About PBB
Taloi Havini, a Bougainvillian/Australian artist and international representative of Bougainville Women
for Peace and Freedom (BWPF), and Georgia McRae, a community
development and youth worker from Melbourne, set up Pacific
Black Box Inc (PBB) early in 2008. The aim of Pacific Black Box was to work with local communities in Bougainville on an environmental advocacy project for young people experiencing severe threats to their everyday lives due to the effects of climate change.
Since
then, with the help of donors and volunteers, this project has evolved
into ongoing training with young people across Bougainville to develop
the ICT, audio visual and community development skills to produce
Community Based Digital Resources (CBDRs).
How we work
PBB is an incorporated non-profit organisation. All decisions about what we do, such as the type of projects we carry out and how we fund them, are made by our management committee.
To date all Pacific Black Box project work has been carried out on a voluntary basis. The costs of travel and equipment for the recent project in Bougainville were funded by grants, fundraising and donations.
We also carry out some fee-for-service consultancy work for suitable projects.
People
Pacific Black Box Management Committee
Taloi Havini
As an Indigenous post-graduate researcher from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Taloi is actively involved with various cultural heritage projects, exhibitions, and community arts in Melanesia and in Australia. In 2002 she co-curated the 'Yumi Yet' exhibition as part of the Havini & Sirivi Families of the Bougainville community, and is completing her Masters degree on Bougainville land systems.
Georgia McRae
Georgia is a community development worker who has studied at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji, and worked in Vanuatu. She currently works in the northern suburbs of Melbourne in youth community education and media programs. She has postgraduate qualifications in international health and is also founder member of Pacific Black Box.
Rod McRae
Rod is an artist living in Melbourne who has also had a career as a
general practitioner. He created this website and has a particular
interest in the use of open source software in development
environments.
Barbara Goulborn
Barbara is a director of Curve Projects P/L, developing educational and training courses and resources for the community and vocational sectors.
Joel Kalpram
Joel is an indigenous person from Vanuatu who is currently living in Australia. He is presently undertaking a Social Science degree majoring in Community Development at Southern Cross University in Northern NSW. He previously worked with Youth Challenge Vanuatu for 6 years as Project Manager, running leadership training, group leading and project coordination. He currently moderates the Vanuatu Youth Interagency Network (VYIG) and in the past has also been involved with the Oxfam International Youth Parliament (OIYP) in the area of HIV/AIDS education. He was also a member of the land issues organisation Graon blo Yumi emi Laef blong Yumi (GYLY).
Sana Balai
(biography to be added soon)