International Youth Day spotlight:

Rashid still remembers the cassette tape.

As a teenager in Mwanza, he recorded a sample radio programme with his friend, dreaming of hearing their voices on air. Clutching the tape in their hands, they walked to a local radio station, convinced this could be the opportunity that changed everything.

The radio staff looked at them and politely said, "We'll call you.

Rashid waited. But the phone never rang.

For many young people, rejection is where the story ends.

For Rashid, it became the beginning.

Growing up in Mwanza, Rashid attended a local primary school where his teachers noticed something long before he did. Whenever it was time to read aloud, they would ask Rashid to stand in front of the class.

"My teachers always chose me to read books aloud because they liked the way I read," he recalls with a smile.

At the time, it felt like nothing more than another classroom exercise.

"I never realised those moments were helping me find my voice."

By the time he reached secondary school, Rashid had become fascinated by the voices coming through his family's radio.

"I used to listen to radio presenters with so much admiration, the way they used their voices and the way they asked important questions," he says. "I would think to myself, if they could tell stories that reached thousands of people, why can’t I?"

His first attempt at breaking into radio didn't go the way he had hoped. But rather than giving up, it strengthened his determination to keep searching for an opportunity.

Soon afterwards, a classmate who knew about Rashid’s passion introduced him to the Mwanza Youth and Children Network (MYCN), a UNICEF-supported initiative where young people were equipped with journalism and storytelling skills through the Young and Youth Reporters Network.

This time, someone said yes.

What followed was an opportunity to build the skills behind storytelling. Rashid learned how to record audio, interview different people, report responsibly and edit stories. Those lessons would become the foundation for everything that followed.

In 2019, another opportunity came knocking. UNICEF had selected Rashid to join its team of young digital storytellers. That meant travelling to Dar es Salaam for training, his very first flight.

"It was amazing!" he says, breaking into a smile. "I have never been on a plane before. I remember laughing the entire flight because it felt so unreal."

Somewhere above the clouds, the dream that had once seemed so distant began to feel possible. The teenager who had once waited for a phone call that never came was now flying across the country because someone had recognised his potential and invested in his skills.

Over the years, Rashid's journey continued to evolve. He grew from a young digital storyteller into a youth reporter, facilitator and advocate for children's rights. In early 2026, he completed an internship with the United Nations Secretariat before helping develop content for UNICEF's No Collabo campaign to end corporal punishment. Each new opportunity challenged him to grow, strengthening not only his storytelling skills, but also his confidence, leadership and ability to connect with people.

Those experiences shaped the way Rashid thinks about storytelling today. They also prepared him for the next chapter of his journey when he joined storytellers and creators from across Africa at the UNICEF Co-Creation Storytelling Workshop in Nairobi.

There, surrounded by young communicators using little more than mobile phones and microphones, he was reminded that powerful stories do not depend on expensive equipment.

They depend on authenticity.

"I was so inspired by seeing creators from across Africa producing powerful content with simple tools just as I do, which shows that the skills you build, the stories you tell and the willingness to keep learning are what truly matters."

Looking back, Rashid no longer sees the unanswered phone call as the moment his dream slipped away. He sees it as the moment that pushed him to keep learning.

Every opportunity that followed, from a UNICEF-supported youth reporters' network to becoming a digital storyteller, an intern with the United Nations Secretariat and a youth advocate, helped him build new skills, grow in confidence and believe in his own potential.

Today, Rashid understands that opportunities do more than open doors. They help young people discover what they are capable of. And now, he is doing for others what those opportunities once did for him: helping the next generation find their own voice.