UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein, in partnership with media brand 20 Minuten awarded the “Voice of Youth” price for the first time. The award honours a young person who, over the past year, has distinguished themselves through extraordinary achievements and dedicated commitment, serving as a role model for their generation.
With the “Voice of Youth” award, UNICEF will annually highlight young people who embody courage, responsibility, and inspiration. Together with 20 Minuten – one of Switzerland’s most important news platforms for young people – the award reaches a wide audience and carries special resonance.
The 2025 winner is Mahbube Ibrahimi (21). As a teenager, she fled to Switzerland by herself, where she is now completing her “Matura” diploma. Despite major challenges, she quickly gained access to education in her new home – driven by an unshakable will to learn and a desire to give back. In 2023, she founded the educational project “Wild Flower”, an online school that opens a window to the world for girls and women in Afghanistan by providing access to lessons in languages, computer science, and other subjects. With “Growing Together”, she also launched a project that raises awareness of gender equality among men living in Swiss asylum centres, sparking crucial dialogue on women’s rights.
The selection process
The selection of the “Voice of Youth” followed several stages:
- Pre-selection: Candidates were nominated by 20 Minuten editorial teams, its readership, UNICEF staff and the UNICEF Youth Community.
- Nomination vote: From these proposals, a shortlist of eight names was compiled. Through an online poll, 20 Minuten readers selected the five finalists.
- Jury decision: The final choice was made by a jury consisting of UNICEF ambassador Bastian Baker, the 20 Minuten’s editor-in-chief, and the UNICEF Youth Community.
The award ceremony took place at the 20 Minuten newsroom in Zurich, with the attendance of 20 Minuten’s editor-in-chief Désirée Pomper and Bettina Junker, Executive Director of UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Mahbube Ibrahimi: “Being honoured as the very first ‘Voice of Youth’ is for me an honor and a powerful recognition of my commitment. In Switzerland, I have found a new home and received so much support to make a positive difference for girls and women who have no voice, and who are denied education, political participation, and personal freedom.”
Bettina Junker: “It fills me with optimism to see young people who, with passion and commitment, drive change forward. Mahbube Ibrahimi have overcome the challenges of displacement, showing with determination and dedication that obstacles can be turned into opportunities. She embodies courage, inspiration and responsibility. These values that are essential for our shared future.”
Désirée Pomper: “I am deeply impressed by Mahabube’s sense of responsibility and her hunger for education. When she came to Switzerland at the age of 16, during the lockdown, she taught herself German with YouTube videos and managed to enter high school. Equally admirable is that, after the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan, she decided to fight the oppression of women with her secret online school ‘Wild Flower’ and to strengthen their participation in society.
