The Perfect Storm 2025
How are the girls of Ireland really doing?
At The Shona Project, we’ve been working with teenage girls across Ireland for years. One of the great privileges of our work is to hear their stories. Some are shared with anger, because they are frustrated with how the world that they will inherit is changing, and some are barely a whisper, because they are their most precious private thoughts and fears. These stories matter and need to be heard by those who make decisions that will impact their futures.
That’s why this year, we partnered with The Outcome to conduct a national survey, exploring the experiences of the young women and girls of Ireland. The findings will help us to advocate for policy change in areas such as mental health, education and equality, but most importantly, it will help us to ensure that the voices of young people are central to shaping meaningful support and interventions when needed. The survey was conducted between October 8th and December 8th 2024 and collected 1035 responses from respondents aged between 12 and 19.
The results from our survey paint a complex picture of life as a teenager in Ireland today. While many respondents express ambition, resilience, and hope for the future, they also report significant concerns about self-worth, gender equality, personal safety, and societal pressures. Findings highlight a deep-seated struggle with self-confidence, particularly in relation to body image, as well as growing anxieties about climate change, financial insecurity, and future opportunities.
Understanding these perspectives is critical for shaping policies, programmes, and initiatives that genuinely address the needs of girls. The findings underscore the importance of early, sustained support for self-esteem, mental health, and gender equality. By providing robust, data-driven insights, this research equips educators, community organisations, and policymakers with a clear mandate for action. More than just a dataset, it is a call to ensure that the voices of young people are not only heard but acted upon in shaping a more supportive and equitable Ireland.
We are currently in the process of developing the research survey for 2026. Get in touch at info@shona.ie if you’d like to find out more…