Behind the Scenes: Young people practise to #TakeOver Parliament on World Children’s Day

Eight youth join UNICEF’s Youth Engagement Workshop for a chance to speak at Parliament on World Children’s Day 2023

UNICEF
Youth participant holding sign board on inclusion
UNICEF Malaysia/2023
12 December 2023
Blocks

“Remember, today’s generation is the country’s future leader.”

Youth participant at 2023 WCD Training

For almost seven decades now, World Children’s Day has been celebrated every 20th of November as a day of action for children, by children. It's the perfect date for everyone to come together and advocate for children's rights, raise awareness about challenges, celebrate achievements, promote international cooperation, and mobilize resources to improve the lives of children worldwide.

The theme for World Children’s Day 2023 was For Every Child, Every Right. On the 11th of November, UNICEF organised a Youth Engagement Workshop to coach and identify child speakers to speak in front of Members of Parliament and guests on a very special event at Parliament on the 20th of November. The event was attended by eight youths, UNICEF facilitators, and UNICEF Representative to Malaysia, Robert Gass.

These bright youths were coached on how to interview Members of Parliament. Facilitators also guided them as they crafted key messages centred around child rights. They spoke about educational challenges for disabled and refugee children, the importance of children’s mental health and ways of providing support, climate change, and so much more.

UNICEF Rep speaking to young people at a training
UNICEF Malaysia/2023/Nazir Sufari
Robert Gass, UNICEF Representative to Malaysia, welcomes the participants of the Youth Engagement Workshop.

These bright youths were coached on how to interview Members of Parliament. Facilitators also guided them as they crafted key messages centred around child rights. They spoke about educational challenges for disabled and refugee children, the importance of children’s mental health and ways of providing support, climate change, and so much more.

A UNICEF facilitator presenting a slide on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
UNICEF Malaysia/2023/Nazir Sufari
A UNICEF facilitator presenting a slide on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Participants smiling and whispering to each other during an activity at the Youth Engagement Workshop.
UNICEF Malaysia/2023/Nazir Sufari
Participants smiling and whispering to each other during an activity at the Youth Engagement Workshop.
Youth participants working on their speeches
UNICEF Malaysia/2023/Nazir Sufari
The youths are in full concentration mode as they draft their speeches. Their topics of discussion include education disadvantages, children’s mental health, and climate change, to name a few.
A girl holds a clipboard with a handwritten speech
UNICEF Malaysia/2023/Nazir Sufari
A participant is working on her speech. This opportunity for children to speak in Parliament is once in a lifetime.
A teenage girl in headscarf holding a paper
UNICEF Malaysia/2023/Nazir Sufari
A participant presents her speech which includes the call to take children’s mental health seriously.
A teen girl receiving a UNICEF t-shirt from a UNICEF facilitator.
UNICEF Malaysia/2023/Nazir Sufari
The young people collecting their complementary UNICEF t-shirts.
Group photo of all the young people who joined the training and their facilitators.
UNICEF Malaysia/2023/Nazir Sufari
Participants don their UNICEF t-shirts for a photo op at the end of the workshop.

Want to know how the event went down on the 20th? Check out the highlight video and more content to come!

UNICEF Malaysia