Oaktree (foundation)

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.{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/out-to-change-the-world/2008/03/14/1205472074139.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 |title=Out to change the world |author=Farouque, Farah |work=The Age |location=Australia |date=15 March 2008 |access-date=12 October 2011 }} 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.{{cite web |title=Our Work Overseas |url=http://theoaktree.org/overseas-projects|work=Oaktree Foundation |publisher=The Oaktree Foundation |access-date=2 June 2012 |year=2012}}{{Self-published inline|date=October 2012}}{{Self-published inline|date=October 2012}}

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:{{cite web |title=Annual Report 2011 |date=31 December 2011 |publisher=The Oak Tree Foundation Australia |format=PDF |url=http://www.theoaktree.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/The-Oaktree-Foundation_Annual-Report_2011-Final.pdf |accessdate=13 October 2012 }}{{Self-published inline|date=October 2012}} {{verify source |date=September 2023 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/852905024 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/826774099 cite #6 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. User:GreenC bot/Job 18}}^{[self-published source?]}

1. Funding education and leadership projects overseas which build capacity and empower young leaders in the Asia Pacific region.
2. Building the capacity and influence of young people in Australia.
3. 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.{{cite web |title=Annual Report 2011 |date=31 December 2011 |publisher=The Oak Tree Foundation Australia |format=PDF |url=http://www.theoaktree.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/The-Oaktree-Foundation_Annual-Report_2011-Final.pdf |accessdate=13 October 2012 }}{{Self-published inline|date=October 2012}} {{verify source |date=September 2023 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/852905024 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/826774099 cite #6 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. User:GreenC bot/Job 18}}{{cite web |format=PDF |page=1 |url=http://theoaktree.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/The-Oaktree-Foundation_final-signed-audited-financial-reports-to-Dec2011_smaller.pdf |title=Consolidated financial report for the year ended 31 December 2011 |date=19 May 2012 |accessdate=13 October 2012 |publisher=The Oaktree Foundation Australia }} {{verify source |date=September 2023 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/852905024 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/826774099 cite #7 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. User:GreenC bot/Job 18}}

Oaktree supports the following international aid and development:{{cite web|url=http://www.theoaktree.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/The-Oaktree-Foundation_Annual-Report_2011-Final.pdf|title=Annual Report 2011|date=31 December 2011|publisher=The Oak Tree Foundation Australia|access-date=13 October 2012}}{{Self-published inline|date=October 2012}}

1. Cambodia: Beacon's School Initiative by redeveloping school environments to better suit the climate and culture
2. East Timor: Youth Livelihoods that provides income generation opportunities for youth groups in the Aileu districts
3. East Timor: Youth Empowerment Peace Building Project that builds capacity for young people to prevent, manage and resolve violent situations peacefully and without violence
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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

In 2022, the foundation launched the Youth Solidarity Fund to support the growth of grassroots youth organisations in the Asia-Pacific region.

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 five-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 {{USD}}1.25. The participants use their daily experiences to bring extreme poverty to the awareness of others.{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/heywire/stories/2011/05/3219244.htm?site=centralvic |title=Live below the line |work=Heywire |author=Gould, Janie |publisher=ABC |location=Australia |date=May 2011 |access-date=13 October 2012 }} 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.{{cite news |url=http://www.probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2009/08/oaktree-and-world-vision-claim-cadbury-fairtrade-victory# |title=Oaktree and World Vision Claim Cadbury Fairtrade Victory |date=31 August 2009 |work=Pro Bono News |location=Australia |access-date=13 October 2012 }}

In 2020, Oaktree joined the 'End COVID For All' campaign, a collective group of organisations who support the assistance of vulnerable nations in the light of COVID-19.

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.oaktree.org The Oaktree website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050417232632/http://www.makepovertyhistory.com.au/ Make Poverty History Australia]

{{Youth empowerment}}

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Category:Youth empowerment organizations

Category:Development charities based in Australia

Category:Organizations established in 2003

Category:Non-profit organisations based in Victoria (state)

Category:Foreign charities operating in Cambodia

Category:Foreign charities operating in Papua New Guinea

Category:Foreign charities operating in South Africa

Category:Foreign charities operating in Timor-Leste

Category:Foundations based in Australia