Young Ambassadors

Our Young Ambassadors are passionate, motivated and empowered.

The UNICEF Australia Young Ambassador program gives young people aged 15-24 the opportunity to speak up for children’s rights and what matters to Australia’s young people. Recruited from across the country, participants will be trained in leadership, advocacy, media and communications, and meaningfully engaging with other children and young people.  

This 18-month volunteer program will have a particular emphasis on UNICEF Australia’s Domestic Policy and Advocacy Priority Areas of Climate Change & Disasters, First Nations Social Justice & Digital Safety and Wellbeing with opportunities to use lived and living experience to support major campaigns. 

This is your chance to speak up for a fair Australia that protects and supports every child.

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Young Ambassadors Program

What do the Young Ambassadors do? 

Each year, Young Ambassadors hear from children and young people in their communities and then raise these issues with our nation’s key decision-makers. They also support other broad areas of UNICEF Australia’s work as spokespeople at conferences and events like the ICC T20 World Cup. 

Successful candidates will have a passion for youth voice, have lived and living experiences on issues affecting young people, enjoy working in both a team-based and independent capacity, and supports social justice for marginalized children and young people. 

They will also be able to commit to 3-5 hours per month, with increased engagement at different times of the year, and to attend an in-person Induction Week to take place in June/July (dependent on the availability of Young Ambassadors). 

In November 2022, the Young Ambassadors launched the Designing the Future report to Ministers and MPs at Parliament House in Canberra. This report is the culmination of a year's policy design work with the input for 2000 young Australians.

In June 2021, the Young Ambassadors launched ‘Children’s Voices in a Changing World’, the final report of a three-part series during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the child-friendly version here.

The surveys gathered the opinions of 4,078 young people aged seven to 20 years old from around the nation, over a 12-month period. These findings were presented to the nation's leaders in Canberra. 

^{If you are under 18 years of age you need to seek permission from your parent or guardian to participate in the program.} 

© UNICEF Australia/2022/Labade

Meet our 2022 Young Ambassadors

From mental health advocates to former refugees, these incredible young people have come together from across Australia to raise the voices of the children and young people.