The Assembly of Youth is a digital installation at the UN General Assembly that brings the voices of real children from all over the world to the attention of World Leaders.

Using ‘U-Report’, UNICEF’s social monitoring tool, we sent thought-provoking questions to a network of children in developing countries and invited them to respond for free using mobile phones.

Google technology then delivered their messages to the physical installation in the main entrance of the UN, representing an assembly of global youth.

The installation was made up of a series of figures - each representing a real child, speaking out about what matters to them. Each figure displayed messages via a screen built into the unit. They also “spoke” their messages via discreet in-built speakers.

They were designed and arranged to mirror the layout of the general assembly hall, symbolising a newly formed assembly of children, representing their individual nations

The digital installation ran in the lobby of the UN General Assembly in New York, on 25-30 September 2015 during the UN Global Goals Summit.

It was designed to grab the attention and minds of the 150+ UN member World Leaders as they made their way into the general assembly to initiate talks. In addition to World Leaders, The Pope and 300 Cardinals also attended the Summit and visited the installation.

The installation confronted some of the most powerful decision makers with the real voices of over 1 million [U-Reporters] children from around the world: provoking world leaders to take action for every child in danger.

In addition to world leaders and the Pope, the installation reached people far beyond the walls of the UN - with a global press conference lead by David Beckham, Ban Ki-Moon (Secretary General of the UN) and Tony Lake (Exec Director of UNICEF), that went on to reach more than a billion people worldwide.