Fifteen members of the nation-wide Oaktree Roadtrip to End Poverty travelling on the Canberra route held a community breakfast in Littleton Gardens in order to raise awareness of issues relating to poverty.

While there was a strong wind blowing through the gardens, Bega Valley Shire Council staff, representatives of the shire’s Youth Council and other community members attended, with the food cooked by Bega Rotary.

Eight groups and 450 youths have been travelling on their routes in Australia as part of the roadtrip before they meet at Parliament House on Friday to discuss ways of ending poverty with MPs, including talking to Member for Eden-Monaro Peter Hendy.

Those on the Canberra route have traversed Goulburn, Wollongong, Bega and will finish back in the capital city.

Oaktree’s ACT G20 community engagement officer and ex-Bega Youth Councillor Siobhan Linehan said they had great reception in the towns they visited.

“We’ve had a lot of meaningful discussions,” she said.

Ms Linehan said global poverty was everyone’s responsibility, not just youth’s.

“I’m fortunate enough to be born in Australia, and I think as part of my privileges it’s my obligation to help as many people as possible have the same access to education, shelter and health care that I have,” she said.

The roadtrip was also promoting an Oaktree petition to be submitted before the G20 Summit in November.

The petition was calling for the Australian Government to take action on tax reform and to increase the foreign aid budget.

Ms Linehan said $8.4billion in Australia is lost due to multinational companies using loopholes to dodge tax, so the government should become a leader in tax justice.

Oaktree is run by volunteers aged under 26, some who have been involved since being in school, and all who have the aim of ending global poverty.  

“We are in a world where people can connect with each other on a bigger scale with advances in technology, and it brings the [poverty] issue right to the forefront of people’s minds,” Oaktree ACT community coordinator Jacquie Grinsell-Jones said.

“Everybody has different reasons about why they care.

“But I think young people are really involved on the issue of poverty.”

Roadtrip member Gemma Butler said Oaktree offers youths the chance to get involved with an organisation where they can really make a difference in the fight against poverty.

“It was an opportunity for me to have my voice heard,” she said.

To learn more about Oaktree and to sign their petition, visit www.oaktree.org/endpoverty.