Schools 4 Schools

Schools 4 Schools was launched by The Oaktree Foundation in 2007 with the goal of providing life changing opportunities for young people in developing communities.

It is our belief that the most effective way to create positive action for change is through the investment and engagement with Australian youth to empower them with the understanding of the issues facing their peers living in poverty.

Australian Schools are partnered with schools in either South Africa or Cambodia. Oaktree provides each school with a dedicated mentor who educates students about the issues their partner school faces and issues of poverty more broadly.

The mentor empowers their students to take action against poverty and provide life changing educational opportunities for students in the developing world.

Schools 4 Schools students also have the opportunity to travel to Cambodia to see Oaktree’s partner projects first hand by participating in our Ambassador Challenge (Applications now closed).

“Fair trade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.”
(The Fair Trade Association of AUS/NZ – www.fta.org.au/about)

The Oaktree Foundation is running S4S Fair Trade Week (September 5 – 9 2011.) The aim of the week is to raise the profile of fair trade within every day Australian communities. Through fair trade practice, thousands of the world’s most underprivileged people can gain acess to health care, village infrastructure and life-changing education opportunities.

Whether you’re a student or teacher, we encourage you to campaign within your school and wider community. This could mean petitioning for your school canteen to only stock fair trade, drinking only fair trade coffee at your local cafe, or even having your year 12 jumpers made from fair trade cotton.

Additionally, we have carefully selected a small number of students who have proved they are driven by the issue of eradicating poverty, and want to offer them an opportunity to generate change within their own community by becoming fair trade advocates. The Retreat will give students an insight into fair trade issues, and ultimately teach them how to gain awareness from their student body when they take on Fair Trade Week in their school.

Check out facebook.com/s4sfairtradeweek to find out more!