What is the Grass Skirt Project? The grass skirt is a loved piece of ceremonial attire, worn by men and women all over the Pacific and it is a fitting image for a project that aims to ultimately grow to support many countries in the region. The Grass Skirt Project is a “grass roots” program created to support Pacific sporting communities to access appropriate sports equipment through donations from other athletes and partnered sporting companies. The Grass Skirt Project will encourage communities to participate in sport and will partner with sexual and domestic violence education providers and specialist sporting coaches to provide education to sports clubs and their communities. Initially the project is starting small, and is focused on sourcing and distributing new and used sporting equipment donated by Australian based athletes, local gyms and sporting manufacturers. In addition, community fundraising and donations from related sporting bodies are being used to buy and ship specialist equipment to athletes in PNG. The first shipment was sent to Hanuabada, PNG and it left Australia in October 2016. It arrived in Port Moresby in November 2016. Donated goods will be assigned to the sporting club or gym and the head coach or sporting club representative will manage storage, security and allocation of equipment to Athletes (in the case of personal items like shoes, weightlifting suits and clothes) so that items are retained in the club. LDT Weightlifting Club in Hanuabada PNG, owned by Commonwealth Gold medalist Ms Dika Toua is the first recipient of the GSP equipment. Mission. The UN Women National Committee of Australia report states the statistics of violence against women in Papua New Guinea are:
58% of women have experienced prevalence of intimate partner violence
55%of women have experienced prevalence of sexual violence”
https://unwomen.org.au/resource/eliminating-violence-against-women-in-the-asia-pacific-2/
These statistics are not comprehensive and as this report found, many women in many Pacific nations including PNG, are not reporting violence. This report also highlights that in the Asia-Pacific region, “non-governmental, community focused and grassroots organizations are also critical to combating violence against women in local communities and driving meaningful change from the bottom up”. Sport in Papua New Guinea is an important part of the national culture and Rugby League is the most popular sport. Other popular sports include most football codes (like Australian rules football, soccer and rugby union) cricket, volleyball, netball, and basketball. Olympic sports are also gaining popularity, including boxing and weightlifting. Sports clubs act as a safe place and sport is one of the ways both women and men can become strong, build personal confidence and become positive role models in their communities.
“Sport conveys positive messages and influences behavior, promoting self-esteem and interpersonal skills among people, especially young people. It can fight discrimination and raise awareness about issues, as well as enabling communities to build bridges.” Benny Geteng
(Keith Jackson and Friends: http://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2015/04/pngs-sporting-revolution-we-never-had-it-so-good.htm)
With Government funding stretched across a variety of sports, and limited funds available for sporting equipment at schools, there is an opportunity to support sports clubs, gyms and schools with new and used equipment to promote active inclusion in sport. Who is Tahina Booth? Tahina Booth is the founder and driving force behind the Grass Skirt Project. Her mother is a Papua New Guinea (PNG) national who met Tahina’s father when she was a Flight Attendant on Air Niugini in the 1970’s. Tahina lived in PNG until she was 9, when the family relocated to Australia. Tahina maintains the link to her family in PNG with regular visits and has an intrinsic understanding of PNG and the sexual and domestic abuse that is a significant part of the culture there. Tahina was encouraged into sports by her father as a way to meet friends when she moved to Australia and found not only friends but a lifelong passion for sports including Athletics, Basketball, Tennis, Surf Rowing, and Football (NRL and American Grid Iron). In May 2014 Tahina was introduced to Powerlifting and broke an Australian record for the deadlift in her first competition in July 2014. Tahina attracted interest from the PNG Olympic Committee through her social media posts and was invited to try for a place on the South Pacific Games Team. Tahina broke PNG national records when she competed in Port Moresby in February 2015, however without Dual Citizenship she was unable to compete for PNG internationally. Spurred on by her success, Tahina was inspired to compete at the Olympics, but as powerlifting is not an Olympic sport, the only option was to move into weightlifting. Tahina currently holds the number two ranking for women’s weightlifting in the 75kg plus weight category class for Australia and is aiming to compete for Australia in the Commonwealth Games in Surfers Paradise in 2018. After competing in PNG, about 50 young people (boys and girls aged between 6 and 12) approached Tahina saying that they wanted to be fit and strong and wanted to know “How do I get big muscles?”
How does the Grass Skirt Project intend to make a difference? The Grass Skirt Project aims to empower women to participate in sport. Victims of sexual assault have had their bodies taken away. The Grass Skirt Project is about helping individuals become personally strong, regain their bodies, and learn what they are capable of doing. In addition, the Project hopes to gain support from men in the sporting club or organization to take a pledge to spread the word that sexual and domestic violence is not ok, and to call out people who behave violently towards others. Athletes in these clubs will become advocates for change. Initial research has shown that providing essential sporting equipment is a way to create community involvement and to empower to change their lives. We hope to see a reduction in the incidence of violence and help heal victims of such attacks. NGO education partners will facilitate awareness and education about sexual and domestic violence and provide pathways for people that need further support. The program has the potential to roll out to schools as an extension to their sporting programs with the support of Province leaders. Sports Club/Gym Athletes who are recipients of equipment and education will then become ambassadors of the Grass Skirt Project and will advocate their stance on this issue through creative campaigning. The Grass Skirt Project aims to create a platform to build strong female role models and to increase the positive exposure of these girls and women, initially in PNG and subsequently in other Pacific nations. Having identifiable and aspirational role models is a key factor influencing the willingness and ability of girls and women to achieve their goals. The success of the Grass Skirt Project in encouraging women to take up sport in PNG will be enhanced by the identification and promotion of Papua New Guinean girls and women as role models there. There is a flow on effect that occurs when one woman succeeds in achieving her goals, because it helps other girls and women to believe in themselves. There are opportunities for other Australian based sports, gyms and individuals to localize campaigning and donation collection for both Weightlifting and other PNG Sporting Clubs and send donations to Tahina Booth to facilitate the shipment and distribution of goods to PNG. What is the timeline for the Grass Skirt Project? In October of 2016, the first shipment of donated goods and equipment purchased with Go Fund Me donations left the Port of Brisbane. The Grass Skirt Project is planning to do at least three shipments in the next 12 months, avoiding cyclone season in the north Pacific. During this time the Project will continue to ask for and collect donations, run fundraiser activities and seek formal partnership arrangements with corporate sponsors, sporting clubs and logistics companies, apply for government grants and network with associated organizations and education providers in Australia and PNG who may be able to work closely together. Setting up infrastructure and ensuring the project is working as effectively as possible is the aim of the first twelve months. Tracking the impact of donated goods and education programs will also be imperative to determine the direction of the project into its next phase. The Grass Skirt Project aims to be a long-lasting program supporting the empowerment of people through sport in multiple countries. In addition to monitoring and evaluation of impact, engaging with the affected community is also essential to the success of any intervention designed to have a positive and long lasting effect. The Grass Skirt Project is actively seeking opportunities to facilitate the conduct a focus group in PNG over the next 12 months to ensure we implement our program in the most acceptable and effective way. The Grass Skirt Project’s vision is to have equal opportunity for all people to take up sport and reduce the incidence of sexual and domestic violence in targeted communities. Sponsors
Gary Juffa- Governor of Oro Provence PNG
Australian Weightlifting Federation (AWF)
International Natural Body Building Association (INBA)
Rotary Club Boroko PNG
Odd Socks Halterophile- North Stratfield NSW
Martin Harlow and Bob Guthrie- Uesaka Barbell NSW
Michael Stal- Pentagon Freight PNG and Port of Brisbane office
Anna Kirk-Lowey Institute for International Policy- Aus/PNG network
Dika Toua-Commonwealth Games Gold (2014) & Silver (2006) Medalist, 4x Olympian, owner LDT Weightlifting Club, Hanuabada PNG
