Youth on the Move Programme
The UNICEF UNV Youth on the Move Programme gives opportunities to talented and passionate refugees, asylum seekers, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and migrants aged between 20 and 32 years to work with UNICEF through a 12-month paid UN Volunteer assignment. This initiative aims to create a more inclusive environment at UNICEF for talented and passionate youth on the move who due to their migration or displacement face barriers to access UNICEF and other organizations' internships and entry-level positions.
The YoM UNV programme was designed as a win-win.
Participating in the programme provided UNVs with an opportunity to enhance their work skills, develop their career goals, and establish invaluable connections, while UNICEF was able to engage UNVs directly in the organization’s work, making them an integral part of what UNICEF does, and helping strengthen the quality of UNICEF programmes focused on children and young people on the move.
MYCP's role in the program
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Mentorship program
We help UNVs by offering clear guidance and training. The program is 12 months long. The first 2 months focus on orientation with peer buddies. Then, each UNV has a peer mentor for 6 months. Every 3 months, we check their progress and see if they want to continue or switch mentors.
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Capacity building sessions
We increase understanding of migration topics, policy, and governance, providing practical skills for professional growth. Highlight youth leadership and experience through peer-to-peer learning, enabling young people to learn from others in similar situations.
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Duolingo English Text
Many challenges for youth on the move come from barriers to opportunities. To help, MYCP and Duolingo offer 120 Duolingo English Test scholarships, recognized by many global institutions as proof of English proficiency for admissions.
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Opportunity Guides
We launched the Global Opportunities Guide 1 & 2 for Youth on the Move, a foundation for the world's largest database of learning, training, and career opportunities for migrant, refugee, and displaced youth.
Impact
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36
Fellows working on different UNICEF country and regional offices around the world
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5
Alumnis are enrolled in university
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5
Alumni are actively engaged in volunteering in their communities
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11
Alumni are employed working with UNICEF, partner organizations or in other fields.
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120
English text scholarships were secured with Duolingo for youth people on the move from a pool of 1300 applications
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50
Peer mentors and peer buddies who helped fellows-UNVs with their professional development, selected from a pool of 1,400+ applications.
Latest report
What is the YOM?
YOUTH ON THE MOVE PROGRAMThe UNICEF UNV Youth on the Move Program builds on the success of the Youth on the Move Fellowship Pilot Program, which was implemented by UNICEF in partnership with the Migration Youth and Children Platform. Under this pilot, 23 young people from refugee and displaced backgrounds from different nationalities worked with UNICEF country offices and teams worldwide between October 2022 and June 2024.
A snapshot of the history