From a person that struggled to feel part of a completely new community that Scotland was to her, to being immersed in her newfound home through volunteering, at only 18 years old, Daniela has achieved an incredible amount in uplifting the voices of young people across Renfrewshire and, more widely, Scotland through her previous role as Vice Chair of Renfrewshire Youth Voice, with whom she is also now a Trustee, and now as a Member of Scottish Youth Parliament.

She has put her personal stamp on all the advocacy work she does – challenging and consulting with young people to make positive change. Such as facilitating a ‘Welcome to Your Vote’ event for hundreds of young people across different schools in Renfrewshire, in order to reinforce the importance of voting and how critical youth voices are in deciding the future of the planet. Similarly, she was part of steering group for the ‘Celebrating Renfrewshire Fund’ to review applications and allocate funding to local groups of young people, helping youth groups with the application and their role as steering group members.

As a Member of Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP), Daniela is the former Convener of the Health, Wellbeing and Sport Committee and was also a member of ‘The Movement’- a research project to consider how SYP could lead the way as an anti-racist organisation which centres the voices of ethnic minority young people across the organisation’s work. The recommendations acquired led to the forming of the ‘anti-racism champions (ARC)’.

As an anti-racism champion, Daniela has worked with her fellow MSYPs to create a training for the whole membership. All her work helped her succeed in one of her aims of providing young people with a safe and friendly environment to participate in youth voice activities and ensuring they have a say in decision-making at both local and national levels, driven by her innate belief in making the world a better place.