UNICEF’s Voices of Youth website launched alongside with 2011 State of the World’s Children Report

28 February 2011 - UNICEF-led platform for child participation – Voices of Youth (VOY) - has been recently revamped and re-launched, coinciding with the launch of the 2011 State of the World’s Children Report: ‘Adolescence: the Age of Opportunity’.

The new website links children and adolescents in different countries to explore, speak out and take actions on the issues that affect them. It is organized thematically and offers various ways of getting involved. Individuals can check out the topics of their interest. They can share their opinions and contribute to discussions. They can also link their VOY profile with other social networks such as Twitter or Facebook.

The website undergoes continuous improvements. Currently available in English, Spanish and French, soon it will be also available in Arabic and Swahili. The website is expected to contain more resources, feature stories from young people and offer toolkits for young activists.

Voices of Youth is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a whole, and in particular by Articles 12, 13 and 29. These three articles are dedicated to ensuring young people’s rights to participate in decision making processes, to express opinions freely, and to be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about change in their own lives and in their communities.