“Don’t let them out of the room until you get answers. We need to go beyond children showing up and participating. We need answers. Speak up, stand up, don’t let them out of the rooms until you get answers.”
This wasn't a gentle welcome. It was a call to action delivered to a room full of youth advocates, a strong directive to move past polite participation and demand commitments. It's a quote that captured my mission at the UN General Assembly this year.
My mission, as the Chief of Advocacy and Communication for UNICEF Ghana, joining as one of the facilitators for the UNICEF Youth Advocates Mobilization Lab happening on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), was focused precisely on living up to that mandate: moving beyond token youth participation. I came to New York, invited to support the Lab, not just to share my experiences and lessons, but to help strengthen the voices of 13 Youth Advocates who are changing the narrative from the ground up.
It was an honor to finally be part of this lab. Over the past few years, the UNICEF Youth Advocates Mobilization Lab, led by the Youth Engagement team in UNICEF Headquarters, a wing of the UNICEF communication and advocacy division, has provided safe space and opportunities for countless youth advocates. Their work is remarkable: they successfully bring together young people from diverse backgrounds and provide them with direct access to leaders and decision-makers in so many rooms during UNGA. I hope this vital platform continues for years to come.
My perspective is shaped by two experiences: my earlier life as a journalist committed to being a ‘voice of the voiceless,’ and my years working with advocates in the field, particularly during my role as Head of Communication with UNICEF Sudan. Where I had the privilege to shape the youth advocacy portfolio in Sudan by appointing the first youth advocates there in 2019. They all brought something to the table, but Makhtoum will always stand out for me for his personal story and his ability to connect and demand change from decision makers.
These roles taught me an undeniable truth: perspective is key. No communications strategy, no matter how polished, can match the power of a young person telling their own story. The most critical tool in advocacy isn't jargon or knowing the bureaucracy of policy influence, but authentic human voices.
This also taught me a crucial lesson: The Global South must own its narrative. We must control the lens through which our stories of strength, challenge and innovation are viewed, because if we don't, others will define our reality for us.
This core principle drove my support at the Lab, where the focus of my session was: You have to own your story, shape your narrative, and tell it yourself, because no one else can or will.
Our mandate was to ensure that the Youth Advocates had the skills and the platforms, because if they don't shift the narrative, no one will.
A Challenge That Cut Through the Noise
The energy of the 13 Youth Advocates was truly a joy to witness. As the first day of the Lab commenced, I was struck by the raw honesty of the "My Autobiography" session. These advocates were sharing the deep, personal forces driving their work, from a mother breaking generational vicious cycles in Kenya to the fierce fight for climate justice in the Pacific.
It was into this atmosphere that the acting UNICEF Director of the Division of Global Communication and Advocacy delivered a message that resonated with me deeply as both a communicator and an advocate for youth empowerment:
“Don’t let them out of the room until you get answers. We need to go beyond children showing up and participating. We need answers. Speak up, stand up, don’t let them out of the rooms until you get answers.”
This wasn't just a welcome; it was a call to action. It validated their right to demand tangible commitments.
The Power of the Authentic Messenger
The shared vulnerability of that first day immediately fueled our strategic work. The power of authenticity, especially from the Global South, was crystal clear.
Take Zunaira from Pakistan. She shared her journey as the first girl in her community to pursue an education with her late father's support, going against the community and fueling her ambition to one day be the UN Secretary-General. Her goal isn’t a simple career plan; it’s a path wrapped in an unbreakable personal narrative.
She shared with her fellow advocates how the floods affected her village in Pakistan and how climate change affects children and does not just wipe away buildings and schools, but memories and dreams, which leaves many children, including herself, with a lifelong trauma where the drizzle of rain, instead of bringing joy, became a fear.
This impact was further reinforced during a session where we heard from Ramesh, a polio survivor and advocate from Canada with roots in India. His testimony demonstrated how a single, authentic story can break through years of resistance. Ramesh shared his experience trying to convince reluctant parents during a door-to-door polio campaign in India.
He spoke about how not getting the vaccine affected his life and his ability to walk, and how his campaigning against Polio continues to prevent children who don’t get the vaccine from becoming "crawlers of the world." He recounted a pivotal moment where a mother initially slammed the door in his face, only to reopen it minutes later, holding her two children and agreeing to have them vaccinated. His lived experience, more than any statistic or policy brief, was the key to changing her mind and saving her children's lives.
When Zunaira, speaking on a high-level panel for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health, told a room full of leaders and decision makers, "Give us a seat at the table. Policy makers need to talk to us and not just for us," it became our mantra. It’s the highest form of communication: demanding to be heard because their lived experience is the most urgent, accurate data available.
Bringing the Lessons Back to Ghana
The rest of the week was dedicated to giving these youth advocate the technical skills to match their advocacy focus and path, from Media Training and Crafting Key Messages to Social Media Content Creation.
Now, as I am back in UNICEF Ghana, this first UNGA experience has provided an invaluable perspective. Particularly now that UNICEF Ghana has appointed its first two youth advocates Fafali and Fatima. I’m energized to embed these lessons even deeper into our office’s overall youth engagement strategy. My goal is to ensure our youth-led advocacy in Ghana is strategic, sustainable, and utterly authentic.
We are moving beyond simply consulting young people; we will be co-creating campaigns and programs with them, solidifying platforms where Ghanaian youth advocates can confidently tell their stories on issues like mental health, nutrition, health, inclusion, sanitation, protection, and education equity.
My first UNGA experience affirmed that the greatest communication assets we have are the young people themselves. Our job is to listen, equip, and get out of the way. When youth own the narrative, the entire world pays attention.
