Tipperary autism advocate receives national hero award
Tipperary autism advocate, Cara Darmody, has been presented with the inaugural Shona Hero Award.
On the second day of the annual Shine Festival by The Shona Project attended by 2,000 TY students, thirteen-year-old Cara Darmody from Ardfinnan was presented award.
The young activist has been making an impact across the country with her campaign to improve services for autistic children all over Ireland.
The Shona Project strives to create a support system for Irish girls as they navigate their way through their teenage years and The Shona Hero Award recognises girls involved with organisations who exhibit bravery, strength, and resilience in their daily lives.
Cara Darmody has two younger brothers, both of whom are non-verbal with severe autism.
In order to launch her campaign for change in autistic services, Cara came to public attention by being the youngest person to ever sit the Junior Certificate Maths paper at 11-years-old, for which she received a result of 97% live on The Late Late Show.
CAMPAIGN
Following this, she visited Leinster House every Wednesday for six months to campaign for better support for individuals, carers and families of people with autism.
She went on to sit the Leaving Certificate Maths paper, aged 12 and again received 97%.
Cara’s campaign for change has raised more than €82,000 to date, and the young activist is driven to continue this work indefinitely.
In the past two years, Cara has regularly appeared on national radio and TV alongside writing articles and op-eds for various newspapers.
The Shona Project founder, Tammy Darcy, said: “We were blown away by Cara’s dedication, commitment and appreciation of her voice as a lever for change. She shows no fear whatsoever in fighting for what she believes in, and is now trying to inspire and encourage other teenagers to do the same. She is an inspiration to us all and we can’t think of a more fitting recipient of the first-ever Shona Hero Award.”
SHONA PROJECT:
The Shona Project is a movement that tackles difficulties facing girls aged 11 and upwards living in Ireland in the era of social media – bullying, low self-esteem, body issues, anxiety, and depression.
Founded by Tammy Darcy, The Shona Project’s mission is to educate, empower and inspire today’s girls to become tomorrow’s strong, confident leaders.