Giving Voice to Menopause
Event description
The more we share, talk, and listen to menopausal experiences the more we breakdown the menstrual & menopausal taboo.
We also know that many women do not feel comfortable talking about menopause and may feel trepidation about sharing their experiences. The research suggests that this is actually true for the majority of women. Our hope is that this film can open up conversations around menopause, that it encourages people to lean in and listen to the women’s stories presented here, to reflect on your own journey and to the stories and experiences of women and other folk experiencing menopause.
Hosting the film and opening up conversation:
You may consider offering a film screening to open up conversations around menopause. You could host a screening of the film in your home or community centre and then create a space for sharing and listening. How you do this is up to you. However we have found that watching the film and then offering the space for each person to share and be heard is a powerful way to encourage a safe and open space for menopausal conversations.
Listening is key.
Listening is a powerful and positive action. Listening is simple really. It’s an opening, a generative space for allowing someone to share their story without interruption, without judgement or needing to be fixed. You may want to offer each person an opportunity to speak, to share and to be heard. Or you may want to offer some open ended questions such as:
*How do you feel having listened to the women in the film?
*What are you curious about, what questions have been raised for you in relation to your own menopause?
*Which women and stories in the film resonated with you and/or which did not?
*How is/was your experience of peri/menopause?
You don’t need to have answers or information by experts- in fact we simply encourage a warm and inviting space where women and other folk who experience menopause to get to share and be heard.
If you do want to learn more about menopause then head on over to our resources page. www.shelistens.community