces our footprint, and does not impact the quality of the training.
The Guide is copyright-protected, so please do not modify it without prior written permission from yes.period. Any alterations could impact the effectiveness of the training. That said, if you need the Guide in another language or would like contextual adaptations for a large-scale programme, we'd love to hear from you! Get in touch, and we'll discuss the options together.
Still have questions?
Get in touch.