Bozho jayek!
Hello everyone!

April 2026

I just returned from a week-long visit to a dozen of our partner schools in New Mexico and Colorado. I and board member Lisa Witt, who lives in Albuquerque, connected with school staff and students to make sure we are getting menstruators the period care they need to celebrate their moon times (periods). Take a look at our social media accounts to see a travelogue of our trip.

In February, we were gifted truckloads of organic period care from our friends at August. The company generously delivered the supplies to the Central Consolidated School District in Kirtland, New Mexico, and to the Crandon School District in Crandon, Wisconsin. In March, we were thrilled to receive another generous gift of menstrual cups from Saalt. We are seeing increased interest in cups and look forward to introducing more menstruators to this reusable alternative to disposable pads and tampons.

In outreach news, so far this year we added nine more schools – they are in California (the five schools comprising the Alpine County School District), Florida (Miccosukee Indian School), Idaho (Coeur d’Alene Tribal School), Louisiana (Chitimacha Tribal School), and Michigan (Hannahville Indian School/ Nah Tah Wahsh PSA). Florida, Idaho, and Louisiana are new states for us. With these additions, we now serve over 250 partners in 25 states.

Our new Director of Operations, Juli Ana Grant, is doing a terrific job helping us identify and onboard new partners. Can you help us do more? If you know of any schools with a sizable Indigenous student population that is struggling with period poverty, please let us know!

Next month, we will reach out to all of our partner schools to make sure they have the products they need to end the school year in a good way. Since periods don’t stop for summer break, we will encourage our partners to invite menstruators to take home the products they and their family members may need. We know we can’t do all this without your help, and for your support we say, “Igwien,” heartfelt thanks!

All my best,

Eva Marie Carney
Founder + Executive Director

Support Youth Thriving

from Search Institute

We hope you’ll take a look at an exciting new resource from Search Institute, Supporting Youth Thriving: Measures for Youth Strengths and Needs. Released in late February, this report from the Search Institute’s Youth Ecological Strengths (YES) Project helps adults better understand ways to support young people as they shape their lives and identities. The report’s approach aligns closely with The Kwek Society’s commitment to expand opportunities for youth and support students in meaningful ways.

The report offers practical ways for school staff, guardians, and mentors to strengthen relationships with youth. It encourages adults to focus on student strengths and interests — what they enjoy, how they see themselves, and what motivates them — and to use those insights to guide conversations and support. It notes that simple actions, including asking open-ended questions about identity and listening to student perspectives, can help build trust and a stronger sense of belonging.

The report also provides tools for adults to reflect on whether students feel supported, connected, and able to grow. It suggests that these insights can guide small but impactful changes in how adults engage with youth every day.

We hope that our readers will use this resource to help deepen relationships with youth and create environments where young people feel seen, valued, and ready to thrive. Young people are at the center of our mission, and we want to do what we can to deepen understanding of and connection to youth.

Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy

Wilson, Michigan

We recently welcomed Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy (Hannahville Indian School), a tribally-run school in Wilson, Michigan, to our network of schools. The school operates from the tribal lands of the Hannahville Indian Community and teaches Bodwéwadmimwen (the Potawatomi language) as a World Language, on a daily basis.

In February, we sent our first shipment of period products to support about 60 Nah Tah Wahsh PSA students. Each student also received a lovely moon time bag sewn and filled with pads and liners by one of our donors. Many of the Nah Tah Wahsh PSA students are Potawatomi, like our Executive Director and some of our board members!

Our school contact is Language and Cultural Instructor, Jessica (Jessyee) Blair. A few weeks ago, Jesseye shared this note with us:

“The students were so appreciative on all levels, and we have had a good response to our new menstrual supply center located in the main office – a no-questions-asked zone. Migwetth (thank you). Your work is changing lives, and I truly cannot say that enough.”

We are excited to continue this partnership to ensure these sweet students celebrate moon times with dignity.

Laurel Mawema + Elexa Dawson

We are excited to launch a new period education resource, “Period Love! The Story of You.” This dynamic video collage explores what a period is and what a new menstruator can expect during her moon time (period). The work was conceived by Laurel Mawema (née Higbee), Educator & Body Literacy Mentor, in collaboration with our Executive Director, Eva. The featured music (“Circle Song” and “7 Sparrow Healing Song”) is by Elexa Dawson, Performing Songwriter + Cultural Creator. All three collaborators are Citizen Potawatomi kwe’k (women).

Laurel explains her vision for the resource as follows:

“I hope it can bring accessible menstrual cycle and body literacy to a wider audience. Our words on a page have meaning, but without knowing what those words look and feel like in our bodies, it’s hard to picture the menstrual cycle and what that experience is like. I hope watching this video becomes a new way of seeing inside a very personal experience, inspiring wonder, curiosity, and awe.”

Laurel earlier provided operations support to The Kwek Society and is thrilled to continue to contribute to our work, sharing that ““as a teacher and mother who sees how little our children (and adults!) are being taught about their own bodies, I hope you learn something new when you watch it, and feel proud to be in your body, Your cycle can be your superpower.”

We invite you to take a few minutes to watch and to share the video presentation with others. Please let us know what you think. You can reply to this email with your thoughts or share them through our website’s Contact page.

We send our thanks to Laurel and Elexa for this contribution to our education resources.

Juli Ana Grant
Director of Operations

“I hope to expand the reach of the work, both geographically and in terms of partnerships, so that more tribes and Indigenous communities can access these resources,” she said. “That includes deepening relationships with our current partners and donors and identifying opportunities to connect with schools, community programs, and donor groups that haven’t yet been reached.”

Juli Ana Grant started work with us in January as our first Director of Operations. She is also our first employee! Juli Ana brings more than two decades of experience in public policy, justice systems, and nonprofit leadership focused on victim services, innovative anti-violence programs and community safety efforts. And she is passionate about our mission!

“The Kwek Society sits at the intersection of so many things I’ve spent my career working towards, including equity, access, culturally grounded programming, and systems that address community needs,” she said. “Much of my work life has focused on building and scaling programs with tribal communities, so the mission feels like a natural extension of that work.”

Before joining The Kwek Society, Juli Ana worked at the United States Department of Justice, specializing in collaborating with states, tribal governments, and public agencies to strengthen programs and policies that support community wellbeing. At The Kwek Society, she helps advance the organization’s mission to end period poverty in Indigenous communities and ensure that students have access to the resources they need to thrive. She does this through outreach to school and community partners and donors and through the day-to-day work of securing and distributing period care.

“I hope to expand the reach of the work, both geographically and in terms of partnerships, so that more tribes and Indigenous communities can access these resources,” she said. “That includes deepening relationships with our current partners and donors and identifying opportunities to connect with schools, community programs, and donor groups that haven’t yet been reached.”

The Kwek Society is excited to welcome Juli Ana, and to see how she will shape our future! You can reach Juli Ana at juliana@kweksociety.org and 202-670-1233.

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