Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Connecting Indigenous and Pacific Peoples

45 moments over 45 years – Celebrating the 45th Anniversary of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership  

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Compiled by Andy Nystrom, PPP Volunteer Archivist and Researcher

Traditional Sepik Dugout canoe by A. Holbrook

Many years of our organization’s Tok Blong and Tok Blong Pasifik journals have captured numerous highlights between 1982 and 2015. To celebrate our 45th anniversary, here are 45 highlights from our years of work linking Canada and the South Pacific.

Please note: From 1975 to 2000, the organization was known as South Pacific Peoples’ Foundation (SPPF) and from then on as Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP).

We hope you enjoy these 45 highlights!  We have linked to the online Tok Blong editions for each fact – please see page numbers for specific articles.

  1. Since 1982, Tok Blong Pasifik has featured a rich variety of “talk that belongs” to the Pacific: news, views, debates and insights. Begun in a pre-internet, fledgling-independence, nuclear cold-war era, where communications among Pacific islands was prohibitively expensive and where North-South information flows were virtually non-existent, Tok Blong Pasifik filled a void not only for Northerners concerned about peoples of the region, but also for Pacific islanders curious to hear about neighbouring South Pacific nations. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 23.
  2. In 1982, SPPF organized a tour of British Columbia and Alberta for Sinisia Taumoepeau, an artist from Tonga. The tour helped to give SPPF’s work further exposure in BC and Alberta and showcased Taumoepeau’s work. #3 Winter 1982, page 2.
  3. We spoke with Rabhie Namaliu, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for Papua New Guinea, when he was in Victoria at the end of November 1983 to receive an honourary Doctors of Law degree from the University of Victoria. While in Victoria he was interviewed by Phil Esmonde, our first Executive Director, for Tok Blong. In the interview Namaliu discussed the plebiscites in the Trust Territories, independence for New Caledonia and Polynesia, a nuclear-free Pacific, Japanese multinationals in PNG, and the effects of mining on PNG’s economy. #7 Jan 1984, pages 13-16.
  4. In 1987 SPPF produced fact sheets on the Pacific on the topics of Tourism, Health, Population, and Fisheries. These original versions were compiled by Jay Gould with funding assistance from the Challenge ’87 summer works program. #21 Nov 1987 pages 10, 14; pages 11-14 are the health sheet.
  5. In 1988 SPPF produced postcards criticizing French nuclear testing in French Polynesia, which got a response from Guy Azais, Charge d’Affaires in December of that year. The following January, Phil Esmonde responded, pointing out that all Pacific governments had asked France to stop testing in the Pacific, and suggesting that if France is correct that there are no health or environmental effects from the nuclear testing, they should welcome an independent investigation on the effects of nuclear testing on the health and environment of French Polynesia. #27 April 1989 pages 17-18.
  6. A partnership with Project Canada Pacifique in Montreal led to French versions of Tok Blong. #30 Jan 1990 page 2. Check out the January and May French editions from 1991!
  7. A crew of SPPF supporters formed a team in the 3rd annual Save the Strait Marathon (August 22). Traversing 29 kilometres of Georgia Strait from the mainland to Vancouver Island by kayak, the intrepid band of six raised $1,538 in support of SPPF projects and Save Georgia Strait Alliance environmental programs. #40 Aug 1992 page 2.
    Traditional Coast Salish dugout canoe with Teddy Balangu. by A. Holbrook
  8. SPPF’s revised mission statement in 1992 was to promote increased understanding of social justice, environment, development, health and other issues of importance to the people of the Pacific Islands; and to supporting equitable, environmentally sustainable development and social justice in the region. #40 Aug 1992 page 10.
  9. From 1991-1993, SPPF and the Sierra Club of Western Canada co-sponsored the Indonesia-Canada Rese postage and harch Project, which examined the Canadian presence in Indonesia, particularly West Papua/lrian Jaya, and the impact of this presence on the indigenous Papuan people and environment. #43 May 1993 page 2.
  10. 1994’s “Land is the Heart of the People” conference drew 100 people, including 10 Pacific Is-landers and 30 First Nations people. Several Pacific Islanders and First Nations people, including local Cowichan people, contributed to the program. The result was a conference more shaped by Indigenous perspectives than in the past. #47 May 1994 page 2.
  11. In 1996, SPPF hosted 3 Pacific youth on temporary volunteer placements. All three (Fredlyn Nako of Vanuatu, Faye Nuakona of Papua New Guinea, and Eroni Rakuita of Fiji) were students at Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific and were interviewed for Tok Blong. Vol. 50 #2 Jun 1996 pages 1, 8-10, 12, 15.
  12. The growing concerns of Indigenous Peoples in the Pacific and Canada about the critical issues surrounding intellectual property rights and patent law, and the threats they bring to the traditional knowledge and culture of Indigenous Peoples, motivated SPPF to choose the theme “Our Knowledge, Our Rights: Traditional Knowledge and Pacific Peoples” for its 15th annual Pacific Networking Conference. Vol. 52 #4 Dec 1998-Feb 1999, page 5-6.
  13. On February 18, 2000 SPPF became PPP – Pacific Peoples’ Partnership. The new name was intended to better reflect the nature of our work and to distinguish PPP from other organisations working in the Pacific. Vol. 53 #4 December 1999 page 2.
  14. After a tidal wave hit Papua New Guinea in 1998, PPP members donated more than $6,000 to the Catholic Diocese of Aitape’s tidal wave relief effort. Vol. 54 #3, 2000, page 15.
  15. To celebrate PPP’s 25th anniversary, a cultural evening was held during the Pacific Networking Conference May, 2000. The evening celebrated the diversity of the participants and included performances by local First Nations, visiting South Pacific Islanders, and the Victoria and Vancouver expatriate Pacific community. It was held at the Lau Wel New Tribal School, Tsartlip Reserve in Saanich. Vol. 54 #3, 2000, page 16
    PPP Produced Hailans to Ailans Cultural Sharing 2009 by A Holbrook
  16. In 2000, prominent travel book writer David Stanley praised PPP, calling it “North America’s leading advocate for the inhabitants of a third of the earth’s surface. May the voices echo and the waves unite the goals and aspirations we all share.”
  17. In 2003, the Canadian Council for International Cooperation pulled together a reference group on public engagement for the first time. PPP was one of 10 members of this policy forum whose primary goals include exploring ways the community can work together to strengthen our educational work, articulate a common vision for engaging Canadians in development issues internationally, and determine how best to measure and build on the results of previous efforts. Vol. 1 #1 Spr 2003 page 5.
  18. The Indigenous Peoples’ Abroad Program (IPAP) provided opportunities for young professionals from Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to engage directly in sustainable development initiatives, sharing skills, knowledge and cultural perspectives with Indigenous counterparts in the Small Island Developing States of the Pacific. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 pages 7, 22. The following items (18 – 32) are from the same issue.
  19. After Cyclone Isaac hit Tonga, SPPF fundraised throughout 1982-1983 to assist in rebuilding Tonga. SPPF fundraising, supplemented by a three-to-one CIDA matching grant, resulted in more than $40,000 in reconstruction support to Tongan communities in 11 islands of the isolated Ha’apai Group. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 20.
  20. As part of the Marasim Meri Program (1987-1992), SPPF was a primary fundraiser, with CIDA matching funds three to one. Maprik Hospital partnered with the Maprik Women’s Association to select respected women from remote villages, train them in basic health, and provide them a dependable supply of basic medicines. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 20.
  21. In 1994, SPPF supported fundraising by the PNG Integral Human Development Trust, which created a new cadre of literacy trainers and co-coordinators. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 20.
  22. In 1997, SPPF’s network set out to ensure that Pacific Islanders were not marginalized during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and APEC Parallel Conference, a gathering of civil-society hosted in Canada. The Pacific Networking Conference of that year was strategically timed so that Pacific Islanders attending the conference could also participate in the APEC Parallel Conference. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 21.
  23. From 1997-2001, the Ecowoman project grew from the determination of Pacific women to promote sound eco-friendly science at the grassroots level. Project leadership came from the South Pacific Action Committee for Human Ecology & Environment (SPACHEE), a collective of women in science and technology, representing traditional methods and modern approaches. By working together, they were determined to have urban-rural collaboration that improved their lives and protected their environment. CIDA contributed $100,000 and the SPACHEE-PPP partnership provided $60,000 in cash and in-kind contributions. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 21.
  24. The Canada-South Pacific Ocean Development Programme (CSPOD) (1997-2004) was the largest Canadian development initiative in the Pacific Islands. PPP partnered on this 14-year $28-million CIDA project which started in 1988. CSPOD increased the capacity of regional institutions to manage and South Pacific marine resources. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 21.
  25. From 1998-2003, the WAINIMATE support project combined preservation and enhancement of traditional science-based knowledge with forest and environmental protection. It forged links with Canadian First Nation traditional medicine practitioners through exchanges that included workshops on governance, intellectual property rights and biodiversity conservation. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 21.
  26. The Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Science and Sustainable Development Project (IPSP) (1999-2000) focused on cultivating exchanges and linkages between Canadian and Pacific Island Indigenous peoples for mutual problem-solving. A series of reciprocal visits, tours and discussion forums were held jointly by Canadian First Nations and Pacific Islander groups. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 22.
  27. Indigenous youth-to-youth activities (2001): This CIDA-funded project provided four venues for youth: a tour in Canada’s Northwest and the South Pacific, workshops on Vancouver Island and in Kelowna, cultural evenings, and publication of a youth issue of Tok Blong Pasifik. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 22.
  28. Speaking Out: Indigenous Media Talks Development – In 2003, PPP organized a program to send three prominent Indigenous journalists to Fiji and Vanuatu for a three-week tour. This was intended so that Indigenous people from Canada could examine the commonalities of experience among Indigenous peoples in Canada and the South Pacific and gain a deeper understanding of how communities are addressing challenges creatively. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 22.
  29. From 1996-1998, SPPF and CUSO co-sponsored a Canadian occupational therapist to work for two years with the Vanuatu Society for Disabled Persons (VSDP). Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 20
  30. Fair Trade: Bad Business or Global Prosperity? (2004-2005) – This public engagement initiative, which included the educational resource kit “Trade My Way”, saw PPP conduct a series of consultations about trade and values with a diverse cross-section of people in 15 different communities across British Columbia. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 22.
  31. Shifting Tides: Indigenous responses to global climate change (2007) was conceived to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities in Canada and in the South Pacific. In November 2007, an international delegation of Canadian Aboriginal and Cook Islands Maori Elders, Youth, and Scientists took part in a month-long tour that involved visits to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands and various cities in Canada, including Victoria, The Cowichan Valley, and Vancouver, BC; Winnipeg, MB; Ottawa, ON; and Iqaluit, NU. It was delivered in collaboration with the Kouto Nui council of traditional leaders in the Cook Islands with sponsorship from CIDA and additional financial support from IDRC, the Mountain Equipment Co-op, BC Hydro, Canadian North, The British Columbia Council for International Cooperation, the United Church of Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 22
  32. Pacific Promises: A Story from the Leaders of Tomorrow (2008) was originally published as a special edition of Tok Blong Pasifik in 2008. The children’s book, funded by CIDA and Mountain Equipment Co-op was written by Stephanie Peter and Deyna Marsh with illustrations by Natalie Christensen.  The writers were participants in past PPP youth projects and were inspired to write this book about the impact of climate change on the social, cultural and economic well-being of Pacific island Indigenous peoples in the South and North Pacific. Vol 8 #2 Nov 2010 page 22.
  33. From 2009-2012 Papua: Land of Peace: Civil Society Leadership in Conflict Transformation (PLP), funded by CIDA harnessed rights-based approaches toward integrating capacity strengthening and education around sustainable livelihoods, Indigenous rights, HIV/AIDS prevention, and violence against women. Dec 2015 page 4.
  34. The Phil Esmonde Legacy Fund, in remembrance of SPPF’s first Executive Director, was started in 2011 as a way for donors to support PPP’s continuing mission of supporting the aspirations of South Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples. Dec 2015 page 4.
  35. In 2012, a Special Edition of Tok Blong Pasifik called Raven and Paradise explored the alternate biospheres of West Papua, Indonesia and the Coast Salish territories of Canada. It included illustrations by children from both Coast Salish and West Papuan communities as well as the skilled work of T’Sou-ke Nation artist Mark Gauti and the literary talent of Jen Jorgensen. This storybook was also produced in Indonesian. Dec 2015 page 5.                                 
    The late Dan Lepsoe and Elaine Monds evaluating a Sepik River carving.
  36. After volunteer Dan Lepsoe passed away in 2013, PPP created the Dan Lepsoe Chisel Fund to assist carvers in the Sepik region in the purchase of new chisels. Dec 2015 page 18. 
  37. With the Indigenous-Led HIV Prevention Strategy for Tanah Papua (2013-2015), PPP, the University of Calgary, and our partners in West Papua initiated collaborative research to examine effective HIV prevention and treatment among Indigenous mothers. Dec 2015 page 5.
  38. At the 22nd Pacific Networking Conference: ‘Rising Tides: Our Lands, Our Waters, Our Peoples’ in September 2015, participants examined issues such as reclaiming of traditional knowledge, land stewardship, Indigenous governance, environmental sustainability, and Indigenous solidarity. Three days of the conference were spent with our Coast Salish Tsartlip, T’So-uke and Songhees partners. Dec 2015 page 12.
  39. The Pacific Voices X-Change (PVX) Indigenous Youth Artist Residency was held from August 10 to 21, 2015, providing ten Indigenous Youth from ages 15-30 with the opportunity to grow their creative voice, skills, and art practices in a two-week intensive training day-program. Youth were guided with the knowledge and insight of main mentor Janet Marie Rogers, as well as a diverse lineup of artist mentors and Coast Salish territorial guides. Through the exploration of creative writing, photography, song writing, audio recording, poetry and more, the youth created works that express very diverse insights and perspectives. Dec. 2015 page 22-23.
  40. In February of 2016, the strongest and costliest cyclone in the history of the South Pacific of the time, Cyclone Winston swept across Queensland, Tonga, Vanuatu, Niue, and Fiji. Tropical Cyclone Winston illustrated the widespread damage an extreme climate event can inflict upon island nations. Together with a variety of donors, including the local Pacific Islander community of the Victoria area, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership raised $15,000 for rebuilding Loreto Catholic School. The funding was channelled through the Pacific Resilience Fund, a flexible funding mechanism designed to promote medium term resiliency programming in communities as a supplement to the short-term disaster relief system. News, August 30, 2017 http://
  41. RedTide: International Indigenous Climate Action Summit, May 2018, was hosted in the Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, a Māori iwi located in the eastern Bay of Plenty and East Coast regions of New Zealand’s North Island. At this gathering, Indigenous scholars, activists, knowledge keepers and artists from around the world connected and shared stories and knowledge about climate change and resilience.
  42. FrancOcéan Pacifique connected British Columbia and New Caledonia youth via a collaborative, interactive ocean study program, which included educational booklets, exchanging of Indigenous knowledge, and preparatory worksheets and videos. In support of these educational activities, a website was created to promote and to prepare the youth for the central events: the live dives.
    Canadian Cabinet Minister Maryam Monsef, Squamish Council Members and PPP Executive Director April Ingham at a PPP/BCCIC Side Event The Longhouse Dialogues as part of a Women Deliver, June 2019.
  43. In 2017, PPP’s 10th annual Pacific & Indigenous arts and culture event One Wave Gathering was marked by a unique symbolic installation: the Longhouse Project. Under the direction of Nuu-chah-nulth artist Hjalmer Wenstob, four First Nations and Maori youth were selected to design art for the façades of the temporary longhouses. The houses were created in the styles of the Coast Salish, Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and South Pacific Islands respectively. Inside each longhouse, community members from each area created welcoming and educational interactive spaces for the public. Situated with permission at the BC Legislature, it was the first time in many generations that four longhouses stood on this former traditional Lekwungen village site.   The Longhouses were raised again at the Women Deliver Conference in Vancouver in June 2019 as centres for dialogues.
  44. In October 2019, as Indonesian state violence mounted against protesters in West Papua, concerned Canadians including PPP called for pressure on the Indonesian government to halt repression and take steps against racism in the Pacific Island region.
  45. The measles outbreak in Samoa in late 2019 hit close to home for PPP’s President Muavae Va’a, who grew up in Samoa. Through the Pacific Resilience Fund, PPP raised collected donations to support affected families and health care workers. In January 2020, Muavae traveled to hear stories from affected families, identify ways we could help, and provide support. One of the ways he and partners identified to help was purchasing a new washing machine, dryer and boiler for Lalomanu village hospital, which took pressure off hard-working nurses who were washing all hospital linens by hand.

Forty-five Years and Counting: A Reflection on the Many Accomplishments of the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

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Victoria Peace Walk-Nuclear Free Pacific by ©Belau-Jurgen Pokrandt

By Art Holbrook with grateful input by Jim Boutilier, PPP’s President Emeritus and Founder of SPPF

Seventy-five years ago in August 1945, the United States Air Force dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those bombs unleashed a race to build ever more destructive weapons. Several nations turned to the vast Pacific Ocean for these tests. However, vast as it is, the Pacific is far from uninhabited.

The United States began post-war tests starting in 1946 at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands of Micronesia with the residents of the atoll moved to Rongerik Atoll ahead of the first tests. They were left alone there for over a year before an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii found them starving on the barren landscape, and they were moved again. Even today, Marshall Islanders from islands near Bikini have elevated levels of many cancers; the female population has a cervical cancer mortality rate that has been reported to be 60 times higher than comparable mainland U.S. populations.[i] The people of the Marshall Islands have filed many lawsuits in an effort to compensate them for the desecration of their homelands and the damage to their health.

The United States was not alone in nuclear testing in the Pacific. The British, beginning in 1952, tested nuclear weapons in the Gilbert and Ellice Island archipelago which in 1976 became the independent nations of Kiribati and Tuvalu. Amid mounting protests from Pacific Island nations and anti-nuclear activists from many countries at the increasing evidence of nuclear fallout around the world, atmospheric and underwater testing was forbidden under the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Despite this ban, nuclear testing continued. The French conducted aerial nuclear tests on Mururoa and Fangataufa in the Tuamotu archipelago of French Polynesia starting in 1966 and underground tests up to 1996.

The remote and seemingly peaceful islands of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia, the three regions that contain so many small island nations of the Pacific Ocean, have remained to this day part of the on-going great power struggle for dominance of the region. With the Japanese pushed out of the islands during World War II, the island nations soon became part of the Cold War as Russia attempted to build influence in Micronesia and later competition between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China as they sought friends and allies in Oceania as each of those nations sought votes in the United Nations. Today, China is active in the region, principally in Polynesia and Melanesia, as they fund major building projects and seek to influence island state governments. Their activity, and their aggressive approach in the region, have generated increasing concern in western capitals.

What does this brief history have to do with the 45th anniversary of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP)? The Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, or the South Pacific Peoples’ Foundation (SPPF) as it was known from 1975 to 2000, was founded in Canada as an adjunct of a U.S.-based organization, the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific whose main goal was to protest the nuclear tests. The U.S. link brought suspicion on SPPF because of the American nuclear testing. Recognizing this challenge to SPPF’s identity and desiring more autonomy, the organization soon broke away from its U.S. parent and became an independent organization.

Even as social justice and environmental issues grew in importance in SPPF’s early years, the foundation remained responsive to military issues. It lobbied against Canadian military participation in naval exercises targeting a Hawaiian island sacred to the indigenous people there. It also became a partner with Pacific Islanders in the Pacific Campaign Against Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles. SPPF’s role in that campaign was to alert global peace committees that, while land-based cruise missiles were being curtailed in Europe, those missiles were making their way to Pacific testing sites.

But the early members of SPPF had a more ambitious agenda on their minds than just military testing. From the beginning SPPF’s vision was clear: to increase awareness among Canadians of development issues in the Pacific Islands, and to attempt to connect knowledge of input-and-response networks with the Pacific Islands. As well, the organization developed efforts to connect knowledge and cultural sharing among Indigenous peoples both in Canada and the Pacific with a goal of building solidarity. And, of course, we needed to develop a membership and funding base to support our activities both in Canada and in the Pacific.

SPPF/PPP’s First Executives, (l to r) Phil Esmonde, Randall Garrison, Stuart Wulff and Margaret Argue.

In the early days, SPPF was fortunate to have substantial funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and took full advantage of those funds to carry out ambitious projects in the South Pacific. However, government funding is a double-edge sword. It gave us the wherewithal to carry out programs but we always had to be sure we were within the guidelines set out by the government of the day. Early boards and directors recognized this challenge and began diversifying PPP’s revenue sources, a fortunate piece of advance planning as CIDA funding dried up in the 1990’s. As Stuart Wulff, former PPP executive director from 1991-2000, said, “In a way, the lost CIDA funding liberated us to follow our vision. PPP is now more engaged directly on the ground.”

What has PPP accomplished in our forty-five years?

Andy Nystrom, PPP’s invaluable archivist and research assistant, has compiled a fascinating selection of 45 projects and events highlighted in back issues of Tok Blong Pasifik, the foundation’s news magazine. These initiatives, ranging from artist exchanges to cyclone relief to HIV/AIDS prevention to youth and programs to combat violence against women, demonstrate PPP’s wide-ranging activities and relevance in the South Pacific. Long-time PPP members may celebrate anew our organization’s rich history while new members can learn what a dynamic and richly-rewarding experience being part of PPP can be. We hope you enjoy these glimpses into our archives; it is our goal to make those archives even more accessible in the future. Here are a couple of samples of what you will find there:

 Vanuatu, We Are With You! (2015)

On March 13, 2015, category 5 Cyclone Pam devastated the southern region of Vanuatu. By virtue of ties that run deep between Victoria, Canada and Vanuatu, the shock of this event quickly became very personal for Victoria, British Columbia residents that have family, friends or colleagues in the region. Reports from the country lent compelling urgency to mobilizing support focusing on this unprecedented natural disaster during which access to safe drinking water, food and housing became an immediate priority.

Vanuatu Member of Parliament, Ralph Regenvanu reported at the time, “The total population of Vanuatu is affected, as the cyclone travelled north to south, with the eye going over Shepherds, Efate, Erromango and Tanna. Cyclone Pam has damaged or destroyed 90 per cent of the infrastructure in Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital and largest town, and damage to the more remote islands and communities is equally devastating.”

In very short order, Pacific People’s Partnership (PPP) flew into action connecting with Canadian government officials, key organizations and individuals in Canada and in the South Pacific. A hallmark fund-raising event, “Vanuatu, We Are With You!”, did much to raise the disaster’s profile, bringing together PPP’s staunch supporters and many new friends of the organization to raise over $11,000. Half the funds were put towards a shipping container filled with much needed supplies for disaster relief and the remainder for rebuilding of schools and hospitals.

Enterprising West Papuan Women Initiative (2013-2015)

WATINI Indigenous Women’s Collective, Wefiani Village, West Papua.

Enterprising West Papuan Women was funded through Development & Peace, LUSH Canada, and other donors between 2013 and 2015. It was facilitated in partnership with the Manokwari-based Institute for Research, Analysis, and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH) to support livelihood opportunities for women in West Papua and promote gender equality. Under this program, PPP constructed several women’s cooperative centres within Arowi and Mansinam, both in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua. The centres function as small-scale, co-operative stalls for livelihood development and related skill-building activities such as financial management, strategic planning, proposal writing, and community organizing.

It has been no small feat for PPP just to stay alive for forty-five years … indeed, many NGOs don’t last that long. However, PPP has met many challenges to accomplish that feat. Even more, it has been an achievement to have produced so many significant programs and events for the people of the South Pacific and the Indigenous peoples of Canada in those forty-five years. We look back proudly at our past and with eager anticipation we look forward to what comes next.

I believe it can be said with confidence that PPP has demonstrated its resilience and enduring relevance over the years. We remain Canada’s only non-governmental organizational devoted to the people of the South Pacific and, as such, have a voice of authority that is acknowledged by out federal and provincial governments and by the people of many countries throughout the South Pacific region. In recent years PPP has sent First Nations youth to the islands as part of an expanded mandate that recognizes the historical parallels between Canada’s Indigenous peoples and the peoples of the South Pacific as they work to overcome the challenges of their colonial pasts. While the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed some new developments, we are on the cusp of new and exciting programs that will add more chapters to PPP’s legacy as we look to our 50th anniversary.

Canadian Cabinet Minister Maryam Monsef, Squamish Council Members and PPP Executive Director April Ingham at a PPP/BCCIC Side Event The Longhouse Dialogues as part of a Women Deliver Conference, June 2019.

Prepared by Art Holbrook, PPP Board Member and Chair of the Communications Committee. Art has been a board member at PPP for the last three years. He has traveled to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and has developed an affinity for the people of the South Pacific island nations.

PPP Featured Partner – RIKA

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PPP wishes to acknowledge our long-time supporter and partner, RIKA For over a decade, RIKA has donated his art and graphic design skills to support Pacific Peoples’ Partnership and our programs such as One Wave Gathering.

RIKA at Work!

RIKA is an Oceanscape artist in British Columbia, Canada working in brushed inks, watercolor and metallic leafing. His subject matter is the ocean surrounding the land he loves, the Pacific Northwest. As a socially-conscious artist , he also produces art and supports organizations that address environment and social justice issues especially as they pertain to Indigenous and South Pacific peoples, and our shared environment.

Pasifik Currents – Winter 2019

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One Wave Gathering 2019 Delegation spends time with Chris Paul on Studio Tour

Talofa Lava PPP Friends and Members, 

Please remember Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) with your donation today! You can do so securely HERE.  Every dollar donated makes a huge difference to PPP. We leverage your donation to secure resources critical to our sustainability and solidarity building programs like the recent One Wave Gathering in Victoria, and knowledge sharing programs like RedTide 2020: International Indigenous Climate Action Summit. Plus this supports our work with HELP Resources, to transform the informal economy in Papua New Guinea.

Enclosed in this edition of Pasifik Currents you will find a treasure trove of impact stories made possible with your support. We hope you enjoy these articles that make tribute to our President Emeritus Dr. Boutilier; acknowledge our many One Wave Gathering collaborators; introduce new climate program partnerships such as with CAYAC; showcase the power of Indigenous solidarity with Maunaukea; and shed light on the escalating human rights crisis faced by our friends and partners in West Papua.   It is also a time of commemoration, join us if you can for our 44th Annual General Meeting on December 10th as we mark International Human Rights Day.

As the only Canadian organization dedicated to the South Pacific, we are honoured to be your partner in ensuring Indigenous and South Pacific peoples are leading the way to a resilient future. Exiting times are coming as we mark our 45th Anniversary with a series of new programs and initiatives. We thank you for all your support, as we have so much more to accomplish together!

Yours in Pacific solidarity,

Mua Va’a, President

April Ingham, Executive Director

PPP Summer 2019 Updates

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April Ingham, PPP’s Executive Director, in front of a Coast Salish Longhouse. Photo by Carla Funk

Greetings Friends,

Our Canadian Summer has been a busy one!  Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) was pleased to bring on three talented young interns Jaegar, Miranda and Zachary and are pleased to have also brought Steven Davies onto the Team to coordinate this years One Wave Gathering.

Included in this edition of Pasifik Currents are highlights of some of our recent activities including the amazing Longhouse Dialogues that took place from May 31 – June 5, as outlined in my blog.  We are also thrilled to see the terrific project profile of our partner HELP Resources in a special report by the Commonwealth Foundation that highlights Stronger Civic Voices across the Commonwealth  (Page 11) 

Our Team working alongside ECO Canada has also designed a new Indigenous youth focussed climate action curriculum called RedTide: Climate Connect slated for this Fall.  And we are thrilled that Kalilah Rampenen, the Youth Chair for RedTide 2020: International Indigenous Climate Action and Youth Conference, has secured permission from her hereditary Chief Maquinna to host RedTide from June 22-25, 2020 in their Territories near Tofino, so mark your calendar and watch our website for an amazing series of events to come!

Thanks to the enhanced Team capacity, PPP has been delighted to develop our archives further and capture interviews with many of the key influencers since our inception.  We are turning 45 next year and are embarking on a process of reflection and renewal. Our Board of Directors are preparing for our next strategic planning process “Beyond 45” for the Fall of 2019, and it is our hope to reinvigorate our relationships throughout the South Pacific, to engage in deep listening and reconnecting to ensure our work is properly informed by those we serve in an efficient and effective way.  In addition, we continue to work with established partners here in Canada to produce award-winning programming that connects diverse communities north-south to build understanding and ultimately solidarity for peace, dignity, equity and a sustainable future for all.

This year, more than ever we need your continued support and engagement!  To that end we are inviting you to take a short survey to indicate your preference for communication platforms and you might even win a prize!  You can take that quick survey here. We cannot do this work without your support, please consider donating and/or volunteering to support this year’s One Wave Gathering.

Very best wishes,

April Ingham

Executive Director

  

One Wave Update

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‘uy’ skweyul folks*,

I’m excited to be joining the PPP team and coordinating the One Wave Gathering this year and would like to share some of our recent progress so that you can mark your calendars. Also stay tuned for updates via our website and Facebook page.

Key Events include:

MediaNet Flux Gallery Exhibition, Screenings & Installation (821 Fort Street)

September 12 – 25, 2019 (Opening on September 12th @ 7pm features several special guests)

ONE WAVE GATHERING Our Signature Public Performance Event at Centennial Square (City Hall, Victoria, BC) September 14th, 2019 from noon to 6pm

Surfer’s Paradise: Northwest Coast Surfboard Art Show & Artist Talk (Alcheringa Gallery 621 Fort Street) September 19th, 2019

We are pleased to announce that we have confirmed a feature film for our exhibition at the Flux Gallery (We, the Voyagers Part 2: Our Moana (http://vaka.org/) as well as a short film by Shíshálh Nation artist Margaret August. We are still receiving submissions if you are an Indigenous artist with digital work related to themes of Indigenous resurgence amongst Pacific Nations please send submissions to me at: steven@archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org

There are a number of ways to get involved!

Be an NGO or Artist Vendor: A limited amount of tables are offered at no charge to local NGOs and Indigenous Artists.  Sign up here.

Volunteer: In addition to opportunities to participate as an NGO, Vendor, or Artist during our main event in Centennial Square, we are actively seeking volunteers for all of our events. Please help us spread the word about our Gathering and our interest in recruiting volunteers:  Fill out our Volunteer Form before September 4, 2019 if you are interested in being a part of the 12th annual One Wave Gathering and learning about how to be an ally and work with local Indigenous Peoples. 

For more information you can check out our website or Facebook, and contact our Program Coordinator for more information: steven@archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org 

*Greetings in Hul’q’umi’num’ Language

The Longhouse Dialogues: Raising a West Coast Village in Honour of Women

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By April Ingham, Executive Director, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

Women Honouring Canoe Ceremony.

In 2017 Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) produced a historic and award-winning program, our 10th One Wave Gathering, with the permission and guidance of Coast Salish and South Pacific Elders and Leaders.  Central to this community building event was the raising of four temporary Longhouses, designed to house community-based programming.  They were raised upon the lawn of the BC Legislature, which Elders told us was once a village site for Lekwungen peoples.  

This temporary Longhouse village was the inspired vision of artist Hjalmer Wenstob who conceived of these Longhouses and created them in his Nation’s Nuu-chah-nulth style.  Hjalmer is an exceptionally gifted artist that believes strongly in creating meaningful opportunities for youth engagement, so he mentored four young artists who designed and helped paint each of the Longhouse fronts to represent their individual Nations.   These talented young artists were Sarah Jim (Coast Salish), A.J. Boersen (Nuu-chah-nulth), Juliana Speier (Kwak’waka’wakw), Jazzlyn Markowsky (Māori) and a stunning dance curtain, later gifted to Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, was created by James Goldsmith-Brown (Esquimalt Nation). The Longhouses were then programmed with drumming, storytelling, sharing of culture, song and games by members of the respective Nations on September 14, 2017.  The project was life changing for many and its legacy continues to live on in the spirit of all who participated and attended.  

In 2018, our friends at the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC) reached out to PPP and other organizations, to explore possible side event programming opportunities that could align with the Women Deliver Conference to be hosted in Vancouver June 3-6, 2019. This major international event would bring 7000+ International Women leaders together, and to complement this program, free accessible side-events would provide spaces for the local communities, guests and all interested to gather and explore topical and localized issues of matter to women.  BCCIC knew of PPP’s role in helping to realize the Longhouse project and encouraged us to consider raising them as a village once again, but this time as a location for dialogue and exchange near the conference site in downtown Vancouver.

People gather in front of the Longhouse to listen and learn.

Time was short, and PPP was a bit too stretched to really consider the additional project.  But BCCIC encouraged and offered support. We were intrigued but knew that we could only proceed if the right conditions were in place.  This meant the artist Hjalmer Wenstob would need to agree to participate as he maintained stewardship of the Longhouses, further it was essential that the installation and programming for the four Longhouses would have the permission and support of the three host nations Squamish Nation, Musqueam Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation respectively.  If all these conditions were in place, then we would need the permission of the City of Vancouver and Parks Board, support from Women Deliver Mobilization Canada. After all that we would need to find funding, figure out the complex logistics, find programming partners, plus round out and build the Team capacity to make it all happen.

It was a daunting process, with numerous variables that could send the project off the rails.  But the idea persisted as we knew it would offer a unique space to uplift gender equality and Indigenous issues.  Once we had Hjalmer’s agreement and the support of his family, we proceeded to engage with the three host nations to secure their permission, guidance and support.  We were fortunate to have a champion in Squamish Nation Council Member Deborah Baker. Deborah knew about our work at PPP and helped us to navigate the protocol and ultimately earn the support of Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.  Once we had this critical support and permission in place everything else began to flow…  

The City of Vancouver and Parks Board approved our extraordinary request to raise the Longhouses for just over a week in Harbour Green Park, this was a 5-minute walk down the seawall from the Vancouver Conference Centre.  Women Deliver Mobilization Canada, which helped to nurture and support side events, stepped forward with ongoing encouragement, connections and a financial contribution; LUSH Handmade Cosmetics supported the program with a substantial donation and volunteer support.  BCCIC brought the local knowledge and coordinating Team necessary for organizing the programs, logistics, etc. PPP was the lead liaison with the artist and three host Nations, plus we safeguarded the integrity of the program to ensure it was aligned and remained respectful to the intentions of those that helped birth the original project.  

Lead Artist Hjalmer (far right) with his brother Timmy and Federal International Development Minister Monsef dance as Orcas.

And so, it happened, on May 30, 2019 that our Squamish Nation friend and Cultural Coordinator Sheryl Rivers blessed the grounds at Harbour Green Park, and then Hjalmer, his family and our crew – working together raised four Longhouses in Honour of Women.  The scene was one of true magic to behold. This was the first time that all four Longhouses had stood together since 2017. They sat regally amongst the trees in this beautiful seaside park. Nestled into the green space, they stood more prominent than the cityscape hidden behind.  The Longhouses faced the water side by side. It was a powerful image to behold. Sheryl told us that this was what it would have been like in traditional times and that it made her heart swell.

The Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish Longhouses were offered at no cost in support of local NGOs and community groups as bookable spaces to hold community programming, workshops and dialogue sessions.  We even provided a green technology suite for sound and film projection. Many outstanding programs took place in both Longhouses with crowds big and small. The topics were diverse and included: Combatting Sexualization & Hypermasculinization (YWCA), From Surviving to Thriving: Social Ingredients of Health (Check your Head), Inter-Generational Dialogue: What Activism Could Look Like (Canadian Council of Young Feminists) and many more.   

The Kwak’waka’wakw Longhouse provided hospitality and organizing space, and the South Pacific (Māori Marae) Longhouse was offered as sacred space for contemplation, informal gathering and cultural exchange.  Outside the Longhouses stood an outdoor stage where ongoing presentations, including several important ceremonies, music and speeches, took place. Everything was designed to be as low impact and zero waste as possible and was powered by solar and green energy technology. A Team of committed Volunteers supported the programming and hosting of the Longhouses each day.  And each night the Longhouses were watched by Moose Hide Campaign volunteers, complemented by a security detail.

The opening ceremony was performed just after noon on May 31, 2019.  This was officiated by Sheryl Rivers, with welcoming speeches from Squamish Council Member Deborah Baker and special guest and witness Florence Dick of Songhees Nation. Florence’s Nation’s support and that of the Lekwungen speaking peoples was critical to the Longhouse project’s very creation in 2017. I acknowledged this important historical connection and shared words from PPP about the creation of the Longhouses and those that helped to birth them.  Many other special moments and ceremonies happened throughout the time of the installation which carried through to June 5th.  A highlight for me was the Women Honouring Canoe Ceremony which was brought to us by the Iisaak Olam Foundation.  

This special ceremony took place on June 3rd, a few hours after the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s report was released by the Government of Canada.  Beginning at the steps of the Women Deliver – Vancouver Conference Centre site, Iisaak Olam Foundation representative Eli Enns spoke about the report and his organization’s campaigns, he spoke of the connections between the desecration of land, the man-camps brought in to do so, and resulting violence against women.  

The young activist, Ta’Kaiya Blaney, being held up in the canoe.

A dug-out cedar canoe carved by Master Tla-o-qui-aht Canoe Maker Joe Martin was then raised by men representing the Moose Hide Campaign.  Carried within this canoe was young climate activist Ta’Kaiya Blaney from the Tla’Amin Nation.  Squamish women and Council members led the procession with drumming and song. They were accompanied by Culture Saves Lives and many other solidarity friends.  Approximately 200 people joined the procession and walked together in solidarity to honour the missing and murdered in solemn and thoughtful procession along the seawall to the Longhouses.  

Upon arrival at the Longhouses Ta’Kaiya was lifted towards the sky by the men who had carried her all along the pathway.  She then shared powerful words of tribute to her own recently passed mother and to all the missing and murdered, her words left us in deep contemplation.  And then she uplifted us all with a song of tribute and our collective tears flowed. Following reflections and speeches about the injustices and need for real action, Squamish Council Member KWITELUT/KWELAW’IKW, Carla George acknowledged Martina Pierre from the Lil’ wat Nation for her gifting of the “Women Warrior Song” a song in honour of the missing women, which we then sang and drummed together.  

It was intimate moments like this that made this community building experience so special.  It was the conversations on the side, the talking circles, workshops, dance and sharing that took place over the six days, that the Longhouses were raised and programmed by and for community.

Participants gather to discuss the transformative power of Indigenous art.

Prior to closing ceremony, PPP had the opportunity to facilitate a session called the Transformational Power of Art.  Fitting that this would focus on the Longhouse project itself.  Hjalmer and his brother Timmy shared a Nuu-chah-nulth dance and mask to ground the participants in their rich cultural traditions.  Then Hjalmer shared the creation story of the project along with the impacts it has had on him, his family and others. Also presenting was A.J. Boersen, the young artist who created the design on the front of the Nuu-chah-nulth house.  He was accompanied by his proud Foster Father Rheal and A.J. shared how this project had changed his life in so many good ways, he added “the drive behind my art is that each of us has an “inner warrior” – no matter who you are the fight is worth it.”  A.J. just graduated from High School in Victoria.  His Longhouse façade was installed in his school for a week prior to graduation and AJ was his class valedictorian.  He is now off to college with a promising future as a professional artist.  

PPP is incredibly honoured to be part of programs like this that truly transform our communities and enrich our relationships with understanding and compassion for one another.   We are especially grateful to BCCIC and their entire team of staff, contractors and volunteers; to Women Deliver and our friends at CanWaCH who coordinated the Mobilization Canada program; the Vancouver Foundation; the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Parks Board (who were amazing – see we didn’t kill the grass!); to LUSH Handmade Cosmetics; to our key partners: Moose Hide Campaign (and their extraordinary volunteers), the Iisaak Olam Foundation, Culture Saves Lives… and so many more.  

Participants performing a Women Warrior song.

Most importantly we thank artist Hjalmer Wenstob and his entire family and group of supporters that made the Longhouse Dialogues and installation possible.  And to all who contributed to their creation. Our hands are raised in respect to Sheryl Rivers who coordinated the cultural programming and officially spoke about the missing and murdered, and to Joleen Timko that shouldered much of the coordination detail. It truly takes a team to make projects like this succeed and we are indebted to all that contributed. 

PPP offers our deepest respect and acknowledgement to the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.  Without your permission, guidance and support we would not have proceeded. We are honoured to have had your trust and support that ensured a proper foundation for the Longhouse Dialogues to honour women.

To learn more visit: https://www.facebook.com/pg/pacificpeoples/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2431127203593015 

You can help support work like this by donating today!

My Life in the South Pacific

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By Taylor Blais

Taylor enjoying a beach in Fiji

Fiji is paradise. White sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, thousands of coconut trees. These certainly were my expectations when moving here. But I soon learned that there is way more to it than that. That the “single story” that I had been told about Fiji my entire life, that it is a vacation spot, is only dipping my toe into what it actually is. 

I have been living in Suva, the capital of Fiji for about 2 months now, and my preconceived notions about Fiji have changed completely. As an intern with the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM), I’ve had the privilege of working with the most amazing people. I work with leaders in the international feminism world. Strong women and men working very hard to better the lives of people in Fiji and around the Pacific. It is very hard not to be absolutely star struck by these individuals. I work for the organization that held the first ever Pacific Feminist Forum (PFF) in 2016. The organization, which, together with a working group of regional partners, recently organised the 2nd PFF in May of this year and plans to create more of these spaces in the future. This event brings human rights activists together from around the South Pacific to discuss major women’s and human rights issues affecting them directly. Fiji is a hub for feminism around the Pacific and it has established itself as a leader. Spearheading so many amazing movements within Fiji, but also inspiring so many women around the Pacific to start their own movements in their respective countries. I did not get the chance to attend the PFF this year, but I have gotten the chance to transcribe some interviews that were done with women from all around the pacific that attended, individuals from Vanuatu, Samoa, a lot of Small Island Nations. I have been so intrigued as to how highly they all speak of FWRM. How inspired they are about the changes that FWRM has made, and the plans they have for the future, and how they can implement these different ideas, in their own ways, in their own communities.

A mural depicting their vision on the wall in the FWRM office.

 I also attend classes at Fiji’s regional University, Fiji National University (FNU) and learned a lot about how climate change is affecting Fiji, and many Small Island Nations around the Pacific directly. Because of sea levels rising drastically, they are losing land mass and resources by the minute. It is widely acknowledged here that climate change is occurring because it is affecting them directly; no one is ignorantly refusing to believe that climate change is occurring because they do not have the privilege to do so. There are many amazing organizations such as International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF), South Pacific Tourism (SPTO), and so many more within Fiji that work on conservation and activism and advocacy around climate change in the Pacific. People in Fiji are fighting the good fight against climate change even though they release some of the lowest amounts of carbon emissions around the world. It is the Western world that fuels climate change, but now the South Pacific is taking on the brunt of the consequences. 

Yes, Fiji is made up of beautiful crystal-clear waters, and I have drunk from a lot of coconuts during my time here. But It is so much more than that. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned in my little time working and living here is to never judge a book by its cover. Fiji is so much more than its looks, and it is a force to be reckoned with on a global scale. Never underestimate.

Taylor participating in a workshop

Taylor is entering her third year of Psychology at the University of Lethbridge with minors in Women & Gender Studies and Population Health. She is interested in international women’s and human rights issues, as well as global health. Taylor has been working as an intern with The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) for almost three months, during which she has been working primarily with the communications team, engaging the public through social media and learning about the digital side of social justice work. She had the privilege of attending the “Pacific Connections: Community Filmmaking for Gender Equality in the Pacific” workshop held at the University of the South Pacific (USP). Taylor’s passion for women’s rights and feminism has grown immensely since she has started working for FWRM. She hopes to continue this nature of work in the future, carrying the skills that she has built from this experience into her future endeavors.

RedTide Indigenous Youth Climate Connect

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A New 4-day Interactive Workshop!

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership is proud to announce that, in collaboration with ECO Canada and with the support of the Royal Bank of Canada Foundation, we are presenting a brand new interactive training program in 2019 that will support the RedTide 2020 Climate Action Summit being held on Vancouver Island!

This brand new Climate Connect program will run daily in October 16-20th (tentative) for Indigenous youth ages 16 + in the Greater Victoria area.  The program will be facilitated by Eli Enns, and feature special Guests including Elders, Climate Experts, and Ocean Network Canada Indigenous educators. Participants will also receive ECO Canada issued certificates and eligible graduates of this program may qualify for a new Wage Subsidy program, meaning your Employer could receive up to $15,000 to subsidize your environmental job position thanks to our partner ECO Canada!

 

Our goal is to increase climate literacy and inspire agency for Indigenous youth to become the next wave of change makers through clean technology, green entrepreneurship, creative arts, and cultural practice. With the help of amazing certified instructors and spiritual leaders, youth will learn through a cultural and scientific lens about local and traditional perspectives, aiding the understanding of the interconnected factors of climate change. This program also includes a field trip to the T’Sou-ke Nation, where the youth will get to see how water plays such an important role in the interconnectedness of climate change. 

There are a maximum of 15 participants for this program, so if this sounds like something you would be interested in then please contact info@archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org, or fill out this form and reserve your spot before they’re gone!

People & Passages:

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Ruby Kafalava joins the PPP Board of Directors.

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership is proud to announce that we have welcomed Ruby Kafalava onto our Board of Directors!  Ruby is originally from Tonga and is involved with keeping her culture, language and traditions alive in Canada through her participation as a dancer in Pearls of The South Pacific, an authentic cultural group based on Vancouver Island. She is also a mother of two young girls and works as a professional caregiver.  We are fortunate to have her join the PPP Team!

 

(L to R) Pia Ambiwa and Evangeline Kaima support Serah Maim, interim chair of the Wewak United Vendors’ Association in mobilisation, organisation of market and street vendors.

Our Papua New Guinea partner HELP Resources is pleased to announce the start up of the formative Wewak United Vendors Association (WUVA). The two women facilitators/educators are: Pia Ambiwa – an experienced community organiser, counsellor, educator with faith-based organisations and with the Ok Tedi community development initiatives, and Evangeline Kaima – secondary school teacher who taught for many years then joined the East Sepik Council of Women (ESCOW) as the head of a community-based literacy Tok Ples pre-school program. There she previously  built up a network for 300 enthusiastic community-run pre-schools and literacy programs for women and children. For the last two decades Evangeline has led the rollout of a Personal Viability program that supports local farmers, traders and small-scale entrepreneurs so that they may succeed through maximum use of local resources and belief in their own power to overcome poverty, debt and dependence.

PPP was saddened to learn of the recent death of Sir Hekenukumai Busby of New Zealand.  Sir Busby was recognized as a leading figure in the revival of traditional Polynesian navigation and ocean voyaging using wayfinding techniques.  He built 26 traditional waka, including the double-hulled Te Aurere which has sailed over 30,000 nautical miles in the Pacific.  Our deep condolences to his family and community.  

In March 2019, PPP Executive Director, April Ingham, was invited to attend a reception where she met Canada’s Governor General, Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Julie Payette, whose credentials include a career in engineering and serving as a Canadian astronaut. Taking place in Victoria, this reception kicked off a meeting of the heads of 17 United World Colleges (UWCs) across the globe. The Governor General is an alumna of the UWC in Wales and a strong supporter of the UWC Movement. Pearson College UWC  based in Victoria, hosted this year’s international meeting.

PPP Executive Director, April Ingham, with Canada’s Governor General, Julie Payette.

“We have to work globally – and that was a privilege given to me in my teen years when I attended a UWC school,” said Ms. Payette. “Speaking with and sharing ideas with people from all over the world who bring different ways of thinking made us progress better and faster – this is what Pearson College impresses upon us.”

PPP’s Executive Director added her own perspective to this opportunity to represent Pacific Peoples at this event: “It was my deep honour to meet our country’s inspiring Governor General and hear her stories of being on the space shuttle looking down at Earth, made all the more special given how hard she fought to realize her dreams.  Women like her are really out of this world – amazing!”

Bougainville Independence Referendum is a Milestone to Monitor:  Originally scheduled for 15 June 2019, the much-anticipated independence referendum will now be held in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea on 17 October 2019. The vote is the result of an agreement between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government.  This delay is due to a dispute over funding. In the next issue of Pasifik Currents, we will provide you with some background and links to this milestone event.

PPP is Hiring Summer Interns!  We will soon be hiring Communications, Programming and Development interns. Please watch our website for more information on how to apply or drop us a line at info@archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org and we will forward details.

 

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For 45 years, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has supported the aspirations of South Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples for peace, environmental sustainability, social justice and community development.

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