Oaktree (foundation)
 | |
| Founded | 2003[1] and incorporated on 13 February 2008[2][3] |
|---|---|
| Founder | Hugh Evans and Nicolas Mackay |
| Type | International aid and development charity |
| Focus | General education and poverty relief |
| Location |
|
Area served | Cambodia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor |
| Method | Political advocacy and development through partnership, led by young people |
Members | 200,000 (2014) |
Key people | Sashenka Worsman, CEO |
Revenue | A$2.27m (2013)[4] |
Volunteers | 150 (2014) |
| Website | oaktree |
Formerly called | The Oaktree Foundation |
Oaktree is an Australian-based, non-government organisation that specialises in international youth development. Their mission is to lead, demand and create a more just world. Founded in 2003, the organisation is run by young people aged 16 to 26, and overseen by an advisory board.
Oaktree collaborates with like-minded youth partners in countries like Myanmar, Cambodia and India. Together, they grow the capability and influence of young people across their region.
In Australia, Oaktree focuses on advocating for the value of youth voices. Their community-driven campaigns connect young Australian voices to decision-makers to influence policy change on issues of justice, like Australian aid.
History
Oaktree was founded in Melbourne by Hugh Evans and Nicolas Mackay in 2003. After winning a World Vision contest to visit development programs in the Philippines, aged 13 years, Evans went on exchange to Woodstock School in the Himalayas in India two years later. A further trip to the rural valley communities of the KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, where he volunteered with World Vision, saw him return to Melbourne in 2003 and join with Mackay and other young people to establish Oaktree, with the purpose of combating some of the inequalities that Evans had witnessed.[1] In October 2013, Oaktree launched a new brand and website to mark its 10th birthday.
Oaktree has invested over A$2.5 million into aid development projects between 2003 and 2012.[5][self-published source?]
Mission
The mission statement of Oaktree as of 2018 is "Oaktree is young people leading, demanding and creating a more just world." Oaktree aspires to achieve its mission in three ways:[6][self-published source?]
- Funding education and leadership projects overseas which build capacity and empower young leaders in the Asia Pacific region.
- Building the capacity and influence of young people in Australia.
- Influencing policy change towards a more just world.
As of October 2013, Oaktree has an office in every Australian state and in the Australian Capital Territory. With 125,000 supporters and 350 volunteer staff as at 31 December 2011, Oaktree generated A$1.76 million in revenue.[6][7]
International development projects
Oaktree supports the following international aid and development:[6]
- Cambodia: Beacon's School Initiative by redeveloping school environments to better suit the climate and culture
- East Timor: Youth Livelihoods that provides income generation opportunities for youth groups in the Aileu districts
- East Timor: Youth Empowerment Peace Building Project that builds capacity for young people to prevent, manage and resolve violent situations peacefully and without violence
- South Africa: HIV/Aids Peer Mentorship Scheme that aims to reduce the incidence of HIV infection among high school aged students in the province of KwaZulu Natal
- Papua New Guinea: Men and Women's Vocational Training Project that works to address issues of gender inequality, youth unemployment, low literacy rates and lack of vocational training in Port Moresby
- Papua New Guinea: Yangis Community School Teacher Training to give people in the remote location of Yangis a higher education so that a school will be re-opened in their community
National programs
Oaktree runs educational programs that aim to transform Australians into dedicated and effective agents of change in acting on extreme poverty.
Live Below the Line, run in partnership between Oaktree and the Global Poverty Project, is a 5-day extreme poverty awareness and fundraising campaign. The campaign encourages members of the general public in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom to participate in order to develop a better understanding of the daily challenges faced by the 1.4 billion people experiencing extreme poverty. For each of the five days of the campaign the participants are encouraged to limit their food expenditure to the equivalent of the extreme poverty line, set at US$1.25. The participants use their daily experiences to bring extreme poverty to the awareness of others.[7] During 2011, this program generated A$1.4 million from 6,518 participants.
Other smaller programs include Generate and Schools 4 Schools focused on advocacy and peer-to-peer education respectively.
In 2009, Oaktree claimed that, together with World Vision and other advocacy groups, their advocacy via the End Child Slavery campaign contributed to an announcement by Cadbury Australia that it will change its milk chocolate range to fair trade sources.[8]
Make Poverty History concert
The Make Poverty History Concert was the brainchild of Daniel Adams from the Oaktree Foundation. He, along with Hugh Evans, John Connor (formally of World Vision), Emeli Paulo of The Reach Foundation and a team of volunteers from the Oaktree Foundation organised the event on behalf of the Make Poverty History Coalition in Australia.[citation needed] Small performances were also held in the regional Victorian cities of Geelong and Ballarat.[citation needed] The purpose of the Make Poverty History Concert was to generate wide public support for the Make Poverty History campaign. Another aim of the concert was to encourage the G20 to make policies that are equitable for developing countries.[citation needed]
The concert was held on the night of 17 November 2006 produced by Dan Adams, Hugh Evans, Emeli Paulo and John Connor at Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia. The concert was timed to coincide with the G20 Summit which was being hosted by then-Australian Treasurer, Peter Costello. The aim of the event was to create public awareness of preventable poverty and to get the message to members of the G20 summit that "more financial aid should be given to poorer nations". The concert was free to attend, as the focus of the concert was not to raise money, but to raise awareness amongst the Australian public, particularly the younger generation.[citation needed]
Chief Executive Officers
| Name | Term |
|---|---|
| Sashenka Worsman | 2017–present |
| Chris Wallace | 2014–2017 |
| Viv Benjamin[9] | 2012–2014 |
| Tom O'Connor | 2009–2012 |
| David Toovey | 2008-2009 |
| Hugh Evans[1] | 2003-2008 |
References
- ^ a b c Farouque, Farah (15 March 2008). "Out to change the world". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
- ^ "Historical details for ABN: 39 129 680 584". ABN lookup. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "National Names Index". Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Commonwealth of Australia. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- ^ "Consolidated financial report for the year ended 31 December 2013" (PDF). Oaktree. 30 April 2014. p. 1. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ "Our Work Overseas". Oaktree Foundation. The Oaktree Foundation. 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.[self-published source?]
- ^ "Annual Report 2011" (PDF). The Oak Tree Foundation Australia. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.[self-published source?]
- ^ Gould, Janie (May 2011). "Live below the line". Heywire. Australia: ABC. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "Oaktree and World Vision Claim Cadbury Fairtrade Victory". Pro Bono News. Australia. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ West, Andrew (29 August 2012). "New CEO for the Oaktree Foundation" (transcript). Religion and Ethics Report. Australia: ABC Radio National. Retrieved 13 October 2012.