BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Ambassador for the blue

By Solemei Scamaroni, age 16 | February 25, 2022

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FOR THE CHILDREN Solemei Scamaroni, a sophomore at The Village School, moderated during the Global Forum for Children and Youth hosted by UNICEF.

Last summer, on a sun-cracked road off the shores of Corsica, my grandfather recounted his “blue” story. He described his days as a United Nations (UN) peacekeeper, telling tales of his work with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which uses the color blue to support the rights of children worldwide.

During his joyous storytelling, he handed me his blue beret adorned with his golden UN pin. I didn’t know it then, but five months later that jeweled pin would crown my blue story. It would sit upon my chest as I addressed the executive director of UNICEF and other delegates on the topic of safeguarding children's rights, as a co-moderator for the Group of Friends of Children and the Sustainable Development Goals session during the first Global Forum for Children and Youth.

That journey began months earlier when I was chosen as one of The Village Schools’ two NAE-UNICEF ambassadors. This opportunity allowed me to participate in the 2021 High-Level Political Forum, where I led the World Children’s Day Workshop for the Americas region. I was then offered the chance to moderate a session at the first Global Forum for Children and Youth.

On Dec. 8, weeks of planning came to fruition when I delivered my opening speech on the session's theme, “From Global Champions to Local Action.” I expressed that while the Covid-19 pandemic continues to disrupt progress on our Sustainable Development Goals, it is vital that our leaders work for the 2.2 billion children who will one day inherit the earth. I listened and commented on different ambassadors’ commitments to child rights, including the right to a comprehensive education.

As someone who is fascinated with the inner workings of the diplomacies that govern our world, this glimpse into an environment populated by change-makers who, regardless of cultural differences, unite to uphold human rights, was an incredibly uplifting experience. To know that my youthful perspective, if even briefly, commanded the stage of discourse that shapes children’s reality globally is indescribable. Today, my grandfather’s UN pin sits upon my desk, a symbol of resolve to bring about positive change and continue my “blue” story.

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