How the Shona Project is Empowering Ireland’s Girls Through Mentorship
with Tammy Darcy,
Founder of The Shona Project
Mentorloop Impact Award Winner 2025
The Shona Project is an Irish charity with a powerful mission: to educate, empower, and inspire today’s girls to become tomorrow’s strong, confident, and curious young women. Through school workshops, leadership programmes, and national events, Shona has reached thousands of girls. In 2023, they launched their first pilot mentorship programme — creating direct connections between teenage girls and inspiring female role models.
Why Mentoring, Why Now?
When Shona launched its pilot mentorship programme, the team hoped it would add a new dimension of support. What happened exceeded expectations.
Within just 30 minutes of the first launch event, it was clear the connections forming were going to be life-changing. Girls immediately leaned into conversations with mentors who listened, encouraged, and inspired them.
“We realised there’s great power in providing young girls in Ireland with access to incredible female role models through a mentorship programme.”
– Tammy Darcy, Founder & CEO, The Shona Project
Why Mentorloop Was Key
Launching a nationwide programme with young people required more than goodwill — it needed trust, safety, and structure. Mentorloop provided all of this in one place.
Shona built out its programme handbooks, session plans, and resources inside Mentorloop, making everything accessible to both mentors and mentees. The platform ensured safe, secure online meetings — a critical safeguard when working with young women, especially those in rural or vulnerable communities.
“It has really been brilliant. It gives us confidence, and it’s a great way to make sure we’re protecting both the mentor and the mentee at the same time.”
A Game-Changing Mentoring Program
The pilot proved a resounding success. Demand for Year 2 has already doubled, with more girls eager to join. Mentors and mentees alike share stories of boosted confidence, new skills, and meaningful connections that stretch far beyond a single meeting.
As Tammy reflects on the launch:
“Within half an hour we knew we were onto something really special.”
The ROI of Using Mentorloop 📈
For a small charity like Shona, Mentorloop provided the foundation to scale quickly and safely.
⏱️ All programme elements in one place meant no wasted admin time.
🔒 Built-in safeguarding gave the team peace of mind.
🌍 Online access ensured girls in rural communities could participate equally.
❤️ Confidence to scale — doubling numbers in Year 2 without adding complexity.
What's next for The Shona Project
The Shona Project is only just beginning. Year 2 is underway, and the long-term vision is bold: to make the mentorship programme accessible to every girl in Ireland.
With Mentorloop, The Shona Project transformed a pilot idea into a safe, scalable, and inspiring mentorship programme.
They’ve proven the power of role models for Ireland’s girls, and shown how the right platform can help a small charity deliver outsized impact.
Want to build a mentoring programme that inspires change, just like The Shona Project?
Tammy Darcy
The Shona Project
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We realised pretty soon that the impact of this programme was going to be pretty substantial. With Mentorloop, everything is in the one place.
– Tammy Darcy, The Shona Project
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