Issue 3 of The Alpha

The Alpha Farewell Issue

71st International Session of the European Youth Parliament in Amsterdam

EDITORIAL Dear participants of the 71st International Session in Amsterdam,

The Amsterdam Media Team‘s output is not perfect. Neither are any of its members and neither are you or the resolutions that you produced. You made mistakes and we made mistakes. However, is that what will matter when we look back?

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I don‘t think so. EYP is above all an educational project and it offers a fantastic platform for debate, but what makes it so special is its people. You can find some of the most intelligent and hard-working but also insane individuals in this organisation. You find people that will happily discuss about CAP with you over dinner or gender equality at 3 o‘clock at night. You meet people that are willing to sacrifice their university career and their social life. And you get to work with people that you can learn so much from while they also want to learn from you. This is a unique combination that you will never experience anywhere else and which will make you do things which you deemed impossible before. EYP brings out the best and worst in people and if you are up for this sometimes bumpy ride you should definitely stay involved.

You on your own would never have been able to write a resolution of the same quality as you did thanks to the guidance of your chair and the combined knowledge of all the delegates in your committee. Similarly, I never thought I could edit at an IS, but the trust placed in me, the support I received and the fantastic team I was privileged to work with showed me that I could. So no, EYPers and their work aren‘t perfect but they will help get you a lot closer to perfection than what you would ever be able to reach on your own.

And even though some people don‘t believe in the importance of media teams I know that everything that Camille, Célia, Dimitry, Dunja, Evanthia, Johan, Jonathan Kieran, Laura, Max, Oscar, Panos, Rónán, Silvia, Sophie, Stefan and Tuna did was in one way or another motivated by the hope of making your Amsterdam experience a little more perfect.

None of us will ever reach perfection, so let‘s judge our success on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.

Yours, Kerstin

CONTENTS 4

The Unicorn of Politics

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EYP Controversial

6

Your Teachers, People in the Background Who Care

8

Interview with a Prince

10

The Heart of the Session

12

Inclusivity or Exclusivity?

13 Re-Imagined 14

Your Amsterdam Experience in One Work

16

Sticking to Etiquette

18

Speak up!

19

Challenge Accepted

20

Where does Inspiration Come From?

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How EYP Changed my Life?

23

A Safari Through the EYP Jungle

24

The Crisis’ Future According to You

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Debating on Three Levels

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Breaking Up Is Never Easy

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A Face to the Crisis

good bye

3 The Alpha

THE UNICORN OF POLITICS Rónán O’Connor

EYP known counterpart, the European Parliament. investigates what makes

E

YP is not only a model example of youth involvement in politics, it is also an example of a model parliament. Based on the European Parliament, we try to reflect the opportunities given to European politicians to come together and debate the pressing issues we face as a Union.

Yet any Parliament is about more than that. In reality, a Parliament is a fractious political battleground. Each representative comes with a firm nationalistic perspective. They seek to promote the values of their nation, as a true reflection of their people. Furthermore, these politicians represent particular political parties, each with their own agenda within the context of their country’s role in Europe. This means that debate in the European Parliament occurs upon strict divisions.

Concession of opposing beliefs or arguments is not as simple as a matter of debate. These politicians are subject to their electorate and a cohort of lobbyists. The private individual interests and the public political interests change the complexion of European co-operation.

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In EYP, we strive for a more principled and ideal form of parliament. Our priority is on the common goal of European development. All of you delegates will have faced heated discussions and

different from its better

had to make difficult compromises. Often, these compromises are ones that would never be considered in the European Parliament. This ability to prioritise European interests above national ones, allows for originality and innovation within EYP committees. Moreover, it is a symbolic representation of what a parliament stands for. EYP treats the Parliament as a team. We endeavor to work together, seeking to take advantage of our size and power as a community. This may be idealistic.

We do not see this commitment to compromise in the reality of the political world. Nonetheless, when we put aside our nationalist ideologies, the results provide an illuminating insight into what could be possible.

Our debates are won and lost on logic and rationale, not on political bureaucracy. We celebrate the skills of debate and persuasion, and we are proud to concede to a well-argued point. We serve to teach young people not to be stubborn, and not to ignore logic. As long as we act in this way, our differences from the European Parliament are only to our advantage. We are the unicorn of politics: we may not exist in the real world, but everyone wishes we did.

EYP CONTROVERSIAL From selection practices to EYP journalism, Panaghiotis P. Kalaïdhopoulos, Evanthia Kasiora and Célia Poncelin consider some of the classic issues with-in the European Youth Parliament and predict their more or less controversial future.

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etting selected

People do not attend an EYP session just on their own accord and, thus, those sessions to which selection is a prerequisite call upon National Commit-tees to select responsibly.

The European Youth Parliament is characterised by many diverging selection mentalities and practices. School delegations, selected as a whole, are pre-ferred in Italy, the UK or France, whereas, on the other side, Greece and Tur-key select their delegates individually. Moreover, absolute transparency is not the case in EYP, since a number of National Committees still form delega-tions without having first established a standardised, open and accessible selection process.

As of November 2012, there is no unanimous approach. But let’s ask our-selves; do we have to consider co-ordinating? And, if not this, what then?

Parlez-vous francais?

Even though French is the second official language of EYP, it is used rarely and almost exclusively during the General Assembly. As the majority of the participants cannot understand it, speaking

French often slows down the pro-cesses, thus the debate about its utility and potential abolishment is ongoing.

Is it only historical reasons – EYP was founded in France – that direct the maintenance of French .Since we can all communicate using English, what is the point of another official language? Can the social diversity EYP is so will-ing to promote be represented by just one language, though?

EYP Journalism The definition of a press team has changed significantly through time, even though it has always been responsible for reporting and creating an enjoyable atmosphere. Moreover, the relation that journalists have with the chairs is sometimes unclear – they should not act as a co-chair, neither are they their subordinates. As a matter of fact, being a journalist should not be seen as a step towards becoming a chair. The press teams have been struggling to find their proper place; the expectations that other teams have are not always pre-cise. Innovation has started to play a major role in all aspects of EYP ses-sions and it is now high time we undertake a change in EYP journalism so that it can find its unique character.

5 The Alpha

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YOUR TEACHERS, PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND WHO CARE

The only way you change the world is through inspiration, one of our Teachers told us. Panaghiotis P. Kalaïdhopoulos and Célia Poncelin investigate what gives them the inspiration they need to keep going.

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ven though they are not really the stars of the session, the teachers do deserve much more than any superficial accolade. We asked them for a little of their time and they were more than willing to let us in.

The same going also with their origin, it is finally not really important what type of school they come from, right from the very first moment one realises the extent of their truly moving dedication to their function. They teach, in the first place, they shape people in all other layers. And, if carried out in the right mood, this really is magnificent.

So, what about EYP? It is not another dry semi-extracurricular activity, for sure. It is a window to the world, providing their students with some space to thrive on their European identity. In fact, from a teacher’s point of view, be-yond the designation of “another act of European Citizenship”, EYP is all about inclusiveness, awareness, consciousness and a great ground of im-provement and personal development. And they certainly do not behave the way they would do with another project.

EYP does not always do the most to reach out to them, but once so, being an EYP teacher is full of responsibility. It is not organising the travel,

fundraising, parenting their students or catering for everything to their academic prepara-tion. It is all of them together! And they love it, mainly because they love their children.

Ultimately, one is often asked what they get in return. “What more could we ask for?” is the polite phrasing of the actual reply “We don’t really gain any-thing, but we’re grateful for what we see.”.

Indeed, beyond them being also a well-bonded team, they witness their students growing to independent, critical citizens day by day. And, honestly, this has been the unedited answer of ten different people at different times.

Well, there also is the crisis mortgaging our future, our dreams and our hopes. There have been curtails on everything, but still, nothing could lessen their enthusiastic fidelity to the duty that they have been presented, or bestowed with.

Our teachers do not share the same hopes for the future with their future; in fact, their students are their hope for the future. Such people walk amongst us, too.

Nothing else than a massive “thank you” is only fit for the case.

7 The Alpha

INTERVIEW WITH A PRINCE

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PRINCE CONSTANTIJN VAN ORANJE-NASSAU

Sitting in the reception room behind the Knight’s Hall shortly before the Opening Ceremony, surrounded by

je-Nassau,

ancient oak panelling and even older

bom had the opportunity to speak at

paintings was

length to about

Constantijn Van Oran-

Deputy Head of Cabinet for the Vice-President of the European Commission, whom Oscar Sten‘Ending the Crisis’.

ith a wealth of experience within both the

W

space for private enterprise. Contantijn adds that it

European Union, policy advisement and fi-

should always be the responsibility of the public

nance Contantijn, the third and youngest son of

of any Member State to hold their governments ac-

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, is extraordinary

countable and responsible for sustainable growth

well placed to offer insight on the crisis that has

and the general functioning and development of

engulfed Europe seemingly permanently.

their nations.

Whilst the gritty details of banking legislation and

Moving on to the broader and more long-term

short term stability mechanisms have been the

changes required not only to solve the crisis but to

topic of discussion throughout the session Mr. Van

prevent similar future situations he argues that a

Oranje offers a different perspective of an oppor-

cultural change, an end to a North/South divide, is

tunity to tackle the much broader issues that will

required. Contantijn concedes that such a change

come to face Europe in the coming decades. “The

is generational and thus very long term in its scope

crisis is about looking at where we want to be in

but that such a change is long overdue. Fundamen-

the next ten to twenty years” he says, pointing out

tal structural changes are what caused the crisis

that the demographic and sustainability issues of

and must be rectified in order to solve it. He also

and aging population combined with our general

agrees that fundamental structural changes exist

inability to live within our means loom on the ho-

at an EU level, “that is what EU leaders are dealing

rizon. These more gradual, shifting changes pose

with at the moment”. Further elaborating that dif-

challenges that will require more than just tem-

ferences in Member States have led to imbalances

porary stopgap measures, when the current crisis

and fiscal disparencies he makes the interesting

offers the opportunity for far reaching change; “It

argument that one should aim to reduce the EU’s

is an opportunity not to be wasted.”

responsibilities.

In the short term Constantijn, whilst fearful of

Concluding his view that the crisis can be used

larger growth packages, does not see growth and

to tackle broader issues at hand the Deputy Head

austerity as being incompatible and advocates a

of Cabinet talks about the health care industry;

growth strategy to be combined with the required

an example of sustainability issues as health care

spending cuts. Yet he sees the key being not the

costs are hugely inflated whilst being an inno-

packages as a whole but rather the implementa-

vative and growing industry. By cutting rising

tion of legislation at national and local levels, ar-

healthcare costs whilst nurturing a growing in-

guing that it is up to Member States to live within

dustry Constantijn Van Oranje-Nassau maintains

their means. The fact that Greece had four times

that it is possible to combine a form of austerity

as many teachers as Finland is an example of the

with growth in the short run whilst tackling de-

need for emphasis to be placed less on austerity

mographic and sustainability issues in the long-

and more on reducing regulation in order to create

term.

9 The Alpha

THE HEART OF THE SESSION As the session is nearly over, and we all feel that what we experienced was unique and simply indescribable. At this point, Dunja Tanovic and Tuna Dรถkmeci interview the organisers, who made it all possible.

S

tructure of the team:

definitely the most hectic month, as there was 5

At the beginning, the team had the classic or-

months until the session, and it was time to be

ganisational structure of groups but in August that

realistic and take alternatives into consideration.

structure was abandoned, and a new one, called the Plan of Action, was adopted. In this system,

Most overwhelming moment:

there are four main groups and their tasks change

At the session, I must say that it was Monday.

every day.

Most proud moment: Mark Brakel

Check-in. That is a part which is normally quite frantic, so it was amazing to see that it all worked out, my team was working very hard without needing my help.

How do you feel right now?

Quite happy, I recommend everyone to head-organise an International Session, it is a fantastic feeling. I feel like I learned a lot. I also feel a bit nostalgic at the moment.

Why did you decide to take on this task?

Team Gouda Zahra Runderkamp

Bringing an IS to the Netherlands was the main motivation. Everyone thought that it was not feasible, because there was not a lot of Dutch EYPers, and because EYP the Netherlands had relatively less experience in organising, and I wanted to show that it could be done.

Hardest time:

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Fundraising was the hardest part, and June was

Why did you apply?

I wanted to show that we could do it, for the first time in Amsterdam, and to show everyone my country and the city.

Most overwhelming moment: Press conference, definitely.

Symbol of the session: Windmills

Team Tulip Ulrich Völker

search for personal growth played a role.

Overwhelming moment?

The Ridderzaal Symbol of session?

Shirts and ties – I’ve never worn so many in my life.

Team Cow Stefan Trifunovic

Why did you apply?

Being an International Organiser is one of the most special roles you can ever experience. You are an official at an IS, but in a very different way.

Most overwhelming moment: When we, the organisers, arrived at the StayOkay before the other participants.

Team Bike Tim Keegstra Why did you apply?

I believe that if you are critical of the functioning of an organisation and you want to help to move it forward, you should take a proactive role. Also my

Why did you apply?

It was my love EYPNL – I wanted to be part of something special and help pass on the EYP torch.

Overwhelming moment?

The Rijksmuseum - after living in the Netherlands for almost all my life, Wednesday night was the first time I had been. It was honestly magical.

Symbol of session? Mark’s ‘fro 11 The Alpha

INCLUSIVITY OR EXCLUSIVITY? The

EYPers is often not reflected in their social backgrounds; therefore Camille Dugay Comencini and Jonathan Piepers take a look at the different outreach programmes in place. diversity in nationality of

eople traveling to the furthest corners of Eu-

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heard. There are little to no participation fees, this

rope by plane, walking around in suits all day

lowers the threshold even more.

chĂŠ of the average EYPer. Participating in a ses-

EYP Germany also has outreach programmes

sion demands financial and social efforts. There

that are being conducted in schools throughout

are also academic requirements, such as decent

the whole country. Standard EYP events lasting

English skills; by far not all schools are prepared to

two or three days are organised in schools six

participate in our projects. It is not only social and

to ten times each year. These mini sessions are

financial background that limits the possibility to

open to non-English speakers as they are mostly

participate; the structure of our organisation also

organised and directed in German. EYP Italy and

impairs the access for people with disabilities.

EYP-Europolis Belgium are planning to or are al-

with smartphones in their hands; this is the cli-

ready organising similar events.

So it is evident that through the nature of our organisation we tend to exclude certain groups of

Although not as definite as the aforementioned,

society. It is not the values we promote and ad-

other NCs such as EYP France are taking steps to-

here to that narrow the gateway to EYP but rather

wards carrying out programmes boosting inclu-

the structure of the programme and the selection

sivity. EYP France for instance does not yet have a

procedures.

specific project but a general policy on inclusivity stimulating events. In that respect one-day ses-

It is therefore high time for us to burst out of our

sions are being set up in schools in non-preferen-

shell of relative exclusivity and engage in well-

tial education areas.

planned outreach activities. At the moment there are already several schemes in place, but we must

In conclusion we can state that there are definitely

admit that these only exist in a limited number of

actions being undertaken to enlarge or diversify

National Committees and that these are not ex-

the number and the background of participants.

ploited to their full potential. In the following we

However, the downside of these types of events

will introduce some of the initiatives that have al-

is that they are often conducted in a national lan-

ready been implemented.

guage. This makes the events more accessible, yet

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the integration of participants in the long run is A first example would be EurVoice, a project by

very difficult or even near impossible. The ques-

EYP UK. The goal of these recurrent panel de-

tion remains: can we come up with long-term

bates with MPs and MEPs is to reach pupils from

solutions that guarantee inclusivity without com-

state funded schools and stimulate their interest

promising the academic standard that our organi-

in politics and debating in order to get their voice

sation is built on?

RE-IMAGINED: THE STORY OF EYP’S NEW ‘THEME SONG’ Should

the lyrics of Imagine be changed?

this possibility for us.

Kieran Mcnulty

has looked into

he lyrics of John Lennon’s Imagine can be per-

T

so that we can sing it knowing that the song rep-

ceived as offensive, are utopian and they car-

resents what we as an organisation stand for. The

ry a meaning that does not fit in with the values

Imagine moment at the end of a session is un-

promoted by the European Youth Parliament. We

doubtedly magical and emotional, so we wanted

proclaim ourselves to be a non-partisan associa-

to keep it for all. We cannot, after all, have a Clos-

tion that respects and encourages cultural diver-

ing Ceremony without weeping.

sity. The song is, according to some, too political and it portrays an ideal world in which religion,

It is to this end that this version of the song chang-

borders and passions do not exist. Why would we

es very little. The chorus is the exact same for

want a world where there is nothing to kill or die

example. It would be tedious to describe why we

for? Does this not mean a life not worth living?

made every single change that we did, but they

Should there not be ideals worth losing your life

were all made deliberately and they address the

for? It is disrespectful towards people who iden-

concerns that have been made, hopefully in a del-

tify themselves with religious beliefs to idealise a

icate manner. Crucially, the spirit of the song is

world from which religions are banned. We, as the

still intact. What we are singing still resonates

European Youth Parliament, should not support

with what Lennon intended; a world free from

the disappearance of countries and possessions.

war and greed.

Although we do not necessarily agree with these arguments, there has been a long going discussion

Amsterdam has been a striking session. There

about whether to change ‘Imagine’ as our unoffi-

has been a bar set that will be hard to surpass. It

cial anthem. We decided to take into account the

seems perfect, therefore, to roll out this new ver-

arguments that were brought to the table but with

sion here. We have a chance to be different, to tell

our own twist. After a long debate we decided to

everyone that this is what we stand for. You may

rewrite the song.

say that we are crazy to change the song, that it is a trivial matter, but it is the hope of the Media Team that when we all stand in that last circle,

So then, to our new version. The intension behind

when those merited tears finally start to fall, that

it is not to make Imagine ‘better’ or to take away

we were not the only ones that appreciated the

from the masterpiece that is the original, but it is

change.

an attempt to mould the song for our own ends, 13 The Alpha

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The Alpha

STICKING TO ETIQUETTE

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Dmitry Vyskrebentsev most exquisite dinner.

and

Tuna Dökmeci

put the spotlight on

Amsterdam’s

n Wednesday night the participants of the

O

decisions, and criticised the approach of today’s

71st International Session of the European

decision-making authorities.

be invited to the Rijksmuseum for the gala dinner,

Mr. Gunning’s speech was followed by the pres-

and for a special tour of the museum.

entation of Mr. Roel Janssen, an esteemed Dutch

Youth Parliament had the unique opportunity to

publisher who gave an insight about the basis of Just as we were all thinking that the International

the crisis. He provided an objective review of the

Session in Amsterdam could not get any better,

current economic situation using four metaphors

Wednesday night proved us wrong. Our venue,

to guide us through his speech: a merry-go-round,

the Rijksmuseum, founded in 1800 in the Hague,

a swing, a pair of scales and a swimming pool.

and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, is the Dutch

Such comparisons proved to be rather memorable

national museum and one of the most important

and illustrative for the delegates, helping to clarify

places in Amsterdam. A part of its large collection

a few uncertainties about the current crisis.

of the most important pieces of art, including the well-known Night Watch of Rembrandt, was pre-

The Alpha interviewed the delegates on the Ga-

sented exclusively to the session participants by

la-Dinner. Most of them said that they had never

very engaging tour guides.

attended such a dazzling event. These are a few of their comments: “A bit pretentious but quite

However, the fabulous dinner at the Rijksmuseum

nice.” “I loved the paintings; it was brilliant.”

would not have been possible without the gener-

“The speech by AkzoNobel was amazing.”

ous support of AkzoNobel – the world’s largest global paints and coatings company and a major

Nevertheless, the events such as gala dinner are of

producer of specialty chemicals. Before the dinner

utmost importance to EYP since they remind all

the participants were addressed by Tex Gunning, a

of us to live up to the academic standard expect-

board member of AkzoNobel, who addressed in-

ed. Few people are actually aware of the fact that,

novative concepts of effective corporate manage-

the dinner might as well have been offered to oth-

ment, for which the cornerstone of success would

er organisations. Yet it was offered to EYP, which

be the well-being of employees. He also urged the

proves that multinational companies have faith

delegates to bear this in mind when having been

in projects like ours. However, it should be our

promoted to senior management positions since

objectives to live up to their expectations, assure

young leaders often fail to stick to such essential

them Europe has a solid future, a future where

corporate governance approaches. Furthermore,

all of the previous achievements will be justified

Mr. Gunning advised the session participants to

and will serve as basis to even more outstanding

always consider the next generation while taking

projects and endeavours.

17 The Alpha

SPEAK UP Maximilian Kiehn and Ronan O’Conor take a look back on the impact of the Speaker’s Corner at Amsterdam 2012, and what it was set out to achieve.

peak up and take a side, do not let others make

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we began teambuilding, we began to enjoy the

decisions for you. That is what we set out to

lighter issues. As the session progressed, so did

achieve as we wore the trilby and stood atop the

the importance of the topics we debated, from

speakers’ box. Bringing together inspiring individ-

“Are forks better than spoons?” to the issue of

uals, that is what the European Youth Parliament

abortion.

is all about. While the General Assembly gives everyone the time to shine, during the other phas-

The Speaker’s Corner turned out to question our

es of the session it seems to be very difficult to

own perception. How debate active are we and

give everyone the space to present themselves.

how well prepared can we tackle current issues.

The newly implemented Speaker’s Corner aimed

Furthermore the Speaker’s Corner gave everyone

to grant EYPers the chance to stand out and pres-

the chance to improve their rhetorical abilities. If

ent what they believe, away from the committee

you have not taken the chance to held a speech at

topics.

the Speaker’s Corner, do so next time.

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Speaker’s corner celebrates the ability to debate.

Many delegates and officials alike faced difficul-

During the 10 days of the 71st International Ses-

ties in developing their own opinions and express-

sion of the European Youth Parliament, the Me-

ing them effectively. At Speakers’ Corner, you

dia Team was aiming to encourage debate, as the

cannot turn to your committee, or avoid an ar-

unique combination of creative European minds

gument presented to you. You speak for yourself,

needs to be taken advantage of by any and all

and this requires a different type of bravery. As

means.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED Dunja Tanovic and Evanthia Kasiora look at the role of comfort zones in EYP.

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tepping out of one’s comfort zone is a hard

In this respect EYP does not have comfort zones

task; irrespective of whether someone is con-

because it gives everyone the chance to push

fident or shy. It is easy to not do something you

themselves to the next level.

feel you are incapable of, but it is even easier to end up regretting it.

While the above is true, it misses out a key factor, which allows EYP to become a comfort zone in

To really understand how EYP affects people’s

itself for a large number of people and it is that

comfort zones, one must fully understand what a

it never forces anyone to do anything they do not

comfort zone really is. One definition commonly

want to. Your participation at an EYP session is a

used is that of a situation where “one feels safe or

process that puts your self-awareness and confi-

at ease”. This explanation makes it hard to see any

dence to the test. The “silly” activities and the se-

reason good enough to warrant stepping out of it.

rious debating provide you with ample opportuni-

It would be crazy to abandon a place where you

ties to redefine your personal limits and confront

feel secure just to experiment with how far you

your fears. Whether you choose to take advantage

can push yourself.

of your potential is up to you.

Keeping this in mind, another definition of a com-

The encouragement you get from your chairper-

fort zone is that of “a settled method of working

son and teammates is evidently necessary in order

that requires little effort and yields only barely ac-

for you to feel accepted and be able to take steps

ceptable results”. This seems like a more fitting

towards your personal development. At the end of

definition for the term due to the fact that it em-

the day, though, only your will can cause you to

phasises the problem with a comfort zone –it does

abandon your personal comfort zone and meet

not allow you to grow and improve yourself.

your fellow delegates in a common one.

It is easy to argue that EYP does not have comfort

Leaving your comfort zone is a recurrent process

zones; jumping around to the Funky Chicken, dis-

only valid for your interaction with a specific

cussing controversial topics with people you bare-

group of people; each session there will be an-

ly know and standing up to give a speech to 300

other with another need to abandon it. That can

people, the majority of whom will not agree with

indeed be a tiring process, but bear in mind that

everything you say.

its starting point can change, as EYP always gives you new skills and realisations that in the end become a part of your personality and start defining you as a person.

19 The Alpha

Stefan Zoričić

Sílvia Susach gather the officials’ memories of their very first international session. and

A

mongst the organising team, many people had their first IS experience in Lillehammer 2010,

Norway. Zahra and Julie both agree that, although it was incredibly cold, it was a very special session to them. Julie insists that it was the best experience she had ever had until then, and that it was not until the session ended that she realised how much it had touched her. That is the reason why she did not doubt to be part of the organising team of Amsterdam.

Mark, the Head Organiser, attended his first IS back in 2007, in Dublin. The first things that come to his

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mind are the fireworks, a chocolate fountain and

WHERE DOES INSPIRATION FOR EYP COME FROM? the cottages. Indeed, it is not a coincidence that

members of the board in their National Commit-

the organising team decided to have the team-

tees, chairpersons, or have taken on other similar

building in the beautiful De Eemhof. Who knows

roles.

if the chocolate fountain in the restaurant was also part of Mark’s vision?

Rónán O’Connor, an Irish member of the Amsterdam Media Team, attended Athens IS in 2011. The

Ulrich, international organiser, had a very different

first thing that comes to his mind is the cottag-

experience regarding his first IS back in 2011. He

es, which remind him of the Amsterdam ones. A

had an awful time due to the session not being

very random fact about the session is that, after

very well organised, but with time he re-discov-

the farewell party, the participants were chased by

ered EYP and decided to stay involved.

two wild dogs. Rónán remembers Athens as one of his greatest experiences and admits that it made

Kerstin Mathias, Editress of Amsterdam 2012,

him want to stay involved in EYP for a long time.

attended her first IS in Latvia in 2006. She still

Laura Pérez-Galdós, who comes from Spain and

defines it as a mind-blowing experience and re-

who is also member of the Media Team, says that

members the great influence her chair had on her.

Athens 2011 made her realise how big EYP is, how

After having attended Riga 2006 she decided that

many young people all over Europe it involves. Be-

she wanted to bring an international session to her

fore attending Athens, she had only participated

hometown, and her dream has come true – the

in a National Selection and was not aware of the

72nd International Session of the EYP will be held

greatness and the diversity that EYP gathers in its

in Munich. For Kerstin Eckart who is a chairper-

sessions.

son in Amsterdam, Frankfurt 2010 was her first IS. She took the challenge of being an organiser with

The officials that now work to make the session

great pleasure, and one of the things she remem-

unforgettable for the delegates were once in your

bers most is how many participants got sick. She

place. We hope that you will realise that you can

is really impressed by the fact that, as years have

stay involved if you want to, just like we all did.

gone by, many delegates who attended Frankfurt

Good luck and see you son somewhere in Europe!

have taken responsibility in EYP and have become 21 The Alpha

HOW EYP CHANGED MY LIFE When you leave Amsterdam, your lives are to be forever changed. To testify to this, three journalists talk about how EYP has influenced them.

Kieran

discussion. One learns to listen to other people,

“I can remember quite well when I was introduced

from those whose origins and philosophies are

to EYP. It was a perilously wintry day back home

fundamentally different from their own. One may

and the benches inside my school were beside

therefore learn that there is not just one idea of

toasty radiators. An older student sitting next to

how things are but plenty of them, and that all of

me asked me if I was doing EYP, an acronym I

them are equally respectable. And in my opinion,

sadly was not familiar with at the time. Boy did

even more important than that, one gains friends

I learn. It is a ridiculous cliché to say that EYP

with whom you share apparently ridiculous games,

changed my life, but it is true. I lived in the small-

one gains experiences which are irreplaceable and

est town in rural Ireland and now I have been to

which I will keep forever due to the fact that they

the bazaars of Istanbul and the canals of our host

have changed my life deeply.”

city. I am far more articulate and respectful than I used to be. For me, EYP opened my eyes to the

Stefan

world. I do not know if there is any other organisa-

“It is amazing how we made a world for ourselves,

tion in the world that people become so dedicated

uniting us in a unique, multinational, multicultur-

to, bar cults. You will all learn to get used to skyp-

al society that Europe seeks for. We are the role

ing and emailing friends thousands of kilometres

models. Because we are the perfect Europeans,

away nearly daily. You will begin using terms that

doing just the things we are supposed to do. We

only EYPers would understand – I find myself us-

are going on a bear hunt – that is quite European.

ing direct response with my parents quite a bit. It

And ever since I have joined the EYP, I am hav-

has left quite a mark on my life and many others’,

ing a problem with putting a list to the Abigail

one that I am very happy to have and one that I am

story, because I have heard so many logical and

sure scores of other teenagers from all across this

valid explanations, that I still cannot decide who

great Union would give their left arm for.”

is to blame the most. I have learned to listen and

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to be calm, to wait for my turn when speaking.

Laura

Although that is not really our common feature

“EYP is an European, non-partisan and non-prof-

and some still have not learned to respect, but I

it-making organisation founded in 1987, whose

believe that time is the main and most important

objective is to draw the youth closer to Europe-

key for change. I do not know to what extent all

an institutions and politics and to foster respect,

those issues we debate during GAs are actually

tolerance and co-operation among them. But it is

going to reach decision-makers and change things

far more than that. EYP is not only there for those

in the short term, but I do know that the most

who wish to become diplomats in the future, but

fundamental and maybe the most subtle change

it also opens doors for future doctors and artists.

we are going through is indeed going to make a

It is a platform for debate where one may learn

difference, and that change is our own perception

much more than the mere technique of the art of

of who we are, of the future, and of Europe.”

A SAFARI THROUGH THE EYP JUNGLE Silvia Susach and Jonathan Piepers take a look beyond the horizon of the current session and observe how EYP works at the institutional level. ith this International Session slowly draw-

W

because, next to taking the classic executive deci-

ing to a close, you are about to exit the

sions, the GB also determines the long-term strat-

microcosmos of this session and hopefully head

egy of our organisation as well as supervises the

out for your journey into the macrocosmos of

flagship events that are the International Sessions.

EYP. But what exactly is this colossus that involves

The second important body is the Board of Na-

more than 20000 young people per year, and how

tional Committees, our EYP parliament so to

is it structured and governed?

speak. This is a representative institution consisting of people from all 36 recognised National

Let us start off with the big picture, EYP Inter-

Committees (NC) as well as EYP Initiatives. The

national is an NGO strongly affiliated with the

powers of this organ are the determination of pol-

Schwarzkopf Stiftung and has its official residence

icies that apply to the whole of our organisation in

in Berlin, commonly referred to as ‘The Interna-

co-operation with the GB. Next to this, the BNC

tional Office’. This office co-ordinates and directs

is also a platform for knowledge-sharing between

the daily functioning as well as the future devel-

the national branches, this way every NC gets to

opment of our organisation.

learn methods and good practices applied by other branches.

Just as a company has a CEO, there is one person that is the face of EYP International, namely the

Every country in which EYP is active is set up in

Executive Director, currently Ville Vasaramäki. He

a similar way to the International level which im-

is one of the very few people that can say that he

plies that they also have a national board oversee-

does EYP for a living. Although being the ‘bill-

ing all the activities in the respective country. The

board’ of EYP, the Executive Director is not in the

board organises their work according to different

position of deciding upon policy. The aforemen-

portfolios, with the president having the most re-

tioned power resides with two other bodies.

sponsibility and co-ordinating their tasks.

On the one hand we have the Governing Body (GB). The role of this institution could be com-

With this overview we hope to have delivered a

pared to the government on a state level, although

wider perspective on how our organisation func-

this match is not completely satisfactory as there

tions. Furthermore we wish that it may help you to

is more nuance to the capacities of the GB. This is

assume an active role in the EYP landscape.

23 The Alpha

THE CRISIS’ FUTURE ACCORDING TO YOU Dunja Tanovic takes a look at the survey results in order to try and see where the crisis’ future lies. he theme of the session is something that has

T

age (36%) and austerity (37%); it seems that just

been posted everywhere, on everything, by

like the experts are divided, so is the generation

everyone; “Ending the Crisis” is something that

whose future is in the balance. The answer to this

should be engrained into the minds of all now that

question seems to heavily depend on your social

the legendary session that is Amsterdam 2012 is

background; whether the country you come from

coming to an end.

is prospering or deteriorating, or whether someone close to you has suffered due to the measures

Being given the opportunity to discuss things,

taken by the government.

like solutions to the crisis, which are otherwise thought to be far too complex and uninteresting

This is a worrying statistic when looking into the

for a group of teenagers, is actually something

future, does it show that the European Youth are

that is quite vital for the future of the crisis. After

now too fundamentally different to ever be able to

all, it is the future of these ‘youths’ that is in the

coerce again as they did in times before the crisis?

balance due to older generations’ mistakes.

Luckily there is some silver lining on this cloud The fact that this generation of EYP-ers is influ-

– when evaluating who was to blame for the cri-

enced by modern day ‘experts’ and the different

sis, there was unity as a 61% claimed that it was

media reports is obvious when one assesses the

the fault of the banking industry and regulations

answers to the survey that the media team recent-

within their own country. A sharp contrast to the

ly asked; there’s no clear majority – put simply,

14% who blamed other Member States.

there’s no clear solution.

This, while not giving a fantastic look into the One of the most important questions when re-

future, does create some hope. One day, Europe

garding the future of the crisis is the direction it

should be able to find a solution to the economic

will take. Unsurprisingly enough the two most

problems that currently sweep the continent and

common answers given by the 152 delegates

one day be able to move forward – together.

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who answered the question was a growth pack-

DEBATING ON THREE LEVELS Coming

up with solutions to the current crisis is not easy.

However,

by

getting some of the participants to debate about a few main points and state their opinions,

Dmitry Vyskrebentsev and Laura Perez-Galdos have managed to summarise the core approaches to the issue at hand. n the matter of the fiscal union within the EU

O

which would bring us into recurrent crises.

Member States, some claim that the whole

Last but not least, we had other very important

governmental system of many countries, includ-

representatives of the session, which are the teach-

ing all the PIIGS, should be entirely changed.

ers, debating on the topic of austerity measures.

Instead, Truls (CLIM) says we should replace all

Ms. Whitebread from Switzerland believes that in

the national authorities across Europe with Ger-

the current situation austerity measures are nec-

mans to make it all more effective, centralised and

essary given the amount of bureaucracy we have

well-structured. However, Rita from Portugal still

in Europe. We also should ensure purpose-orient-

stresses the fact that countries like hers are in real

ed use of funds available. At the same time, Ms.

need of help from the EU – not only in the form

Archer from Spain sees a threat to the consistency

of financial aid but also sharing of knowledge and

of education and healthcare which might jeopard-

ideas which would boost growth; and that we all

ise sustainable growth in the long-term. She also

should remember that we are a Union.

puts forward a proposal to make the best out of the current crisis by investing more into training

Yet, the debates were on not only among delegates

and retraining thus preparing our youth to stand

but also among other participants of the session.

up to the challenges of the 21st century.

Regarding the monetary union, we talked to Milan and Tom of the organising team. From the begin-

As it appears debating is not a skill that you can

ning on Milan has supported the idea of the mon-

easily acquire, however we should also bear in

etary union, citing benefits such as the increase

mind that it is vital for our society in order to draw

of economic activity within the EU by means of

solutions. What is even more valuable is the ex-

seamless transfer of capital, workforce, goods

istence of such debate at different levels. In the

and services. Whereas, Tom referred to the mone-

abovementioned interview we see how different a

tary union as “a great mistake” which united the

person’s perspective might be depending on their

various economies at different stages making their

experience and background. That is why the way

co-existence a burden.

out of the crisis can only be found in a compro-

On the contrary, Milan stood his ground, saying

mise between opinions and ideas originating form

that the breakup of the monetary union would

every societal level. One should never forget that

be simply too expensive. One should be aware

all genius ideas are simple.

though that the existing system is a faulty one 25 The Alpha

BREAKING UP IS NEVER EASY Oscar Stenbom tries to find out how a break-up of the Eurozone would actually work?

Whenever somebody mentions the sometimes

new currency, a process that usually takes several

dreamy prospect of the breakup of the Euro-

months even with prior planning, could also be

zone, or more often one or several Member States

solved. With so much of today’s modern econo-

leaving the group, it remains unsaid how exactly

mies relying on electronic payments rather than

this would occur. Since there are no procedures,

cash or cheques it is fully possible to imagine a

guidelines or legal frameworks regarding any exit

country getting by for an extended period of time

it is certainly no easy matter. Indeed as a mat-

by relying on e-payments. In Greece’s case this

ter of legal principle it is impossible for any state

would also offer the chance to speed up the im-

to leave the Euro as the joining of the common

plementation of such technologies, something in

currency was meant to be irrevocible; an ECB re-

which Greece lags behind on anyway, whilst mak-

port in 2009 argued that a nation leaving the Euro

ing it harder for the black market to function. A

would also require them to leave the European

country could also use existing Euro notes and

Union itself. That said, the 1992 Maastricht Treaty

coins for small transactions in this transisiton pe-

banned bail-outs and that certainly did not stop

riod to a new currency. With the fact that such an

Mrs. Merkel and company from pressing ahead in

exit could easily be forced upon a country such as

times of need. So if a one can entertain the pos-

Greece by cutting its banks off from ECB funding

siblity of a country leaving the Euro; what would a

perhaps an exit is not so hard to imagine.

country have to do to make it work?

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The real remaining question would be if the caThere are two practical obstacles to an exit; first

lamity that ensued from such an exit would force

the obvious panic that would ensue after the an-

other similarly indebted countries to its knees

nouncement of an exit and second the time con-

meant that it would be better to cut all the se-

suming process of actually establishing a new cur-

verely indebted countries off at once. Such a pro-

rency. The decision to leave the Eurozone would

posal would be hugely expensive in the short run

have to be kept a complete secret, no easy task

but would probably save money in the long run

considering the logistical and political process in-

as one clean break would offer indebted states to

volved, and news would be bound to leak even-

quickly devaluate their currencies. The Economist

tually. In such a case the Member State in ques-

estimates that if the five countries with the most

tion could immidiately impose an extended bank

foreign debt relative to their assest held abroad,

holiday combined with capital controls normally

Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Ireland and Portugal, were

illegal under European law to prevent the massive

to undergo such a co-ordinated breakup the cost

bank runs that would cripple a country and turn a

would reach €1.15 trillion; probaly worth it in the

controlled break-up into an extremely messy and

long run from an economic perspective but per-

prolonged one. The problem of quickly issuing a

haps not from a political.

A FACE TO THE CRISIS Maximilian Kiehn sums up how the Media Team of the IS in Amsterdam 2012 has aimed to encourage debate and reminds us of the session’s theme.

The Session’s aim was not simply debating the current most important matter, the crisis, but also ending the most crucial issue of our generation. Facilitating the delegates with the needed information the Media Team came up with the concept of analysing different aspects of it, by explaining the current situation in the first issue, focusing on a variety of reasons in the second one and expanding on the different solution in the final third issue.

and Switzerland only feel affected on a minimal scale.

Besides the economic background, provided by three journals, it is crucial to understand the impact of the omnipresent crisis on a personal level. The crisis affects a majority of the delegates directly, affecting young Europeans in many different ways. During the debate about bailouts and taxation rates, about stabile mechanisms and deficit rates, the crisis seemed hardly to be a personal issue. Parents of delegates have lost their jobs, families of committee members needed to move to another country. Amsterdam participants needed to drop out tennis lessons and language courses as their parents’ wages got cut and others were not able to freely choose their university as moving would be too expensive and university fees too high.

3 Journals, 3 videos – the Media Team of the Amsterdam 2012, wanted to bring light into the darkness of the crisis. Even though ten days allow the delegates to debate and discuss, a common solution for the current crisis, has not been reached. However, ten days ago, the importance of the crisis, the impact on your personal lives, was for many not only uncertain, but far away from their daily lives.

We truly hope we succeeded in changing this.

Debates about the issues at stake during Committee Work and General Assembly have shown that there is a large variety of solution for the crises, but the personal dimension and the different national approaches became even more evident in the video statements, comments and debates.

While some suffer, other hardly felt the crisis.

Ending the crisis seems to be essential for Euro-Zone Members, while EYPers from Norway 27 The Alpha

Amsterdam 2012, the 71st International Session of the European Youth Parliament is supported by: Key Partners

Onze activiteiten worden mede mogelijk gemaakt door het vfonds met middelen uit de BankGiro Loterij en Lotto. Uw deelname aan deze loterijen wordt daarom van harte aanbevolen.

Partners

Sponsors

M.A.O.C. Gravin van Bylandt Stichting

the European Youth Parliament is supported by

The European Youth Parliament is a programme of the Schwarzkopf Foundation

The European Youth Parliament receives support from the European Commission’s Youth in Action Programme for its continuous activities and specifically for Amsterdam2012

The activities of the European Youth Parliament are under the patronage of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe