Getting involved with UNICEF

There are many different ways of getting involved with UNICEF and supporting the goals of the organization.

Voices of Youth

Becoming a member of Voices of Youth and joining in the discussions in Speak out is one important way of participating. UNICEF wants to give all children and young people around the world the opportunity to speak out. We take notice of what you say!

And here are a few examples of how:

  • All UNICEF staff and thousands of policy makers and decision makers around the world read what young people have to say in Voices of Youth’s bimonthly newsletter, What Young People Are Saying.
  • Your comments and suggestions are included in many UNICEF publications, including the flagship annual report The State of the World’s Children.
  • At United Nations conferences and events, multi-media slideshows of Voices of Youth discussions help inform delegates.

Sending in content to Voices of Youth — articles, poems or other pieces of writing, as well as reports of action you have taken — is another great way to get involved. Your contributions will help shape Voices of Youth so that it can continue to be a leading website for young people – and give others ideas for how to make a difference.

Partnerships

Building partnerships with appropriate local, national or international organizations, including UNICEF, or starting your own group, can be good ways of supporting UNICEF's goals. 

Volunteers

UNICEF volunteers range from  celebrity representatives to interns who work in our offices, supporters who staff UNICEF stores, and children and young people who go door-to-door to raise funds 'Trick or Treating for UNICEF'.

UNICEF does not recruit volunteers directly, but UNICEF National Committees in industrialized countries can provide information on volunteer activities within those countries.

For more information about interns — university graduates gaining supervised work experience with UNICEF — see the Internship Programme pages on the main UNICEF website.

If you have an undergraduate degree, several years of work experience and are interested in long-term volunteer opportunities in developing countries, you may be eligible for entry into the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme. This is a United Nations common programme, which recruits volunteers for assignments throughout the United Nations system, including UNICEF. Details are available at the UNV website.

UNICEF does not provide scholarships, fellowships or grants.

Donations

If you would like to raise funds for UNICEF or another appropriate organisation, see Donations for information how to make a donation to UNICEF.

Employment

The UNICEF Employment pages have details of all current job opportunities within the organisation, and the qualifications required.

There are two special programmes for young people. The Junior Professional Programme for young people who are interested in gaining experience in international development. Junior Professional Officers are sponsored by their country to work for UNICEF.

The Young Professional Programme recruits young talent with the potential to grow into managerial and leadership positions within the organisation. Successful applicants are directly employed by UNICEF.

Other United Nations opportunities for young people

For information about opportunities throughout the United Nations system, check out the United Nations Youth Site.

Note: All links are external