I started the Grass Skirt Project because too many young girls were dying because of men’s violence and there are not enough programs engaging men and boys to be part of the solution.
Tahina Booth Founder and Managing Director of the Grass Skirt Project
Tahina Booth - Founder and Managing Director of the Grass Skirt Project
2026 WE Empower UN SDG Awardee, Asia-Pacific Region
Tahina Booth founded the Grass Skirt Project in 2017 to address the systemic challenges facing young people, to prevent gender-based violence, and to promote youth leadership in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Growing up in a culture that perpetrated violence against young women, Booth realized that there were gaps in gender equality and youth protection in her community. She then set out to create a safe place for girls to process their experiences and teach young boys leadership skills through sports. Drawing upon her own experience with sports and physical health, Booth built a system at the intersection of cultural customs, church, and the modern lifestyle to build an environment that teaches the youth confidence, leadership, and health.
The Culture-Based Curriculum
The Grass Skirt Project is a system that utilizes three interconnected initiatives to support communities, particularly victims of violence. Oftentimes, those who experience trauma do not feel that there is a safe space for them in their communities. The Grass Skirt Project addresses this by delivering containerized gyms, promoting a gender equality curriculum, and hosting the Hevea Cup & Wellness Expo. These initiatives are implemented in alignment with Indigenous customs, giving communities the opportunity to develop a new cultural system and take preventative action against youth violence.
This work is carried out through a three-pronged initiative. First, through 10 Million Strong, girls and boys are enrolled in a school-based leadership program that teaches them to support one another and to stand up for their beliefs. This initiative is pursued concurrently with the Gymbox program, through which the organization provides gym equipment, health services, and learning materials in repurposed shipping containers to promote physical and mental wellness. Finally, the Hevea Cup & Wellness Expo offers an opportunity for participants to demonstrate these developed behaviors, engage in a community-based competition, and access clinical health services.
Together, these initiatives come together to create the foundational infrastructure that Papua New Guinea currently lacks, generating diverse revenue streams while fostering the development of healthier cultural norms. This system is designed to support young people at the stage when they are most vulnerable to cultural norms of violence and harmful social influences. As a result, participants are provided with the opportunity to pursue an alternative path in life through kinship teachings and experiences.
“Sports is a catalyzing movement; sports are underutilized when it comes to engaging men and boys to become protectors of women” – Tahina Booth
An Innovative Vision for Change
Building this system was an important aspect toward improving the modern infrastructure currently tasked with addressing gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea. Through indigenous customs and sports, the philosophy of this system is to help youth create a future that is safe for everyone. This impact is most evident in the project’s 7.9:1 social return on investment ratio, demonstrating that The Grass Skirt Project is projected to generate a measurable positive impact on the community based on current funding estimates.
Commitment to Sustainability and Growth
Tahina Booth’s goal with this system is not only to use the underutilized method of sports in combination with cultural knowledge to help people, but also to address the violence that is affecting the young people. The Grass Skirt Project uses innovative, culturally-grounded methods to support SDG5 (Gender Equality) through this mission. The organization advances this goal by building support systems for girls who have experienced violence while also providing all youth with opportunities for personal growth and violence prevention. Although the organization supports all the Sustainable Development Goals, this project also specializes in SDG3 (Health) and SDG16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) through initiatives that provide clinical health treatments and curriculum designed to teach young people about justice and become positive role models. Additionally, participants who complete all three initiatives have the opportunity to become mentors for future cohorts and intern with private-sector organizations, thereby creating more pathways for women to become leaders and advocates within their communities. Booth strives to create a safe environment that encompasses the most important values of Papua New Guinea to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to strive for greatness.
By Carys Brown, HON394 Student