shado is a lived experience-led community of artists, activists and journalists united in the fight for social justice. shado provides a space for those across different fields, who are currently working in isolation, to co-exist. We work with a community of over 300 artists, activists and journalists in over 50 countries around the world to spotlight and celebrate necessary and innovative stories.
We believe those with lived experience of an injustice or issue are best placed to advocate for meaningful change within that space. As such, we are committed to uplifting the voices of those misrepresented by – or entirely left out of – mainstream discourse. We do this through: a print magazine; online articles; social media; podcast; documentary creation; events; and collaborative community projects. At the core of our work is a focus on cross-border and cross-society collaboration.
Our work aims to address:
Misunderstanding of social justice issues caused by a lack of access to frontline voices.Gatekeeping in the media industry which creates a lack of opportunities for writers from under-served communities. Reader apathy and lack of trust in mainstream media.
The positive outcomes we aim to create are:
Narrative change in the mainstream and the provision of accessible and educational resources on social justice issues from frontline voices.Paid opportunities for writers and artists from underserved communities.Production of work rooted in intersectionality and solutions-based journalism.
Recent projects include:
- 1. The launch of a mentorship scheme to support first time writers in the UK
- 2. A podcast to break down social justice topics in an accessible way and move people towards action and hope! Listen HERE
- 3. A 6-month investigative journalism project in collaboration with Berlin newsroom Unbias the News to uncover the impacts facing asylum seeking communities in Berlin, Copenhagen and London due to a rise in the legitimisation of offshoring policies. See more HERE
- 4. Our latest online book club themed: Love Beyond the Binary. In these sessions we are exploring love and how it can be reimagined outside of romantic relationships and instead mobilised for collective care for communities, self acceptance, equality across intersections and a system built on liberation.
Our online readership is 12K a month and we have 21.8K IG followers. Our global audience is predominantly people aged 18-35 and through user interviews we’ve learned that shado has a dedicated audience passionate about overcoming barriers and social injustices.