To gain insight about the TGPLAN project from other stakeholders, I interviewed the parent of a current AGS sophomore. Maggie Stephens daughter, Laney, is actually pictured above on the banner for the TGPLAN blog. Laney and her group researched period poverty and gender discrimination around the world, learning that many girls and women miss school and work because they do not have access to feminine hygeine products. Here in the U.S., 33 states add an additional "luxury item" tax to tampons, while that tax is waived for other products deemed medically necessary like bandaids, corn cushions, gauze, ane even dandruff shampoo. For a while, condoms were even on the tax-free list, while tampon were not. You know how I know all of this? My students taught me! This group formed a letter writing campaign to help fight against the Pink Tax, set up a donation drive using the Next Door app to ask neighbors to donate slightly used backpacks, purses, and tote bags, asked friends/family/peers to particpate in a product donation drive (and even secured a $100 donation from HEB to add hand sanitizer and additional tampons to their collection of materials), bagged the products in smaller zip-lock bags so it they would be protected from both the elements and could be added to the toiletries section of food trucks which added Covid-19 distribution regulations, and THEN they distributed their products with existing organizations like Mission Possible and Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
Laney's mom, Maggie, is also a free-lance copywriter who recently volunteered as a community panelist for my Senior Seminar class to give midpoint feedback to a student researching the portrayal of relationships in YA novels and a senior writing a thesis about voting districts and voter intelligence. Her role on that panel was to listen to their project idea, ask questions, and provide feedback that led to further student reflection.
VIDEO OF INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE STEPHENS
Laney's mom, Maggie, is also a free-lance copywriter who recently volunteered as a community panelist for my Senior Seminar class to give midpoint feedback to a student researching the portrayal of relationships in YA novels and a senior writing a thesis about voting districts and voter intelligence. Her role on that panel was to listen to their project idea, ask questions, and provide feedback that led to further student reflection.
VIDEO OF INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE STEPHENS