Another year is coming to an end, and here at Shona HQ, we’re putting on our out-of-office, sneaking the best bars from our selection boxes (the curly wurleys obvs) and looking back at all that we’ve achieved this year.
2022 was our biggest year yet, but it was tough, we’re not going to lie.
We pushed ourselves harder than ever before, so we could support more girls and have more impact. Our Shine Festival was the biggest event we’ve ever had. We welcomed 15,000 girls, and 141 speakers, we built an online platform so every girl in Ireland could take part, and we went above and beyond to ensure that every single girl in Ireland could see herself and the issues she cares about represented. We delivered another 30,000 handbooks to 1st-year girls in hundreds of schools. We delivered workshops to 4,500 girls in every county of Ireland. We continued to show up with passion and positivity.
Was it tough?
YES
Was it worth it?
YES
This year we realised that to create a movement of change, we can’t do it alone. We asked for help, and people responded, they donated, volunteered and engaged with us, always with open hearts and minds.
We are so grateful for every single girl each of us has 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.
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. 2023 will be bigger than ever, we’re only getting started.
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 who 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, and talk to someone. You are important, and your voice needs to be heard. Our wish for you is that you find peace next year, and 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 will see you all again soon our friends
Nollaig SHONA Duit
From all of us x
If you would like to support us and the work that we do, you can find out more below 
