How do young people break the silence?Changing deeply rooted social norms often begins with conversations many people avoid.

Until recently, planning costs across multiple donors, countries, and assignments meant pulling together data from different systems and spending hours on manual calculations. The ICT data team set out to change that. Working closely with colleagues across UNV—including administration, finance and more—the data team developed a comprehensive Cost Planning Tool that brings financial, volunteer and planning data into a single platform. 

“The challenge was clear: how do we expand our message in a meaningful way without overextending the team?” Running a high-frequency campaign across multiple social media platforms for three months takes time, consistency and sustained effort. “Our goals were ambitious. We wanted to educate, raise awareness, convince and inspire people about the United Nations. But our resources were limited,” shared Ahmed Ben Lassoued. Organic reach on social media is hard to scale, especially with such a diverse audience. 

From Guinea to Nicaragua, from North Macedonia to Uzbekistan, and from Australia to Peru, these Online Volunteers who joined the campaign come from geographically diverse places. Some are students, others are professionals. They are connected by a shared belief that peace begins with dialogue.As these Online Volunteers are the experts and influencers within their communities, they are able to lead peace and security dialogues that are tailored to the specific context in which they are set.

Some of the most demanding parts of her role are not immediately visible. Translating technical investment programmes into clear, accessible language requires more than accuracy—it requires judgment.“It’s not always easy to break those down and explain them in a simple way,” Alissa explains.Staying closely connected to technical teams has become essential, allowing her to refine messages and avoid misinterpretation. It is a continuous process of alignment—one that ensures communication reflects reality without oversimplifying it.