Monthly newspaper and online publication targeting 18 to 35 year olds. The ultimate guide to the hottest parties, going out and having fun. Music, fashion, film, travel, festivals, technology, comedy, and parties! London, Barcelona, Miami and Ibiza.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1018412
10 ISSUE 110 / 2018 GUESTLIST YOUR SURVIVAL GUIDE TO LIFE FOLLOW @GUESTLISTDOTNET Menstrual products, which were thought of as a luxury for third world countries like Kenya (for which the charity Freedom4Girls was providing sanitary products) were, in fact, a luxury for girls living in Leeds too. In March 2017 the charity provided sanitary products to girls in Leeds, who were routinely missing school because of their periods as they couldn't afford to deal with them. 18 year old Amika George started the #freeperiods movement on change.org, imploring the government to provide free menstrual products to girls from a low socioeconomic background who are on free school meals. Change doesn't seem so far away, 13 members of parliament have signed an early day motion for 'Free Provision of Sanitary Products for Girls from Low-Income Families', George however is still pushing for girls on free school meals to receive Sanitary Product provisions too. Laura Coryton who also started a petition to end the 5% luxury tax on sanitary products, achieved her goal in 2016. However, the government announced that it wouldn't be until 2022 that this would be implemented. Because of this, another petition has been registered to "Axe Tampon Tax before 2022!" The fight is far from over, women and organisations all over the UK demand change, and the human right to deal with periods in a humane way. Girls in the UK who couldn't afford sanitary products resorted to newspaper, toilet paper and socks. Let us advocate for a sensible and respectful way for women to deal with their periods, now! Any woman who has had a period can reassuringly tell you that it is no "luxury", it is time for the government to stop treating it as if it were. All women deserve to have access to sanitary products despite their financial situation. I'll end with the beautiful words of "End Tampon Tax" petitioner Rachel Strong: "If sanitary products are non-essential luxury items, I shall stop buying them. I'm sure work, other passengers on the bus and anybody who's furniture I may sit on will understand entirely." The issue of period tax has had a massive breakthrough. Three months ago parliament agreed that tax on menstrual products should be removed. This victory was all due to the efforts of feminists and organisations like Pink Protest who protested outside Downing Street and petitioned online. PERIODS ARE NOT A LUXURY An estimate of 10-13% of older people suffer from acute loneliness. In the UK alone, 3.1 million older people live alone, of those, 2 million are over 75 and of those, 1.9 million experience some form of loneliness. There are clear links between isolation and loneliness. Isolation makes it 2 to 5 times more likely for elderly people to die prematurely. A study by Brigham Young University, in Utah, USA, stated that loneliness can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Besides the physical and mental effects, loneliness can increase pressure on local councils and health services too. Many great initiatives have been implemented to reduce the number of people experiencing loneliness. Simple companionship for example, has a monumental effect on this epidemic. Below are a few organisations and initiatives you can volunteer with to help replace loneliness with companionship: CASSEROLE CLUB Volunteers with the Casserole Club share extra portions of their home-cooked meals with the elderly in their area who aren't always capable of cooking for themselves. Volunteers share food anytime they feel like they have extra and are happy to share some company too. On the website you can find many success stories of friendships and companionship. CONTACT THE ELDERLY Supported by a network of volunteers, the charity organises monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of people, aged 75 and over, who live alone. Offering a regular and vital friendship link every month. The elderly are collected from their home by a volunteer driver and taken to a volunteer host's home for the afternoon. The group is warmly welcomed by a different host each month, but the drivers remain the same which means that over the months and years, strangers turn into friends. INDEPENDENT AGE Volunteers can engage in a regular phone calls with an elderly person, this is a mood booster and helps people feel more connected. Volunteets can also meet and chat with them over a cup of tea. Over time they build relationships that make the older people feel less isolated and more socially connected. LET'S FIX LONELINESS Diminishing loneliness within the elderly community is a priority. In recent years, loneliness has been recognised as a serious issue with detrimental effects.