Last November, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon appointed entertainer Monique Coleman as the first ever UN Youth Champion. Coleman is one of the stars of the High School Musical franchise, a hugely popular global sensation. Since her appointment last year, , Coleman has been touring the world with a message of hope, resilience and promise for the world’s youth.
She visited more than 20 countries in five continents as part of her world tour.
Coleman’s latest stop was Washington DC. On Thursday, she sat on a panel at the United Nations Foundation with Nicole Goldin Senior Advisor, Policy, Planning and Learning Bureau, USAID; Ashok Regmi Director of Youth Action Net, an initiative of the International Youth Foundation; Aaron Sherinian Vice President, Communications and Public Relations, United Nations Foundation. The panel discussed the unique challenges young people around the world face–and what they are doing to empower themselves to overcome these challenges.
Coleman seemed to very much shine in her role as UN Youth Champion. Here are some photos from the event, courtesy of the UN Foundation.
Also be sure to check out Coleman’s newest venture: Gimme Mo, an online talk show that focuses on issues of concern to today’s youth.