Precious, a 15-year-old advocate from Kenya, who has experienced life in an informal settlement and advocates for sanitation, education, and dignity for girls. When she served as UNICEF Country Representative for a day, she delivered a message directly to policymakers about putting resources toward activities led by girls.

Precious is one of 15 young people now serving on UNICEF's Global Youth Health Advisory Group.

Public-health data can show what is happening. Young people can sometimes help explain why.

A vaccination rate can show that fewer children are being vaccinated. A young person in a remote community may understand that transportation, misinformation or distrust is contributing to that problem.

UNICEF's youth advisory group brings these community perspectives into larger health discussions. Its members come from different countries and backgrounds, including young advocates working in vaccination, nutrition, reproductive health, disability inclusion and health education.

This can make policies more responsive to the people they are intended to serve.

The goal is not to replace researchers, healthcare professionals or policymakers. It is to add lived experience to the evidence already being used.

Young people are creating health-education campaigns, addressing misinformation, organizing communities and communicating directly with policymakers.

In Jamaica, youth advocate Natalia has worked through UNICEF's Fix My Food campaign to advocate for healthier food policies and stronger warning labels. She has also worked on youth mental health and helped develop a call to action presented to Jamaica's Minister of Health.

In Nigeria, youth advocate Ese has worked on nutrition education and HPV vaccine misinformation while creating health content for young audiences.

These efforts demonstrate several important functions of youth advocacy:

Young people can therefore act as a bridge between health institutions and the communities they serve.

There is a difference between consultation and participation.

Consultation asks young people for their opinions.

Meaningful participation gives them a role in developing, evaluating or influencing decisions.

UNICEF USA is working to strengthen this approach through child-centered governance. Its Child Impact Statement Toolkit helps young people examine how policies affect children, develop recommendations and advocate for change. UNICEF USA has also highlighted youth advisory boards participating in local government planning and policy discussions.

These structures give youth input a pathway into government.

Youth advocacy is moving beyond “give young people a voice.”

Young people already have voices. They are organizing, educating, researching and advocating.

The bigger question is whether institutions create systems where those voices can influence decisions.

Staying informed is the first step toward creating healthier communities, stronger advocacy, and meaningful change! 🏃‍♂️

The Vytal Newsletter Team