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HQ has signed an “activism handbook” from Free Periods founder Amika George (pictured).
Free Periods is a campaign to make menstrual products available for free in all schools and colleges and tackle the stigma around menstruation.
HQ executive publisher Lisa Milton and HQ editorial director Rachel Kenny acquired world English language rights to the “motivational step-by-step guide to campaigning” from Georgia Garrett at Rogers, Coleridge & White. HQ will publish Make It Happen in September 2020 in print, e-book and audiobook.
Make It Happen is described by the publisher as “the ultimate handbook for the fledgling activist. With chapters on finding your crowd and creating allies, going public with your campaign, how to use social media effectively and how to look after your mental health while protesting, Make It Happen blends rallying cry, stories and lessons from Amika’s life as an activist, as well as interviews from Amika’s fellow protestors and other changemakers, all interwoven with galvanising facts and stats.”
The book will feature interviews with other activists and protestors including sex and relationships YouTuber and author Hannah Witton, founder of Women's Room project for more female experts to be featured in the media Caroline Criado-Perez, Deborah Frances White of "The Gulity Feminist" podcast, Feminists Don't Wear Pink curator Scarlett Curtis and Gina Martin, who launched a national campaign after a man took a picture up her skirt at music festival to make "upskirting" a criminal offence in the UK.
George said: “I started Free Periods from my bedroom as a teenager. It's been thrilling, uplifting and hugely exciting, and along the way I've learnt more than I could ever have imagined. In Make It Happen, I share everything I've learnt to get you started with your campaign, to keep you going, and make sure you can't be ignored. I hope that this book will show you that absolutely anyone can make a difference.”
Kenny added: “Make It Happen is for anyone who has signed a petition, gone on a march or donated to a good cause, but wants to do more. Being part of a growing number of influential young women, Amika George is perfectly positioned to write this book. I’m in awe at her energy, commitment and integrity. She’s done so much for society already, and we’re thrilled to be publishing her.”
Currently a student at Cambridge University, George launched Free Periods in 2017, pressuring the government to make tampons and sanitary towels freely available in schools in England. In January 2020, the government pledged funds for every primary and secondary school to offer free period products to students. George has since received a Goalkeepers Award by Bill and Melinda Gates in conjunction with the United Nations, Stylist’s Woman of the Year 2017 and was listed by the Big Issue as one of its Top 100 Changemakers and by TIME magazine as one of the 25 most influential teenagers in the world.
Image credit: Mollie Rose