Mariam the voice of youth for UK

Oldham youth councillor Mariam Waseem speaks in a debate in Strasbourg.

OLDHAM youth councillor Mariam Waseem has represented the UK at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

The former Oldham Sixth Form College student attended the 29th session of the congress of local and regional authorities as a youth delegate.

The Council of Europe promotes human rights, democracy and the rule of law in 47 member states.

The meeting was at the Palace of Europem with issues covering the voting age, radicalisation and extremism, refugee and migrant crises, children’s rights in austerity, among others.

Mariam (20) is a British Youth Council trustee taking a gap year to engage in her political career. She is applying to do government and European Union studies at university.

She said: “It was fantastic. We were allowed to sit in the main debating chamber and were involved in the debate.”