Mahdlo Youth Zone welcomed 10 international exchange students through its doors Tuesday as part of global International Youth Day celebrations, giving young people from six countries a firsthand look at British youth services.

The visitors—from Slovakia, France, Poland, Lithuania, the USA and other nations—toured the Oldham facility, joined activities alongside local members and swapped stories about life as a young person in 2025. Oldham Metro Rotary partnered with Mahdlo to arrange the stopover while the students are touring the UK.

Mayor Councillor Eddie Moores dropped in to meet the group, listening to their accounts of growing up in their home countries and comparing challenges faced on different continents.

Beyond the exchange visit, Mahdlo staff spent the run-up to August 12 interviewing junior, senior and holiday-zone members, recording their views on what their generation wants to change and the daily issues they confront.

Lucy Lees, CEO of Mahdlo Youth Zone, said: “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.”

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