The October meeting started with a discussion about the women-led Iranian protests. 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while detained by police, sparking nation-wide protests with the banner of “women, life, freedom.” After watching several videos, we discussed the events, connections, and other thoughts regarding the proceedings. We will continue to monitor the movement in Iran throughout the year.

Switching focus to the central content of the meeting, Olivia presented a detailed slideshow about mutual aid. A majority of GLC members had not previously heard of mutual aid, which we defined as “voluntary, reciprocal sharing of what we have — resources, skills, and ideas.” Delving further with historical examples — including fraternal societies, the traditional cooperation of African American communities, and the women’s health movement in the 1970s — we gained a thorough understanding of the material. The group then divided into smaller teams and brainstormed a list of 10 words that were relevant to mutual aid. With words like “libraries, community, unity,” we wrapped up our discussion on mutual aid.

This year, GLC will be working on a period pantry project. Aligning with the concepts we discussed in mutual aid, we will build and stock a pantry with period products, then place it in an easily accessible, public place. Similar to community fridges, people will be able to pick up supplies from the pantry for free or drop off donations. So, we talked about the steps we will take to complete the project, as well as the skills that each GLC member has. We are all so excited to get started! For the rest of the month, we had a Halloween party and a trip to the United Nations building in New York for the International Day of the Girl. Overall, our October meeting went well and set up this year’s long-term project!