When Aadvik Jain was 14, a close friend of his began experiencing severe menstrual cramps during her school examinations. She was in so much pain that she started crying and had to be taken to the school medical room. She was given a painkiller, and her parents were called to take her home. But the next day, she returned to school still struggling with the pain.What stayed with Aadvik was not just his friend’s discomfort, but how little people around her understood what she was going through. Her parents initially thought she was trying to avoid her examinations, while her condition was affecting her ability to concentrate in class.That experience prompted the Delhi student to speak up about menstrual health, a subject that is still not openly discussed in many families. Three years later, his initiative, Team Period, has earned him the 2026 Diana Award, an international recognition for young people working to bring positive change to their communities.Now 18, Aadvik is among 198 young people from 44 countries recognised this year. According to the official website of The Diana Award, the awardees were announced at a virtual ceremony on November 4. India had 49 recipients.
How a friend’s experience led to Team Period
In an interview with American media portal NPR, Aadvik recalled that the incident happened in 2023, when he and his friend were in Class 10. They had known each other since Class 5, and she considered him like a brother.He said she had been experiencing severe cramps for six to eight months, following a period of irregular menstrual cycles. After the school incident, Aadvik went home and asked his mother what could be done. His mother spoke to a teacher, who contacted the girl’s parents and encouraged them to consult a doctor.His friend was subsequently diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), while doctors were also investigating the possibility of endometriosis. She received treatment and made lifestyle changes, and her condition gradually improved, according to Aadvik.He also explained why the experience affected him so deeply. He remembered once injuring his toe and how his father had left work to take him to the emergency room. He wondered why menstrual pain could not be treated with the same urgency and concern.For him, the issue was not limited to girls experiencing pain. It was also about whether boys, fathers and other family members understood menstruation well enough to offer support instead of treating it as something embarrassing.Aadvik’s concern eventually became Team Period, which he started in 2024 with three friends, Shivansh Arora, Aaratrika Jha Anand and Navya Manglik. The group began as part of a school initiative, through which student teams choose a social issue and work on it for several months. The group continued its efforts through workshops, awareness campaigns, street performances and activities aimed at improving access to menstrual products.
From classroom workshops to a sanitary pad dispenser
Aadvik is among 198 young people from 44 countries recognised this year.
Team Period has used different ways to encourage students to talk about periods without shame. Its activities have included workshops, health camps, dance performances, flash mobs and interactive games.One of its workshops taught middle-school students how to make simple heating pads using socks filled with lentils or chickpeas. The group has also tried to address the embarrassment surrounding visible menstrual stains.Aadvik told NPR that an eighth-grade girl once questioned why stains from food were treated casually while a red menstrual stain on a school uniform became a source of shame. Team members began wearing red patches on their uniforms, using red cloth and stickers to represent menstrual stains. More students joined over the following week. A later survey found that many students said they felt less ashamed about the possibility of a visible menstrual stain.The group has also collected around 4,000 survey responses from students, parents and members of the wider community, according to Aadvik.Its work is not limited to awareness. Team Period installed a sanitary pad dispenser at Aadvik’s school to make menstrual products easier to access without having to ask someone for them. The team is now speaking to companies about making dispensers available in other schools at a nominal cost. It is also exploring better ways to dispose of used sanitary pads, including specially designed bags with clear warnings and illustrations in different languages.
What winning the Diana Award means for Team Period
According to the official website of The Diana Award, it recognises young people aged 16 to 25 for social action and humanitarian work. Aadvik is one of 198 recipients from 44 countries in the 2026 cohort, with India accounting for 49 honorees.In his conversation with NPR, he said the award does not come with prize money. Instead, he sees the recognition as a way to establish credibility when approaching potential sponsors and partners and to help Team Period reach a wider audience.The initiative has so far worked in Delhi, including in government schools, orphanages, underserved neighbourhoods and Aadvik’s own school. The team now wants to create local chapters and involve volunteers who speak different regional languages so that its work can reach more communities.Aadvik is also set to begin studying medicine and public health at the University of Bologna in Italy in February 2027. He has said he hopes to work in public health in the future.
