A crew of 32 volunteers aged under 26 have begun a pilgrimage by bus from Melbourne to the national capital to present their case to the government for greater foreign aid.

Ballarat was their first port of call on Sunday as they met with young people at the Youth Action Space in Buninyong. 

There they interacted with BMX riders and other park users with a view to “ignite” their interest in ending world poverty.

The volunteers are part of a co-ordinated Roadtrip which will see 200 participants converge on Canberra from each state capital city.

There they will join a panel with politicians, along with representatives from Care Australia and Fairtrade Australia, to present a petition urging the government to act on world poverty.

“The point of the Roadtrip is to raise awareness. It’s to get governments to increase money for foreign aid to end extreme poverty,” Oaktree volunteer Emma Clampett said.

“It’s about igniting the conversation with Ballarat youth and get them to support the petition, to show there is widespread public support for ending poverty,” she said.

The Oaktree Foundation is a youth-led, not-for-profit organisation. 

The Melbourne bus will leave Ballarat for Daylesford and Bendigo on Monday, passing through Shepparton and Albury before arriving in Canberra on Wednesday.

It has established a Facebook account for the Roadtrip, along with a social media campaign with #EndPoverty and #Roadtrip2014.