Who we are

Monthly Dignity strives to tackle the causes and consequences of period poverty and work towards menstrual equity in Montreal. We envision a world where menstruation is no longer a barrier to social, educational and professional fulfillment.

Our Values

Empowerment

We believe in empowering people with the tools, resources, and confidence that they need to address their menstrual health needs in the ways that are best suited for them.

Responsiveness

We work closely with our community partners to understand and respond to the unique needs, experiences, and preferences of the diverse communities they serve.

Intersectionality

We recognize that experiences of period poverty are tied to interconnected systems of power and privilege, including gender injustice, poverty, food insecurity, racism, and colonialism, and we strive to find solutions that are both equitable and inclusive.

Comprehensiveness

We take a holistic approach to our fight for menstrual equity by addressing immediate experiences of period poverty through the distribution of menstrual products while destigmatizing menstruation through education and advocating for systemic change to address upstream causes of period poverty.

Team

Hayley Newman-Petryshen (she/her)

Co-Executive Director

Hayley is a national menstrual equity advocate, championing the provision of free menstrual products across institutions while spearheading initiatives to raise awareness about period poverty in Canada. As a McCall MacBain Scholar, she earned her MA in Political Science and International Development (2023) at McGill, focusing her thesis on the dynamic Canadian menstrual equity movement. Hayley still actively contributes to research projects addressing menstrual equity programs and reproductive justice activism on both local and global fronts. Hayley additionally serves as the Project Coordinator for Free Periods Canada and volunteers with numerous grassroots organizations in Montréal.

Clara Bolster-Foucault (she/her)

Co-Executive Director

Clara is a health equity researcher and advocate. She is interested in understanding how systems and policies impact the health and well-being of under-served populations. Clara is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at McGill University, where her doctoral work explores how social dimensions shape inequity in aging in place in Quebec using an intersectional lens and evaluates how access to primary healthcare and social support shapes these inequities. She is also leading a qualitative research project seeking to understand the experiences and impacts of period poverty in the Montreal community.

Solenne Trequesser (she/her)

Educational Programs Coordinator

Solenne is a passionate advocate for sexual and reproductive rights. With a recently earned BA in International Development, Gender Studies, and Social Entrepreneurship from McGill University, she is dedicated to leveraging her expertise in feminist work to address period poverty. Solenne’s background includes work in girls’ rights, menstrual equity, sex education, and access to contraception. Currently, as an Educational Programs Coordinator at Monthly Dignity, she hopes to continue advocating for menstrual equity in Montreal and contribute to a lasting impact in the community.

Sophia Harman-Heath (she/they)

Funding Coordinator

Sophia is a fundraising and development specialist with expertise in grassroots community organization funding. They are passionate about community organizing and menstrual health advocacy. Sophia has been involved with Monthly Dignity since 2017 in volunteer and board positions, and in June of 2025 accepted the position of Fundraising Coordinator. They are excited to bring their breadth of experience to the team and to continue working towards a more equitable Montreal.

Board of Directors

Chloé Pronovost-Morgan (she/her)

President & Co-Founder

Chloé is pursuing a path as a clinician-scientist in psychiatry, having recently graduated cum laude with an MSc in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience from Maastricht University, and currently pursuing a medical degree at McGill University. She is interested in providing holistic care that integrates both mind and body, and her research explores the extra-pharmacological determinants of healing. During her undergraduate studies in Honours Psychology, she co-founded Monthly Dignity, alongside her classmate Julia Coste, in an effort to tackle period poverty in her hometown of Montreal. 

Kariane St-Denis (she/her)

Treasurer

Kariane works in program support, research and monitoring and evaluation in the areas of global reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) and family planning. She is passionate about the self-care movement – promoting user-controlled, rights-based reproductive health interventions among adolescents and young women to empower the end user. She holds an MSc in Public Health from McGill University and has worked with the UN and grassroots organizations in Uganda, Peru, the DRC, South Sudan, Tanzania and Malawi to expand coverage and quality of sexual & reproductive health services. In Canada, she is collaborating on a study aiming to assess the impacts of period poverty in the Montreal area.

Safi Nsiempba (she/her)

Secretary

Safi is a lawyer, investigator advisor and facilitator specializing in the prevention of workplace harassment, discrimination, and violence.  Her work focuses on making professional environments more equitable and inclusive. An intersectional feminist, she is committed to women’s rights, reproductive health, and social justice.

Our work is also supported by a wonderful community of volunteers who help with delivering products to our community partners, delivering educational workshops, and hosting events. We are so grateful for their passion and commitment to menstrual equity!

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Together we can create a world where menstruation is no longer a barrier to well-being or social, educational, and professional opportunity.