Who is… Maya Angelou

In case you didn’t know by know, Maya Angelou is one of our all time favourite people. Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya had a very difficult childhood as she grew up in a time when the blacks and whites in the South were still segregated. Her family life was unstable at times but she flourished,

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Life After Depression: By Skye 💖

Hey there Shona readers! My name’s Skye, I’m a new member of the Shona Youth Ambassadors and for my first article I’m gonna talk to you all about mental health, specifically depression, anxiety and the stigma around them in the hopes it might help educate you on your own mental health or simply give you

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The Breathing Technique That Reduces Anxiety

Anxiety and stress are taking over our lives. The world is moving faster and faster and we all struggle at times to keep up. As a result we feel so overwhelmed and that feeling manifests itself in anxiousness and panic. At Shona, we seek advice from many mental health professionals on how best to cope

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As Gaeilge: The Perfect Flick

If you’re studying Irish in School and trying to get the hang of some handy terms for the oral’s, we may be able to help you. Dr Claire, our science queen  has teamed up with the fabulous Gearóidín McEvoy to bring us some quality Irish content that’s not mind blowingly irrelevant or boring. They decided to

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Is Your Boyfriend too Into You?

Does your boyfriend or ex-boyfriend do any of these things…..? Complain you spend too much time with your friends? Dictate what you wear? Constantly check up on you when you’re not together? Accuse you of cheating on him? Make you feel afraid to break up with him?   If so, you might need to take

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The Importance of Gratitude

I reckon the most common thing we are looking for in life is happiness. In January 2015, I made a promise to myself to write down three things I was grateful for every night just before I go to sleep.  I had read a lot about gratitude and really I wanted to put it to the

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“Girls Who Code” release visual album (and its your new jam)

Every great movement should have an anthem, a song that stirs the spirit and makes those involved feel united and powerful. “Girls Who Code” is a US based organisation that aims to close the gender gap in technology and computer science. To celebrate International Day of the Girl, they have released a visual album called

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Are you in a Toxic Relationship? By Emma

Ever wonder if you are in a toxic relationship? If you are wondering about it then you probably are. As women we have this really strong feeling inside. It is usually our gut instinct, and it is usually right. Of course we chose to ignore this the majority of the time because we never want

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Big News! RISE IS COMING!!!

We are so excited to tell you guys all about RISE2018, the conference we’ve been working on for the past few months, which takes place on Thursday next, October 11th, which also happens to be International Day of the Girl. We have partnered with our friends at Waterford Libraries and Beat 102103 to invite 350

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Help! I’m Having a Mid-life Crisis (I’m 22 BTW)

Why does society expect so much of me? That word “should” has really gotten me down lately. I should have so much experience gained by now. I should have a job by now. I should have it all figured out. I should be settled in a steady relationship. I should be happy… I was happy,

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Guest Post: Life Skills Unlocked: By Quinn

I can still remember the exact moment when I decided that being a girl was bullshit. I had spent my first few formative years generally unfazed by gender roles. Sure, I had to wear horrendous dresses on special occasions, and that seemed unfair. My brother wore shirts and shorts and ran around like a loon

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5 Ways To Snap Out Of Your Stinky Mood

U OK HUN? We all have bad days, you woke up happy and then a couple of things happen one after another and all of a sudden your mood has taken a turn for the worse. The milk was off in your coco-pops, the bus was late and you left your homework on the kitchen

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The Queer of The Castle: By Alana

When we are small, our parents read us fairytales. Stories about people from faraway lands, living in kingdoms dominated by dragons, unicorns, witches, warlocks, giants and fairies just to name a few. A common trope in a fairy story is the romance between a prince and a princess. Perhaps he’s a tall, dark, handsome stranger

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Thoughts from The St Louis Girls

Today we had a lovely visit with the 2nd year girls in St Louis High School in Rathmines. The girls were smart, confident and kind and all got really stuck in, and worked hard. We chatted about how, as girls, we sometimes harbor resentments that we should really just let go of. As a group,

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Me and Me Mammy: By Libby

So I get that everyone thinks that their mam is like the best person in the whole world but guys seriously, my mam actually is. She’s going to cringe so hard when she reads that line. When I first decided to this interview I wasn’t sure if I’d even mention that she was my mam

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Me and My Music: Heather McGrath

Heather McGrath is a 21 year old singer/songwriter from Tramore, Co.Waterford. Following the release of her debut single ‘Intoxicate Me’, our ambassador Karen sat down for a chat with her about her love of music. The song has received glowing reviews and has been played on Rob O Connors ‘Irish Beats’ all within the first two

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Who is your RISE hero??

We are so excited about this we may have pee’d just a little… We know that not all heroes wear capes, in fact, there are heroes walking among us in disguise every single day. Over the next few weeks, we are partnering with our friends at Beat 102103 and Always to celebrate girls who are brave,

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Lets talk about mental health; By Abigail

Abigail has struggled for many years with her mental health. She is currently doing well and studying in Spain, surrounded by sunshine and good friends. Abigail has gained great strength and encouragement from sharing her story and working for a number of causes, including Shona, to promote the power of open and honest conversation. Here,

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