Hugh Evans (born 4 March 1983 in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
) is an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
humanitarian. Evans is the co-founder of both
The Oaktree Foundation and
Global Citizen, formerly called Global Poverty Project, and Executive Producer of One World:
Together at Home and
Global Citizen Live. He has received domestic and international accolades for his work in promoting youth advocacy and volunteerism in order to reduce
extreme poverty in developing countries.
Background
Evans grew up in
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
, in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and was educated at
Carey Baptist Grammar School where, aged 12 years, he participated in
World Vision
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
's
40-hour famine out of a concern for poverty in developing countries. The following year, Evans subsequently won a World Vision-sponsored contest to visit development programs in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and was moved by his encounters in the slums of
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
. Evans went on exchange to
Woodstock School in the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
two years later. Recalling his experience from notes in his memoir at the time of his return:
The greatest injustice I witnessed this year happened, not when comparing the poor of India to the rich of India, but upon arriving home. I couldn't understand why we as Australians are so determined, even to the point of complaining, to get the latest mobile phone ... then comparing this to walking through the market of India and seeing a man with no legs, simply a piece of rubber tied to his waist to stop the skin on his pelvis from scraping away ... all he asks for is the equivalent of 20 cents.
A further trip to the rural valley communities of the
KwaZulu-Natal province in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, where he volunteered as a
youth ambassador A youth ambassador is a young agent, representative and/or steward for the charity for which they work.Anaphylaxis CampaignYouth Ambassadors/ref>
Youth ambassadors have been introduced in order to promote participation, or spread goodwill or knowle ...
with World Vision, saw him return to Melbourne in 2003 moved to bring about social change.
In 2008, Evans graduated with
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
and
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...
degrees at
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...
.
Youth advocacy
Oaktree Foundation
In 2003 Evans, together with Nicolas Mackay established The Oaktree Foundation, an Australian-based
non-government organisation
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
that provides
aid and development to countries in need across the Asia Pacific and African regions. Oaktree is run by young people aged 16 to 26, overseen by an advisory board, and has since grown into an effective vehicle for youth advocacy in Australia providing for education in developing countries.
Evans was the inaugural chief executive officer, standing down in 2008, and continues with The Oaktree Foundation in an advisory capacity.
Evans' early inspiration and support of The Oaktree Foundation was provided by
St Hilary's, a large
evangelical Anglican
Evangelical Anglicanism or evangelical Episcopalianism is a tradition or church party within Anglicanism that shares affinity with broader evangelicalism. Evangelical Anglicans share with other evangelicals the attributes of "conversionism, a ...
parish in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Global Citizen and The Global Poverty Project
Inspired by
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...
's film ''
An Inconvenient Truth
''An Inconvenient Truth'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a slide show that, by Gore's own e ...
'', Evans and Simon Moss established the Global Poverty Project, a community education group that aims to increase awareness of, and action towards fighting extreme poverty.
The Global Poverty Project was started in 2008 with a 60,000 grant from the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
and an A$350,000 grant from
AusAID
Australian Aid is the brand name used to identify projects in developing countries supported by the Australian Government. As of 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been responsible for Australia's official development ...
. Included in Evans' activism for the Global Poverty Project is the ''
Make Poverty History
Make Poverty History are organizations in a number of countries, which focus on issues relating to 8th Millennium Development Goal such as aid, trade and justice. They generally form a coalition of aid and development agencies which work togethe ...
'' campaign and
concerts
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...
in Australia.
Awards and other leadership roles
In 2001, Evans was one of sixteen Australian representatives to participate in The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) held in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
, Netherlands; and in 2003, he was awarded the
Young Victorian of the Year. The following year, Evans was named as the
Young Australian of the Year
The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territ ...
for his contribution in promoting youth advocacy through the founding of The Oaktree Foundation. In 2004 Evans was also awarded the title of an
Outstanding Young Persons of the World
The JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World, usually JCI TOYP, program serves to formally recognize young people who excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people. The program is sponsored by ...
, one of ten young people recognised annually by the
Junior Chamber International. Evans's award for humanitarianism and/or voluntary leadership in
that year was shared with
Queen Rania
Rania Al-Abdullah ( ar, رانيا العبد الله, ; born Rania Al-Yassin, 31 August 1970) is Queen of Jordan as the wife of King Abdullah II.
Rania was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents. She received her bachelor's degree in busines ...
of Jordan and Ch'ng Joo Beng of Malaysia.
In 2008, Evans, together with the federal
Minister for Youth,
Kate Ellis MP, served as co-chair of the 2020 Youth Summit, a precursor to the
2020 Summit.
Awards/Achievements
* 2003 - Young Victorian of the Year
* 2003 - Co-founded Oaktree Foundation
* 2004 - Young Australian of the Year
* 2005 - Junior Chamber International Person of the World
* 2008 - Co-Chair of the inaugural 2020 Youth Summit
* 2008 - Co-founded Global Poverty Project, later Global Citizen
* 2012 - Featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 List
* 2014 - Named one of ''Fast Company''
's 100 Most Creative People
* 2014 - Honorary Doctorate, Utah State University
* 2014 - GQ Man of the Year Award for Chivalry
* 2014 - Honorary Doctorate, Utah State University
* 2015 - ''Billboard'' magazine's Humanitarian of the Year
* 2015 - Advance Global Australian Social Impact Award Winner
* 2016 - Delivered TED talk titled ''What Does it Mean to be a Citizen of the World?''
* 2017 - Profiled on ''The Brave Ones'' special produced by CNBC
* 2018 - Received the Diamond Ball Award for humanitarian efforts to end poverty
* 2020 - Executive Producer, One World Together at Home Concert to end COVID-19
Together at Home
*2021 - Recipient of The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award
/ref>
References
External links
Interview with Hugh Evans
(MP3 audio) on ''Sunday Nights'' (Australia: ABC News). 3 January 2010.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Hugh
1983 births
Living people
Activists from Melbourne
People educated at Carey Baptist Grammar School
Monash Law School alumni