Spotlight on our volunteers: Natasha Shaw
Natasha is our new web designer. Coming soon is our new look and feel website, and it’s all down to her hard work! At The Juno Project we are forever grateful for the hours put in by those that believe in our project of helping teenage girls reach their potential.
What made you want to support The Juno Project?
As a woman and a mum of an almost-4 year old daughter, I think anything to empower and help young girls when they are at a vulnerable age and/or going through difficult times in their lives is a really positive thing. It can really make a difference to have someone ‘on your side’ at that young age and can change the course of someone’s life. The story of why/how the charity was founded is sad and powerful too.
As a female, you do see and experience gender stereotyping, harassment and inequality. My grandmother and mother grew up in Spain and had much harder upbringings and experiences than I have, I feel quite lucky in my experience to be honest. I’ve seen over the years, particularly with friends, how things could have gone so differently had they had access to a charity like The Juno Project.
How do you manage your volunteer work?
It can be a bit challenging to fit volunteering work around usual client projects, with time management but everyone I have met at The Juno Project so far has been really friendly and welcoming and understanding of that challenge.
One of my main aims over the last few years has been to use my skills and empathy for good and to help make a positive change in the world. Ideally, I want to do more work for impact-driven organisations and businesses and working with the Juno Project is helping to drive that forward.
What are your passions and concerns about the world?
Where to start?! I worry about the way the world is and what might happen in my daughter’s lifetime. It feels a bit helpless at times, but I feel if I can contribute something positive while I’m around then that is what I’m going to do. Human rights matter to me, I love what organisations like Witness.org do and how they empower people to expose injustices.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love doing family stuff, my daughter is at such a great age at the moment. I love spicy food (I put hot sauce on most foods). I’m looking forward to traveling more. I enjoy yoga, reading, and running. I used to do a lot of half marathons…not so much now! I like to keep up with languages, Spanish in particular, so I don’t forget it! Like most people, I like seeing friends.
And of course, design. It’s not just ‘work’ to me. I’m a freelance web designer at the moment but I’m looking to focus more on the user experience/user interface field and do more meaningful projects. I’m aiming to build a portfolio which focuses on ‘for-good’ organisations and businesses, as ideally that is who I want to do more work for in future.
