VOICES FOR CHANGE

The young leaders driving a new vision for Thailand

- STORY: NATTHA KEENAPAN PHOTOS: THANYASIT INGKHAYUTWITTAYA

When Kemjira Jehba was diagnosed with depression at age 12, her world became quiet.

The kind of quiet where pain goes unnoticed and stigma speaks louder than understanding. It took years of therapy, self-reflection and courage for her to find her voice again. Now aged 20, she's using it to help build a world where mental health is not feared but understood.

Jeyda, as she’s known, is a second-year medical student at Prince of Songkla University. She is also one of the 35 young people selected to serve on Unicef Thailand’s Young People Advisory Board (YPAB) for 2025/26 — a platform launched by Unicef in 2021 to ensure youth voices actively shape policies and programmes that affect their lives.

The YPAB brings together members from diverse backgrounds, including children living in urban and remote areas, stateless children and children with disabilities.

“Driving change has to be a collective effort,” said Jeyda. “Being here made me realise I’m not alone. I met people who also want to create change in society and that gave me hope.”

Last month, Unicef hosted a three-day YPAB Leadership and Advocacy Camp in Bangkok. The camp brought together young leaders aged 14 to 22, chosen from over 400 applicants across Thailand. Over the course of workshops, discussions and community visits, the YPAB members explored key social issues — including mental health, child protection, education, climate and participation — while learning from national experts, Unicef staff and one another.

For Jeyda, the experience was about more than just learning. It offered healing.

“One powerful lesson I gained was seeing the beauty in people — not from how they look, but through their stories,” she said. “Some shared things they had never told anyone before. That reminded me that everyone has value.”