Daniel Adams

As a high school student, Daniel Adams spent a few weeks living with a family in a remote jungle province of Papua New Guinea. He was struck by the poverty in which the vast majority of his neighbours lived and soon after decided to become a part of the global effort to end extreme poverty.

Daniel became an active member of The Oaktree Foundation, a youth-run development organisation, and after finishing his Year 12 exams, travelled to Canberra with 200 young Australians to speak to political leaders about the role Australia could play in fighting poverty. Soon after, Daniel conceived of an idea to hold a concert with the objective of uniting and inspiring a generation of Australians to get behind the global Make Poverty History movement.

In January 2006, during the early planning stages of the concert, Daniel went on a surfing holiday to Samoa. After injuring himself on a coral reef, he developed a serious blood infection and was admitted to a local hospital, delirious, and with an extremely high temperature. However, the hospital did not have the medicine Daniel needed, so he was flown back to an Australian hospital to receive treatment and was there restored to health. Daniel was acutely aware that the outcome would have been different if he had not had the opportunity to come home to Australia and this inspired him to press on with the plans for the concert.

After months of tireless planning, mobilising teams of volunteers and negotiating with some of the world’s highest profile bands, Daniel’s vision became a reality on the night of 17 November 2006 – the eve of the G-20 meeting of economic leaders in Melbourne.

More than 14,000 Australians gathered at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl to hear Bono, Eddie Vedder from Peal Jam, Jet, Evermore, Eskimo Joe, Paul Kelly, the Hilltop Hoods, the John Butler Trio, Sarah Blasko and more rock out to spread the Make Poverty History message.

The concert was broadcast live on radio and screened nationally, raising awareness about the campaign to Make Poverty History and inspiring Australians all over the country to get active.

Daniel is now studying at university after returning from South Africa where he worked on local projects designed to educate and empower young people.