Overview
Education is not just about disseminating knowledge; it's about enhancing public engagement. We believe that increasing the public's involvement and understanding is an integral part of combating gynecological diseases. Our educational campaigns and Human Practices efforts are inseparable, based on our thoughtful project design and the insights we've gained from expert interviews.
Please refer to our Human Practices page for the structural considerations of all activities, and here on the Education page, you will find out more details explained project-by-project. We will explain the purpose of each project, the justifications of the project, and materials we prepared, and the promotion activities. We included as much raw materials as possible, such as PDF files for the scripts of educational contents, so that other teams in the future can build on our work to increase public awareness of female health.
Initiative “You can ask me for pads”
During that special time of the month, every woman may suddenly face an embarrassing incidence—the urgent need for sanitary pads. Sometimes it's because the menstrual cycle was miscalculated, sometimes it's due to being too busy with study or work and forgetting to prepare sanitary supplies, sometimes it's because of irregular periods, and sometimes it's due to certain diseases or infections that lead to a demand for sanitary pads.
In order to break the silence and eliminate embarrassment, we have designed an acrylic badge that reads "You can ask me for pads." This acrylic badge, slightly smaller than the size of a palm, can be attached on any bag, such as school bags or purses, allowing women in need to clearly see the text on the badge within a normal social distance. We have made these badges in bulk and distributed them to team members and volunteers, who are always ready to help. We have collected a batch of high-quality sanitary pads, some provided by volunteers, and some carefully selected by us.
Through this activity, we not only convey care and assistance to those around us but also inspire everyone to realize that globally, there are still many women who cannot afford basic sanitary supplies due to economic constraints. Our activity aims to promote women's health and foster societal attention and understanding of women's physiological needs.
Our activity has undergone expert interviews and surveys in the early stage, leading to modifications in the design. Initially, we planned to install "free sanitary pad distribution" boxes in schools, but according to public welfare experts (Refer to Human Practices Page), there would be a problem with this approach. Women using the pads would not know the brand and material of the sanitary pads they received, and there might be an allergy to specific sanitary pads. By spreading the word through volunteers, users have the opportunity to communicate with the volunteers providing the sanitary pads, which can prevent this issue.
Below are photos of our activity promotion volunteers.
We also give away these free badges at one of our charity sales events. The charity sales event was aimed to distribute artistic menstrual product to raise public awareness, and visitors were also drawn to the “you can ask me for pads” badge. We encourage them to take and hang these badges to help people around them.
Charity Sales and Donation
We opened our online merchandise store on the platform called Weidian, all products for sale, including stickers, pins, canvas bags and more, are our own original designs. All of our selling prices is a 30% addition to the cost price. Our intention is to raise more money by selling the merchs, spending the $3,000 we originally intended to donate at designing and making merchs, and then earning it back in turnover, so that the $3,000 we originally intended to donate can be turned into $4,000 with the addition of profit.
In addition to the online sale, we also conducted offline charity sales, selling goods and distributing originally designed disease promotional flyers and posters, achieving both fundraising and promotional purposes. In addition to the 4,000 RMB raised from the sale, we also partnered with Tencent to raise a total of 7,000 RMB combining two different women's health programs (donating sanitary pads to girls in the mountainous areas, and conducting health popularization and medical checkups for women in the mountainous areas).
The sanitary products we donate were carefully studied. We interviewed charity worker who worked in this field for guidance.
To support women in underdeveloped areas, especially girls aged 6 to 16, our program aims to provide essential sanitary products and educational support to help them cope with the challenges of menstruation.
Little Sister Kit
Designed for younger girls, the "Little Sister Kit" includes underwear, panties, specialized underwear soap, and other personal hygiene items to ensure their sanitary needs are met during their growth.
Big Sister Kit
For girls approaching or already in puberty, we offer the "Big Sister Kit," which contains two packs each of day and night sanitary pads, along with other necessary sanitary products to support their menstrual hygiene needs.
Women's Emergency Care Hygiene Kit
In emergency situations, such as natural disasters, women often face special hygiene challenges. Taking the Henan flood as an example, many women were submerged in water for extended periods, with no guarantee of menstrual hygiene. To address this, we have designed the "Women's Emergency Care Hygiene Kit," which includes blankets, towels, disposable underwear, sanitary pads, and soap to ensure they can maintain basic personal hygiene after the disaster.
Through these measures, we hope to improve the quality of life for women during menstruation and provide timely assistance in emergency situations.
Initiative “Outreach Education Videos on Wechat Videos”
Raising the awareness of different gynecological diseases is a fundamental objective of our project. Therefore, communicating the knowledge to a general audience becomes crucial. This education project utilized video format and social media to transfer gynecological knowledge to the general public.
The WeChat Video Account is a dynamic platform for sharing a variety of content, including short videos, which has become an increasingly popular channel for communication and engagement in China. As a feature within the widely used WeChat application, it leverages the app's extensive user base, offering a unique avenue for content dissemination and interaction
We produced a series of educational videos introducing key aspects of gynecological conditions such as ovarian and cervical cancer.
To create an easy viewing experience, we kept the video length around two minutes. All videos used simple language and contained hand-drawn animations and diagrams to facilitate viewers’ understanding.
To engage both local and international viewers, we produce all videos in both English and Chinese.
You can view and reuse our original education scripts and contents as needed. The content is included in this PDF file you can download.
Download from iGEM server the Gynecological Disease Education Mini Video Scripts
Outreach Education Videos on Bilibili
Bilibili, often referred to as 'B Station', is a Chinese video-sharing website that is celebrated for its strong community feel and user engagement. It's known for its 'bullet comment' or 'danmu' feature, which allows real-time comments to float across the video screen, creating a unique viewing experience. This platform has evolved into a hub for a wide range of content beyond its anime roots, including life vlogs, gaming, music, and educational videos.
The user demographic on Bilibili skews towards the younger generation, particularly individuals born between the 1990s to 2000s, known as Generation Z. This platform is especially popular among high school and university students, who often reside in first and second-tier cities with higher spending power.
We have been leveraging this platform to disseminate educational videos about gynecological health. Our target audience includes young women and girls aged 6 to 16 in underdeveloped areas. Through our videos, we aim to raise awareness about menstrual health and provide essential knowledge that they might not otherwise have access to.
The specific groups we aim to reach are:
1) Girls aged 6 to 16
.This age range covers pre-adolescents and adolescents who may not have comprehensive education about menstrual health. Our videos aim to fill this gap.
2) Residents of underdeveloped areas
These communities often lack access to basic healthcare information. Our videos offer a digital solution to bridge this knowledge divide.
We anticipate that our videos will educate and provide accurate information about gynecological health that is age-appropriate and accessible, and empower and equip young women with the knowledge they need to manage their menstrual health effectively, and normalize conversations and encourage open discussions about menstruation, breaking the stigma and promoting a culture of understanding and support.
By using Bilibili as our medium, we hope to tap into the platform's youthful and vibrant community to create a ripple effect of awareness and education about women's health issues.
Outreach Education Videos on Tiktok and Weibo
Tiktok
We created an official account on TikTok to spread awareness of gynecological health to international audiences. We uploaded English versions of gynecology disease education videos introducing Ovarian cancer and Cervicitis. We received 10 views for all the videos.
We created an official account on Weibo, which is one of the biggest social media platforms in China. We uploaded a series of Ovarian Cancer education videos and tagged the Ovarian Cancer supergroup.
The posts got 17 likes, 2 reposts, and a total view count 8957. We also received 6 followers.
Outreach Education Audios on Himalaya Podcast
The Himalaya Podcast is an ongoing awareness-raising and popularization activity, posting 3+ scientific blogs related to female menstrual health and diseases per week. This activity aims to help women who lack information in this field and want to seek help. Every single blog introduces a specific kind of gynecological disease, including its symptoms, cause of disease, the basic principle behind the disease, and possible treatment and its effectiveness. As a scientific account facing the general public, we have made several changes and improvements. For example, we have introduced various diseases in a more accessible language, and we have changed our explanations from simple to profound so that even people without basic knowledge and scientific background can understand what we are talking about, and so that our account reaches a wider audience. We hope to make gynecological disease a common sense so that people can have the ability to notice problem in time enable to seek help, and hopefully it is no longer a topic that people feel ashamed to talk about.
You can view and reuse our original education scripts and contents as needed. The content is included in this PDF file you can download.
Download on iGEM server the Educational Podcast Scripts on Gynecological Diseases and Menstrual Cares
In-Person CITIC Bank Educational Workshop
As part of our comprehensive educational outreach program, we conducted a targeted workshop at CITIC Bank, focusing on female employees of childbearing age. This initiative was one of several we organized to address a critical issue in women's health: the lack of awareness about gynecological diseases that, if detected early, could be effectively managed. Our goal was to bridge the knowledge gap and promote proactive health management among women.
We secured this opportunity through the help of a female manager at CITIC Bank, who provided the necessary channel to conduct our educational session in the corporate environment.
The workshop took place at the CITIC Bank branch in the Dongcheng District of Beijing. We followed a structured format designed to maximize engagement and learning, beginning with a pre-workshop questionnaire to assess baseline knowledge.
Our 30-minute presentation, developed using reputable sources like the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy website and enhanced with Perplexity AI, covered six major gynecological conditions, including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and cervical cancer. We discussed their causes, symptoms, and daily preventive measures, and addressed common menstruation-related questions.
Team members played crucial roles: ZhangShuHe (Max) was responsible for the presentation and PowerPoint content, LyuShulin (Sophie) created and analyzed the questionnaires, and HuangSiHan (Leona) prepared the team introduction.
The workshop concluded with a post-session questionnaire and the sale of custom-designed souvenirs, with proceeds earmarked for future donations. Results were encouraging, showing a general improvement in the employees' understanding of gynecological diseases. The audience was highly engaged, asking numerous questions and participating actively in discussions.
Reflecting on this experience, we realized the importance of our educational activities in raising awareness about gynecological health. The positive response validated our approach and motivated us to continue our efforts. We also identified areas for improvement, such as developing more comprehensive questionnaires and enhancing our public speaking skills.
Our workshop at CITIC Bank marked a significant step in improving women's health awareness. By directly engaging with women in their workplace, we successfully disseminated crucial information about gynecological health in an accessible and impactful manner. This initiative demonstrated the effectiveness of targeted educational efforts in bridging the knowledge gap and empowering women with vital health information.
You can view and reuse our original education scripts and contents as needed. The content is included in this PDF file you can download.
Download on iGEM server the educational slides on Female Healthcare in the Reproductive Ages
A Workshop on Gynecological Health for the Secondary School Student
We are organizing a workshop focused on raising awareness about gynecological health among our school's 8th-grade students. The goal is to educate young students on the importance of early detection and prevention of gynecological diseases, which can be difficult to cure once advanced.
The workshop is set to take place on September 20th during the extended homeroom period from 3:00 to 3:40 PM. Through an interactive session that includes discussions and presentations, we aim to impart essential knowledge about common gynecological diseases, their symptoms, and prevention strategies.
Eighth-grade students are entering adolescence, a time marked by significant physical and emotional changes. They may experience menstrual cycles and related gynecological issues for the first time, often without the necessary knowledge on how to handle them. This is why a lecture on gynecological health is particularly crucial for them.
The lecture aims to help students understand their bodies, learn to manage menstruation, and adopt healthy habits to prevent future health issues. It also provides a platform for obtaining accurate information and seeking help.
By the end of the workshop, we expect students to have a better understanding of gynecological health issues and the steps they can take to maintain good health. We also hope to encourage them to be proactive about their health and to seek medical advice when needed.
A Workshop on Gynecological Health for the Primary School Student
Introducing biology and basic medical knowledge to fifth graders is crucial for building a strong foundation in science. At this age, students are developing cognitively and are at a prime stage to absorb complex information. It's important to present biological and medical concepts in a simplified and engaging manner that captures their curiosity and prepares them for more advanced topics in the future. The lecture should focus on general health topics, interactive learning about the different systems of the body, and fostering an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and exploring the intricacies of science.
When tailoring the lecture for fifth graders, it's essential to teach basic anatomy in an age-appropriate way, helping them understand the major organs and their functions. The session should also promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle, emphasizing how taking care of their health now can prevent diseases and improve their quality of life later on. By doing so, we can inspire a lifelong interest in science, health, and well-being, encouraging students to be proactive about their health and well-being from a young age.
Educating our Family
In order to improve the majority of women's awareness and understanding of gynecological diseases, we decided to start from the family around us. The members of the group in turn to the family members such as mom, dad, grandma and so on about gynecological diseases and their importance and how to prevent and so on. After the education, family members reported that they had learned a lot, and also paid more attention to and understood gynecological diseases. And we also asked them about their previous views on gynecological diseases, and we did find that a lot of women feel that this type of disease is shameful and unimportant, so this also confirms the need to spread the knowledge of gynecological diseases widely.
Educational Posters and Flyers
We have created a variety of flyers and small-sized posters to introduce several major types of gynecological diseases, including cervical carcinoma, endometriosis, secondary dysmenorrhea, ovarian cancer, uterine fibroids, uterine cancer, and HPV. Understanding that people may not spend much time reading the text on small posters, we have included our social media accounts on the posters so that readers can learn more through social media.
These promotional materials are used throughout many of our events. For example, when we conduct charity sales, family education, and offline lectures for bank employees and school students, these materials are distributed and displayed.