Skollar 2008/09
In 1999 Anna Blackman co-founded PhotoVoice (www.photovoice.org), a UK non-profit organisation specialising in the training of marginalised groups around the world in photographic and communication skills. Anna has co-led the charity over the last nine years. Her organisation won Best New UK Charity in 2004 and has run over 25 projects, directly training over 1,500 beneficiaries and reaching thousands more.
Anna is committed to the innovative use of media as a tool for significant social change particularly with regard to the developing world. She has led PhotoVoice projects in numerous countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Russia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel, and the Occupied Territories. Anna is also herself also a trained journalist, photographer and documentary film producer.
Anna decided to an MBA to gain a more rigorous training to complement her self-taught skills, and to explore different organisational models geared towards social change. “The course at Saïd was unparrallelled for me,” she says, “because of the opportunity to focus on social entrepreneurship and learn with and from others engaged with the Skoll Centre.” Anna is looking forward to gaining new insights into social business, creating a finely-tuned toolkit of skills and knowledge, and meeting new friends and colleagues.