Recently, we were lucky enough to have a chat with the incredible Jenni Keenan from PKAVS. Jenni is the team leader for the minority communities hub, and she has played an integral role in helping the community of Perth during the lockdown. Jenni has been a pioneer in PKAV’s projects surrounding period poverty and many other amazing projects.
PKAVS aims to work with local services and community projects and helps them to be the best that they can be. She is involved in improving the lives and services offered in each individual community.
Community groups and services would not be able to run as effectively without women like Jenni being at the forefront of them. Here at Perth Life we are completely in awe of the amazing work that she and everybody at PKAVS do.
We are also loving their new podcast, ‘Positively PKAVS ’, which can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and most major streaming services. It is also available from PKAVS ‘ Facebook page.
Enough of us, we will let Jenni speak about the amazing work that she does herself.
So, Jenni, please tell us more about what you do? Your job sounds so rewarding!
I work at PKAVS, where I’m the Team Leader for the Minority Communities Hub (MCH). We work with local minority ethnic communities and individuals, as well as other services and organisations, to improve access to services, participation in the local community, and individual outcomes. Our foundational belief is that people of all backgrounds and communities should have opportunities to flourish and contribute to local life. I also get to be involved in work that’s going on across different departments, like the Period Dignity work we’ve been doing with the Partnership and Engagement Team, which is a particular passion of mine. No two days are the same!
Tell us more about the idea of period dignity…
When we talk about Period Dignity, it’s about shame-free access to the information and products that women and girls need. It’s changing the culture around periods from something we don’t talk about to something we see as normal and natural, and providing access to free period products, no questions asked. One of the best examples of the importance of Period Dignity I’ve heard was from a Women of the World event a few years ago. One woman had been at a similar event a year before, taking part in a session about Periods, and it was the first time she’d ever been able to talk about her own period. The other women there that day were able to tell her that her experience was unusual, and after going to a doctor, she found out that she actually had ovarian cancer. Talking about periods literally saved her life! It really stuck with me.
How has your work been affected by the current pandemic?
We have had to suspend all face-to-face support, which makes things a little harder, but all the teams have really upped their game. We have moved most of our services to remote options. We have a helpline for those who need support, and all of our usual sessions, like conversation café, are taking place through live streaming or Zoom. We spend half our lives on Zoom at the moment!
PKAVS is also one of the places where women and girls can collect free period products, and with our offices being closed, and noticing stock running low in local shops, we had to get inventive to make sure these are still accessible to people, so we started the Tampon Taxi, a text and email service delivering free period products to women and girls across the area.
The Tampon Taxi? Tell us more.
The Tampon Taxi is a really fun and useful idea, and it has really taken off, which is brilliant. We started off in Perth, and now have staff and volunteers making deliveries across most of Perth & Kinross. There is a team of four of us working on it alongside our usual roles, and three volunteers. It’s certainly keeping us all busy!
People send their requests to us by text or email, and we pass them on to the closest member of the team to deliver. Orders are left on the doorstep to ensure that the service is completely contactless. Our offices are closed for now, so I have a mountain of boxes of Period Products in my front room – it’s probably just as well no one is allowed to visit at the moment, as they would struggle to find a seat!
We have delivered products to over 50 women and girls so far, and we now have our very own give-and-take box in the centre of Perth for those who would rather collect them that way. The response has been really positive so far. Those receiving products are primarily those who are in self-isolation, or who would usually get free products from school, college or another service, although it is open to absolutely anyone who finds themself in need. We often get a wee text after delivery to say thank you and express how much of a help the service is to someone.
One of the most exciting developments recently is that FareShare in Dundee has given us a supply of menstrual cups. We’re also looking at other options to expand into reusable and environmentally friendly products, as well as the usual options like pads and tampons.
Have you seen anything happen in Perth that has inspired you? Any feel-good stories, or something you’ve seen online that you want to highlight
I am loving all the community initiatives coming out of the current situation. There’s a real sense of community spirit and togetherness. The Give and Take Boxes, which North Inch and Muirton Community Council came up with, are brilliant and seem to have sparked a wave of community larders across Perth & Kinross. Eleanor and her team at the Perth & Kinross Foodbank are also doing a fabulous job, as are so many of the third sector and community organisations in our area who are working really hard to make sure that everyone is looked after. I’ve been inspired every day by how my colleagues at PKAVS have stepped up to make sure that our service users can still access the support they need, and gone above and beyond for the people they work with.
What are you missing the most from everyday life?
I am a really social person by nature, so being separated from people is really difficult. I’m close with my family, so not seeing them is hard. I’m also really missing Lori, who is the Partnership and Communities Manager at PKAVS and an all-round amazing human. She and I share an office, which is our wee sanctuary away from the madness that comes hand in hand with working in a thriving third sector organisation. She’s my sanity! Lori has an amazing capacity to see what people need, and to come up with fun and innovative ways to support the people we work with. Usually, we would have a conversation going all day, and be able to bounce thoughts and ideas off each other, as well as having the occasional sing-along to keep us going. We’re getting good at using voice notes and video chat to stay connected, but it’s just not the same. I can’t wait to be back in the office with everyone again!
Links and info:
The Minority Communities Hub is on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @MCHPKAVS. Our Partnership and Engagement Team is on @ThirdsectorPK.
Orders for the Tampon Taxi can be sent by text to 07395886672 or by email to PeriodProducts@pkavs.org.uk. For a full list of current stock, check us out on Facebook or Twitter at @PKAVSTamponTaxi.
You can find out more about PKAVS at www.pkavs.org.uk. If you want to make a donation to help us with our work at this difficult time, it will be gratefully received, and you can do so on our website.
Our new podcast, Positively PKAVS, is available on Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
North Inch and Muirton Community Council is on Twitter – @InchNorth
Donations can be made to Perth & Kinross Foodbank at Tesco or Asda in Perth – collection trolleys are available by the exit of each store.
Hannah Ballantyne
News and updates from the Perth Life editorial team.
