MAHDLO Youth Zone welcomed 10 international exchange students through its doors as it joined global and nationwide celebrations for International Youth Day.
Founded by the United Nations and celebrated on August 12 each year, International Youth Day is designed to draw attention to issues impacting young people across the world.
This year, Mahdlo teamed up with Oldham Metro Rotary to welcome 10 international exchange students into the youth zone, on Egerton Street, during their trip to the UK.
The young people, from countries including Slovakia, France, Poland, Lithuania, and the USA, were invited to take a tour and meet some of Mahdlo’s team and members, explore some of the activities on offer and discuss around what it is like to be a young person in 2025.
Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Eddie Moores, spent time chatting with the students about their experiences of being a young person in their home countries.
As part of its celebrations of International Youth Day, Mahdlo has also interviewed members attending its Juniors, Seniors and Holiday Zone sessions. Young people were asked a series of light-hearted questions, such as their favourite activities to get involved with and who their role models are.
Members were also asked to describe their feelings on being a young person today, what they would like to see their generation change about the world and the issues they face on a daily basis.
Lucy Lees, CEO of Mahdlo Youth Zone, commented: “As a charity for young people, we ensure their voices are at the heart of everything we do day in and day out, but International Youth Day serves as an incredibly important reminder of just how much impact young people have on today’s world and that they will have in the future.
“To guarantee we create a world that’s fit for the next generation, we need to get into the minds of today’s young people – understanding the issues as they see them, learning from the challenges they face and empowering them to voice their opinion on what needs to change.
“We’re incredibly proud to have done just that with our members and other young people from across the world and we’re excited to continue supporting young people as they move into adulthood.”
For more information about Mahdlo Youth Zone, visit: www.mahdloyz.org