This will be one of our last posts of 2021. We’re shutting up shop to rest and recharge our batteries because after all, we did just survive another year of a pandemic!
We learned a lot about ourselves this year though. We realised how important it is to look after yourself and how to communicate better with our friends and families. We’re going to be real with you for a minute.
2021 was possibly one of the biggest years for us yet! We fought back and hosted possibly the biggest online gathering of Irish women ever. You all did not disappoint and we were joined by 40,000 of you over the 3 days. We also won a couple of awards including our Founder Tammy being named the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year for her work with The Shona Project. Not forgetting that by the end of this year, we have also visited a total of 20,000 girls in schools across Ireland since 2016.
All of the team here at Shona have continued to be inspired to come together by our own personal stories, some of which we’ve shared, and we are passionate about helping others, and building communities so every single girl in Ireland can be happy and content in her own skin, and appreciate everything about herself that makes her special and unique. We have come to realise that sometimes our struggles are what make us so special and that we are not broken, just a little bruised, but we come back fighting regardless. These are just some of the smiling faces of our ambassadors and management team and we are forever grateful for having these ladies in our lives.
We are so grateful for every single girl each of us have met. Those who have waited to talk to us at workshops, those who have shared their stories on the website, those who have taken our pledge, and those who have made a conscious effort to become a positive force in the world, and to be kind to others, and to themselves. We have been met with warm hearts and open minds every step of the way. You can hear what the amazing girls we got to know at our Summer Schools had to say below.
With some old friends and a lot of new friends, we have continued to form an army of girls and women who are truly creating a positive impact through our movement. We aren’t going to give much away but by god, 2022 better watch out because The Shona Project is going to hit the ground running (and who knows, it could be the year we take over the world?).
We know that there are many of us who will find Christmas tough, who might feel unseen and alone. There are some who find school really difficult for many reasons, who are exhausted, and just need a break to recharge. There are some who have difficult relationships with food, and find Christmas dinner and parties really stressful. There are some who are stressed, worried, lonely, sad, or scared. To those girls we would say, please reach out, ask someone for help, talk to someone. You are important, and your voice needs to be heard. Our wish for you is that you find peace next year, that you are able to look back on these challenges and feel proud that you managed to overcome them, or that you’ve found ways to cope. We hope that you find people who make you feel safe and loved and that you truly believe that you deserve it… because you do.
We hope you all have a really lovely Christmas, we’ll be back in 2022 stronger than ever, with love in our hearts and fire in our bellies.
Nollaig SHONA Duit
From all of us x
If you would like to support us and the work that we do, you can donate below ❤
