Issue 2 of The Snow Post - National Selection Session Moscow 2013

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Issue 2 of The Snow Post - National Selection Session Moscow 2013

The Snow Post

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CONTENT

Even Yeti have Problems a.k.a. EYP

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5 Breaking the European Ice 6 How EYP works? 7 The 2012 Flashback 8 Best Stops in EYP Jungle 9 Tips and advice from experienced EYPers Caution! Hipsters detected!

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11 PRIVET! 2

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EDITORIAL

And‌ ...so the session continues. Stay energetic, happy and inventive! Dear delegates, you have been through the day one of the session. As a matter of fact, I am really impressed by the progress you have made so far. However, a lot is yet to come and a lot more is expected from you. This implies hard work for you as well as discipline and time management. That is why most articles in this issue deal with the structures the EYP mainly works with. The Media Team has put a lot of effort in order to help you find your way in this jungle of events, trainings, etc. In the mean time I am sure that

many of you will be constantly tweeting and uploading photos on Instagram. In order to make this process less chaotic and the posts traceable the Media Team kindly asks you to use the #nsrussia hashtag. I also encourage you provide feedback to journalists regarding this publication.

Dmitry Vyskrebentsev

Evelina Kuznetsova (RU) Janne Vanhemmens (BE) Dong Nga My (RU) Alexander Guzenko (UA) Anastasia Minakova (RU) Tamer Ă–zgen (TR)

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Even Yeti have Problems a.k.a. EYP

- Well, of course! Christmas is always perfect for Santa Claus, Easter for the Easter Bunny, the night for Sand-man, and teeth for the Tooth fairy. As for me, every day is perfect if it’s a funny one! - It is a good remark, Jack Frost. Anyway, this time I am talking about not Christmas but Anastasia Minakova the EYP. answers the question - Oh, really? Are you okay? ‘If EYP has magic, why Santa is talking about something except New Year or Christmas! magic cannot have its else Oh gosh! Doomsday is coming soon again! – said Easter Bunny. own EYP?’ Than the Tooth fairy said: - Boys, don’t interrupt each nd what if the Guardians other. And you, Santa, better tell took part in the National us what the EYP is. Session of the European - Better to see once, than Youth Parliament in Russia? hundred times to hear, isn’t it? Imagine Santa Claus and Yeti, Jack Frost, the Tooth Fairy, Sand Man, *** Easter Bunny, which should solve the main problem of the magic The next day they were sitting world, though, children no longer in Santa’s Palace and drinking believe in them. So, dear delegates, hot chocolate. The Fairy was welcome the Committee on humming under her breath ‘Big Miracles and Magic (MAGI), Fat pony’, when Jack said: and even the Boogie man will - We have enough problems not prevent them to create the to solve. Why don’t we take part in resolution. the General Assembly? - That was awesome!! - Santa -Problems? We don’t have shouted enthusiastically. any! - said Santa.

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- Come on! Neither teens nor kids believe in us. More and more children in the world think that their parents buy them gifts not us bringing them! – answered Jack. - I agree. Fewer children than before put their teeth under the pillow, – confirmed the Fairy. - Really? But… EYPers are teenagers. If they don’t believe in us, then how they will see us, hear us, not to mention our resolution. – asked Easter Bunny. - Oh, stop it, Kangaroo – told him Santa. But Easter Bunny interrupted him: - I am not a kangaroo but a bunny. I am a bunny! - Keep calm and play Sonic Boom, guys! – said the Fairy. - I hate everything that breaks ice but not Ice – breaking games! – told Jack Frost. - Not now, Fairy. Let me speak! I am sure they will hear us and our resolution! Moreover, if we’re lucky, they ask us good questions. - Santa, why are you so sure? They are teenagers, no one of them believes in us – said the Tooth Fairy, almost crying. - I am Santa! I know a lot more than you do. And I know that at least one of the EYPers believes in us. One of the Head Organizers wrote me a letter! - Well played, Santa! But one person is not enough… - Enough! Moreover, I believe that the only way to make them believe in us is to show them miracles. I mean, we need to add magic to each event. - told them Jack Frost. - Well, everybody should be waiting for the wonderful General Assembly! Delegates should get ready for the wonders! - guffawed Santa. http://vk.com/eyp.russia


Breaking the European Ice Janne Vanhemmens looks into the secrets of an essential part of Team Building.

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n EYP, breaking the ice means running around like ponies, picking at each other like chickens and accepting weird hugs trying to pass a tennis ball. But why is it necessary to make people play games like these? A newly formed group of people goes through several stages before reaching the state of being a real team. In the beginning, everyone is shy and focussed on themself: am I cool enough? Will I fit into this group? When everyone together plays a silly game later, the atmosphere becomes a bit more relaxed, as the person on your left and the one on your right are doing the same silly dance or move as you are. Being more comfortable, the next focus is on the others. While learning names, hobbies, interests and behaviour, the group soon falls into a structure and people start getting closer to each other. Forming a group is a natural process people go through at school, at work and everywhere else. However, EYP sessions are usually rather short, and therefore

the process has to be sped up. Without ice-breaking games and teambuilding, people in a group are strangers to each other. In Committee Work, it would be much easier to oppose an idea in a rude manner if it comes from a complete stranger. A committee needs a bond and a feel the unity, which creates comfort, confidence and respect. This way the environment is a lot less hostile and a safe setting is created where everyone can express their thoughts and ideas. For many people, moving

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straight from name games to problem solving games would be rather awkward. Building human bridges with people whose names you have just learned, or rolling on the floor with someone you have not looked in the eye yet would frighten people off and make them even more shy than before. It can, therefore, be concluded that ice-breaking games such as Cat and Mouse, Copycat, Fruit Salad and the Human Knot are definitely useful, and help build a sustainable group atmosphere in a fast and fun way.

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How EYP works? Evelina Kuznetsova explains the peculiarities of being an EYPer.

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e are all aware of the fact that the European Youth Parliament is comparable to a small specific world which is full of unexpected surprises, unreal emotions and unforgettable moments! So how EYP works and how to survive in that flow of events? Let`s look at this in details. The European Youth Parliament was founded by Bettina Carr-Allinson in 1988 as a school project to the south of Paris. The first EYP sessions were held at Paris and then the idea was developing for a few years, and only after some time of elaboration the project’s system it was finally planned in the way that helps organize sessions now. In 1991 the project was legally recognized as the European Youth Parliament which is supposed to have an educational charity format. The EYP is also a program of the Schwarzkopf-Stiftung Junges Europa, and the headquarters is in Berlin, Germany. The number of countries where EYP sessions take place counts more than 40 countries not only of the European Union but countries such the UK, Ukraine, Russia and many others. Each country has its own national committee which is responsible for the country’s activity among all of them. And every national committee has its own president 6

and vice-president. There are also many people who help EYP to join EYP such as heads of of the following departments: HR, Regional Development, Fundraising, the Secretariat and so on. Without those people the seamless work of the project could not be achieved. As for international sessions, basically, all European countries are invited to participate. In order to send a delegation to a session, the national committee usually organizes a national selection conference (session). The objective is to simplify the selection procedure of the best delegates. So, who is that « indispensable delegate»? Many EYPers will probably agree with the fact that the perfect delegate is a delegate who is absolutely involved in the process not only solving the topic problem but also involved in building the new reality which has been developing for so many years. The EYP project is not made only for solving economical, ecological, social and other issues; it is designed for people whose dream is to break all distances existing between people. The perfect delegate should have a pretty high level of English, good communicative skills, be a workaholic and be concerned about the burning issues of today’s world. I am pretty sure you`ve just realized that some last sentences were exactly about you! Each delegate at a session is a part of one big system where absence of one derails session work. EYP session is consists of several parts: 1. Teambuilding. Usually teambuilding takes about 2-3 days where delegates try to break the distance among them, get acquainted to each other and eyp-russia.org

feel free when telling one`s own opinion respecting everyone`s point of view. 2. The 1st step is followed by no less fascinating Committee work. It usually takes about 3-4 days. These days the chair person is concentrating on the process of solving the topic problem. Each committee has its own topic to sort out. The committee work is always full of bright discussions and opinions. 3. A session ends with a General Assembly, in which the committee resolutions are presented, altered and approved (or if the resolution is found unacceptable, not approved). If the Board thinks that the resolution is good enough, they sent it on to the European Parliament. 4. The 4th part is the saddest one. Going home. This part is accompanied by PED (Post EYP Depression). All delegates say goodbye to each other and all they are left with is a hope to meet again. So this is how EYP works. All EYP sessions are worth participating. You are welcome to get an unforgettable experience, which is not comparable to any other project. The session is also a wonderful opportunity to improve not only language but also communicative skills, to become friends with people from different countries and experience. http://vk.com/eyp.russia


The 2012 Flashback Dong Nga My looks back on last year in a very creative way. Good day, it’s the Twenty-Twelve wrap up Now I wanna hear you say “Wassup?” There’s a lot I would like to say Now I want everyone to shout “Hooray!” For starter, there is Felix Baumgartner Jumping from space, breaking sound barrier Her Majesty got her Diamond Jubilee The whole United Kingdom is very happy Brits shrug and proudly say “Well you lad The London Olympic was not that bad” Mr. Bean can actually play the piano The grumpy conductor looks Italiano No one understands, but it’s world-wide What else? Of course it’s Gangnam Style! Euros, Curiosity lands on Mars, And guys, we now have iPhone 5! And after a bunch of elections It’s here: the end of creation! There surely is no use pretending Apocalypse is near and trending! 22nd December, the morning after Breaking news from New Zealanders: “Hello world, we’re partyin’ as hell But no worries, there’s wifi here as well!” There must be lots of things to add So if you want to, be my guest Being through everything written here I bet you’ve had a freakin good year.

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Best Stops in EYP Jungle Tamer Özgen introduces a guide for delegates, where to go and what to do within EYP in 2013.

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he best stop to spend 10 days – international sessions Munich, Zurich, Tbilisi. Like all the previous years since the day EYP was founded, 2013 will also have three International Sessions, a.k.a. IS’s in EYP terminology, in Munich, Zurich and Tbilisi respectively. International Sessions are 10-day events where the best delegates of all countries gather and discuss the burning issues of Europe. A usual IS includes two days of Teambuilding, two days of General Assembly and four to five days of Committee Work. These sessions are quite an opportunity for people interested in a decent EYP career and meeting people from all over Europe The best stop to enjoy the atmosphere – International Forum in Ghent (April). This year’s “best IS–like session award” goes to Ghent. This session will have the GA in a building called UFO. The president of the EYP the Netherlands, Zahra Runderkamp will be presiding this amazing event. It is expected to have IS quality debates, high academic level and a splendid evening program. Janne Vanhemmens, the journalist, is an organizer in Ghent and if you have any questions regarding it do not hesitate to get in touch with her! The best stop to party – Iberian 8

Forum of EYP Spain (summer). When the Spanish sense of fun comes together with EYP, Iberian Forum pops-up. Iberian is notorious for the best parties of EYP, according to the people who have attended the session before and most likely. While having the best parties, never underestimate the academic level of Iberian Forum since it can easily make your EYP CV look top-notch. Our lovely president Nemanja, was a chair in last time and I’m quite sure that he will be really pleased to share his experience during his free time. The best Nordic session – the 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Youth Conference (June). They have eyp-russia.org

money, they have sea and they have fun. This years The Best Stop in the North goes to EuroMediterranean Youth Conference which is going to be held in Stockholm, Sweden. It is expected to have the session in June but due to cancellations or lack of delegates dates might be modified. The session will gather, delegates aged 18-25 and I’m quite sure that like all of the sessions in the list, the best EYPer of community will compete for the free places in the Euro-Med session. Also having a big budget raises the expectations from the session and like all the Swedish sessions, this one will probably reimburse an amount of money for your travel costs as long as you are an official. The best stop to have some Turkish delight – Istanbul Youth Forum 2013 (May). EYP Turkey has come an extremely long way since its beginning and this year it is organizing 4 sessions in row. It is the first time there will be a session outside of Istanbul which is Ankara Youth Forum but still, Istanbul remains the most beautiful city of Turkey. Istanbul Youth Forum is one of the oldest annual sessions in EYP history and has always been of high quality. This year, however, the main host school has changed. Furthermore EYP Turkey is organize a session just near the Bosphorus, so all the participants will be able to taste the delicious baklava, Turkish delight, admire awesome Bosphorus lights and experience true Turkish hospitality. The calls for officials and delegates will be opened in February and for further information, don’t hesitate to contact Tamer Ozgen. For further information you can pay a visit to www.eypej.org which is the main site of EYP! http://vk.com/eyp.russia


Tips and advice from experienced EYPers

never know the outcome and what will people think about what you have done. However, it is very important to make a good impression, for further successful development of EYP friendship. If this event is the first one in your EYP career, here are some useful tips for you from the more experienced participants on how to be successful at any session: Alexander Guzenko Dmitry Vyskrebentsev, the and Dong Nga My take session editor was the first one to off the blindfolds of the share his expertise and gave some “Don’t expect too much delegates and show the advice: from the session, just let it go. Everything will happen naturally, way to EYP success. and there is nothing to be afraid irst time at an EYP event? of.” Tamer Tamer Özgen, a Do not know what to do, journalist from Turkey, noted that what to say or how to dress? It is always scary doing things it is very important to stay relaxed for the first time, because you during the General Assembly, as

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it is one of the most important and formal part of the whole session. Janne Vanhemmens, an experienced Belgian EYPer confirmed his point of view by saying that it is absolutely fine not to be very talkative during the debates, however it is very encouraged. Although, if you don’t want to make a wrong impression, try not to wear jeans to the General Assembly. Olga Pushkareva, one of the most experienced members of EYP Russia is a busy bee but is always willing to help out with a session, which made her one of the organisers. While every committee was enjoying their team building, we were lucky to catch Olga on her way to getting her materials, and she gave us a really good piece of advice: “Enjoy every step of the session to your heart’s content. Feel the EYP spirit and have fun!” “Try to make the best of this, work hard, and do not forget that it is important to enjoy it as well.” Nemanja Predojevic, the President of the session, said this from his own experience. After all, that is probably the right way to spend your time at any EYP session to your own benefit. The majority of the people interviewed, have been always saying that it is essential not to be shy and too serious during each activity you take part in. Nevertheless, each of us is an individual and seeks recognithion, that is why you should not be afraid to be yourself and do things you enjoy. Enjoy every precious moment of the session, be relaxed and stand up to every challenge in order to make the event unforgettable.

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Caution! Hipsters detected! Alex Guzenko sheds light on the relatively new subculture that has recently caught on.

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e often hear, pronounce, and associate the word “hipster” with one’s identity without a proper understanding of the term. So, this article is intended for everyone who needs clarification regarding the everyday usage of the word and its meaning. It usually happens that we are afraid of things we do not know. As a matter of fact, the same situation can be observed regarding hipsters. So let us find out who they are and if they are dangerous for the the society. If you have ever met a young man wearing an old-fashioned 10

shirt and Ray Ban sunglasses, with a beard – you met a hipster. Maybe you have seen a young lady, wearing Converse all star shoes, drinking Starbucks coffee and talking pictures on her old camera? That also would be a representative of the hipster culture. Nevertheless, being a hipster is not just being fashionable and young; there is a significant historical background behind it. It

Even though these events took place in the previous century, the modern youth finds them vivid in the modern society. As the main value of that time was being free, it remains, and obtains deeper sense nowadays. Being free in today’s world means being different, as opposed to the “mainstream”. That is why the representatives of the subculture are trying to find the most outdated pieces of clothing and accessories, which anyone

all started in the 1950’s in the USA when the hippie movement was initiated. Fascinated by the jazz music, cheap alcohol, light drugs, and freedom, the youth set out for adventures. Young people were passionate, enthusiastic, friendly, and inspired by the unknown. The right definition of their epoch can be found in the book “On the Road”, written by Jack Kerouac: “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones that are mad to live, mad to talk, desirous of everything at the same time, that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn..”

could possibly wear nowadays. Many people do not recognize hipsters as a youth culture, because they do not have their identity, but are just copying the fashion of the past century. Disregarding this aspect, the notion of freedom as a key motto has changed and the youth adjusts and find the most unique ways of standing out of the ordinary. So if you feel like having the same life perspective, go and grow a decent beard, get an old camera, download Bob Dylan and RHCP to your music player, and hit the streets, seek for adventures.

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PRIVET! Janne Vanhemmens and Tamer Özgen discuss their impressions of Moscow after spending three days in this to them unknown metropolis.

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nce upon a time, a Belgian and a Turk travelled to Moscow. While the former was getting lost in the giant airport, the latter wandered around the train station for half an hour trying to find the head

organiser. Right, that is us! We were quite stunned not to find any English speaking persons to help us out. Fortunately, we eventually managed to find our way and join the other EYPers. Getting acquainted with Moscow for the first time, our group made a walk and ended up in a bar with a surprising concept. Both of us immediately fell in love with the “clock-face” bar, paying according to the time that our personal clock indicated instead of for each coffee latte and cookie. We decided that we definitely have to visit more of these hipster places, and that our countries need to take over this concept. Furthermore, Janne got a little heart attack noticing the absence of toilet paper in the school venue. At the same time Tamer almost

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turned green when lunch was served, still being unfamiliar with Russian cuisine. Later, meeting some locals, he learned that shaking hands with gloves on is unacceptable in Russia. To fit better into this strange but inspiring society, we learned some useful words and phrases. From now on, we say PRIVET to the guard when entering the school even though we do not understand his answer, we ask the organisers WIFI JEST? and we will tell delegates BO ANGLIYSKIY POJALUYSTA if we want to join the conversation during lunch. We are looking forward to be taught more of these expressions, so feel free to help us out! And lastly, we could also use some advice to survive the upcoming days.

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