- Gabriel, a student at Victoria Shanghai Academy, explains how the programme gave him the skills to stand up for children’s rights worldwide
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Gabriel, a member of the Unicef Young Envoys Programme, and his team present their short film during a three-day field trip to Seoul. Photo: HandoutEvery year, dozens of teens join the Unicef Young Envoys Programme, which empowers youth to advocate for children’s rights. One young envoy, Gabriel*, a student at Victoria Shanghai Academy, shared why he signed up for the leadership development programme.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of something bigger than myself, and I enjoy helping those in need,” he said, recalling how volunteering with HandsOn HK during the pandemic ignited his passion for serving the community.
“I learned about the struggles of living without permanent housing – including [being unable to fulfil] basic needs such as regular meals, adequate clothing and healthcare. It was overwhelming and humbling.”
He came across the Young Envoys Programme through an email sent from his school. One of the programme’s goals is to bring attention to the challenges children face worldwide, which struck a chord with Gabriel. He also thought it would be a good way to meet like-minded people with the same ambitions as him.
During the nearly one-year programme, Gabriel and 39 other Young Envoys took part in leadership and team-building activities. They also went on a four-day trip to Seoul to learn about children’s rights through Unicef trainings and workshops.
Importance of communication
The highlight of the programme was the GenAction project, which asked participants to develop ways to improve children’s well-being in Hong Kong.
“The theme for 2023 was the importance of positive parent-child communication,” Gabriel said. “I immediately thought of an international forum I attended at the beginning of the young envoys training, which focused on reimagining education ... and children’s mental health during the pandemic.”
The topic became the focus of Gabriel and his team’s GenAction project, which highlighted the importance of building mental resilience in children and why grades are not as important as learning.
The team of 10 envoys conducted online surveys and spoke to the public about mental health to dig deep into the subject.
He also created a five-minute short film about positive parent-child communication and how hobbies can help youth cope with stress. The film’s main character, May, is passionate about K-pop dance, but her mother wants her to focus more on her studies.
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“The purpose of the film was to show how a lack of adequate communication between parents and children can lead to negative emotions on both sides,” Gabriel explained, adding that he resonated with the film’s ending, in which the mother and daughter come to a compromise.
“Similar to May, I had my passions, and I had to negotiate with my mum about balancing my studies with extracurricular activities such as debate, squash, and playing the saxophone.”
Producing the short film gave Gabriel first-hand experience with writing scripts, and it taught him the importance of respecting different opinions and compromising to adapt to new situations.
“The process of creating this film was an exercise in mental resilience, and just like May, we had to persevere until the very end,” the teen noted.
A chance to learn
Gabriel is grateful for the opportunities the Youth Envoys Programme gave him, saying the training had given him the skills to make a difference.
A quote that I like is ‘knowledge is power’. Now that I know about the CRC [Convention of the Rights of the Child] and that children have as many rights and needs as adults, I can take action and educate others about it.”
Gabriel plans to start a club at his school to help underprivileged children, and he wants to volunteer with non-governmental organisations and become a coach for children with special needs. He is also passionate about bringing awareness to Unicef’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative, which aims to establish safer, inclusive, child-responsive cities and communities.
Gabriel encouraged teens who want to make a difference in their communities to sign up for the programme: “Again, knowledge is power. Once you have the tools and skills to make it happen, you can be the change you want to see.”
*Full name and age withheld at Unicef Hong Kong’s request.
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