It was a day of youthful vigor in a quiet and charming corner of the Soho Istanbul, right beside the famous Pera Palace at peaceful midday as a UNICEF Turkey representative sat down with internationally renowned Belgian-Turkish singer Hadise to announce the revered public personality's cooperation with the child charity organization as its newest Child Rights Advocate with some of the most pressing issues of today's world being the big talking points and targets of action.

It was also a special occasion to celebrate the voices of youth with two young and bright minds taking the platform to express themselves, their perspectives and the issues that they face.

The problems that children and youth have to deal with are numerous, from hunger, malnutrition, abuse, and lack of education to lack of opportunities. However, one of the most uniquely challenging issues to tackle is the ever-rising presence of cyber-bullying in our age of almost always online lives.

"Maybe you'll forget most things about me after this meeting," said 16-year-old Nehir as she was given the floor. "Therefore, I want to touch upon a subject that I want you to remember, that I know you will remember."

Bullying is more than just a fleeting word employed to describe the negative effects enforced by someone powerful on someone weak but is a concrete act that can shape the personality of an individual. "And it can take many shapes," Nehir said.

"Peer bullying, which I have myself experienced too and has left deep impressions on me and which I see so often around me, is a form of violence that has psychological and physical impacts," she continued.

Unfortunately, children experience such instances of bullying more than we can ever imagine. As technology advanced the concept of bullying did not go away but rather shapeshifted into new forms, and in the era of social platforms it has now become the plague more commonly termed "cyber-bullying."

It has become a relentless barrage of abuse that can leave deep psychological scars on children and can lead to physical reactions in the real world. Self-harm is unfortunately an ever-present and ever-looming danger as the psychological damage of such bullying results so often in mental health issues like depression with unpredictable physical ramifications.

Spotting such instances of bullying can be much harder than real-world bullying that occurs in schools or playgrounds as the social journeys of children through the internet is more often than not a blind spot in the eyes of children's families and friends. We are likely to be oblivious to our children's, siblings' or friends' ongoings in the virtual spheres without direct access to the abusive messages that they might receive.

Once spotted though, the responsibility to support children against bullying – cyber or otherwise – "falls sometimes on a friend, sometimes on a parent, but always on all of us," and support and love and care are crucial elements in the fight against bullying, as Nehir pointed out.

"In this process, we all have big roles," Nehir noted. One of the biggest of which falls on people like Hadise who is "the idol of many of us," who can reach millions with their voices and can set examples to many, she said.

"A healthy child means a healthy future," Nehir concluded.

The other young voice that was given a platform was the 17-year-old Resul, who pulled the focus to education with an unfortunate situation that he himself had witnessed as one his friends dropped out of school without any reason.

"Children need access to more fair (education) opportunities," Resul said. "The most important point in this regard is to reach families and parents, to raise their educational awareness."

In raising such an awareness having a personality like Hadise on board provides crucial help to the cause, Resul noted.

"We, the children, with our differences and variety are a light, a star and we can do things that are beyond our imagination. We just need adult people who understand us and support us and work with us," he concluded.

When the time for the adults to speak came, Hadise's message was simple yet important. "Children learn what they see," she said.

"So, let's be role models to all children and adolescents of Turkey and resolve issues through constructive dialogue. Let's also provide every child in this country with quality, inclusive education, adequate social protection, free cultural and sports activities, and learning opportunities so that they can find decent jobs as adults and break the cycle of poverty."

Becoming a UNICEF Child Rights Advocate has been something she dreamed about for years and has been an honor that she waited until the right moment to receive, Hadise said.

When asked by Daily Sabah what made this moment in time the right moment, she said that she was now much more experienced and had often had interactions just like Nehir and Resul described.

"The bullying did not end when (I) became Hadise," she said. "Like everyone I have experienced very challenging moments and very happy moments. Sometimes I fell, sometimes I rose. So, I know very well (now) what falling is like – in every meaning of the word, both physically and mentally."

A decade ago when she was 26 years old, it would have been too early but now, after so much life experience, Hadise said that she knew herself and that it was the right moment to take such a step.

The youth is impressionable beyond our understanding. So, we desperately need the likes of Hadise to help causes for education and standing against bullying, being a beacon of hope and inspiration to children everywhere.

Here's to hoping that the partnership of the famed singer and UNICEF is a fruitful one that will last for years to come.