“Volunteerism is at the core of how diverse groups of young people are passionately seeking social transformation around them,” says Kabelo Botlhe Dikobe (Botswana), an alumna from the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication who had the honor of sharing her UN volunteer experience on behalf of youth volunteers at the General Assembly Informal Commemorative Meeting to mark the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Volunteers Programme and the 20th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers.

Making a convincing case for leveraging data to solve social problems, Dikobe underlined volunteerism as an entry point to address complex socio-economic challenges through new models of volunteering with online connectivity. “Volunteers could use big data productively to further review existing challenges and empower community-led monitoring.”

As an advocate for equal women’s representation in the media and environmental protection, she has extensive experience in global communications and journalism, once being a contributing freelance journalist for China Daily’s global edition. In April last year, she joined UN Women, where she shares her voice, passion, and commitment to gender equality.