The Shona Project aims to educate, empower and inspire todays Irish girls to become tomorrows resilient, capable and confident young women.
We address issues such as anxiety & depression, bullying, body image, school stress, family difficulties, relationships and equality. We provide girls with information, access to positive female role models, and a place to share their stories.
We also encourage young women to participate in STEM, sports, the arts, business, politics and activism, and to promote the benefits of all these activities in terms of self-esteem, confidence and motivation.
Awards received to date include:
- Social Entrepreneurs Ireland awardees (October 2017), receiving funding and support which will help us to expand and create further impact.
- Social Innovation Fund Ireland awardees (July 2018), which included funding scale and create further impact.
- Best Social/Community Enterprise Waterford Business Awards (February 2018).
- Finalist: Best Business Blog, Irish Blog Awards
- Image Magazine Business Woman Of The Year Finalist
- CEO of the year, Irish Women’s Awards 2018
Activities
We have 3 distinct areas of activity:
Website: We have a thriving and growing online community, which consists of our website (www.shona.ie) and our Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter pages. Our website has three functions;
- To provide girls with advice and information on all of the topics listed above. We have a number of professionals including GP’s, Teachers, Counsellors, Business Leaders and public figures who all give frank and honest advice and information which may not otherwise be available to young women.
- To share national and international news that may be of interest. Such news items might promote understanding of diversity and difference, raise civic and political awareness and inspire girls to consider new or different careers.
- To provide young women with an opportunity to share their own stories. Our “Your Stories” section features some personal accounts written by girls in a bid to show others that they are not alone. This feature is vitally important, as so many girls struggle to identify or verbalise their own feelings. These pieces are very powerful, and beautifully written.
Workshops and Summer Schools: We have travelled all over Ireland delivering empowerment workshops in schools. Our testimonials and feedback have been very encouraging (see website), and many of the schools visited have noted a positive difference in how girls treat themselves, and each other. We are currently developing a number of initiatives with national organisations , and have long term plans in other areas. You can watch some girls from Kilkenny taking the Shona Pledge on RTE’s six:one news here.
In late 2018 we developed a primary school curriculum for 5th & 6th class girls and boys which covers topics such as influence, identity, empathy, kindness, emotions and social activism. You can learn more about it here.
In December 2018, we partnered with Girl Impact, an organisation that work with teenage girls across Africa. We piloted a number of Shona workshops in Zambia, and are now working together to develop to programme to be delivered across Africa.
In Summer 2021, we will run our second summer school pilot, after rave reviews in 2020. We plan to scale our summer school nationwide by 2025, allowing us to provide girls with an immersive Shona experience which is unlike any other summer programme for teens.
Events: Shine Festival is an immersive event for girls, at which we bring together inspirational speakers, and performers. We laugh, cry, dance, meditate and blow bubbles together. Watch the highlights of our 2019 Shine festival here. Due to Covid, our 4 2020 festivals were cancelled. However, in partnerships with Beat102103, iRadio, Spin South West and Spin 1038, we brought Shine festival online to over 40,000 attendees in March 2021, and reached over 1 million combined video loads in 4 days.
