Information Package - PRESS

17-20 APRIL, DILIJAN, ARMENIA

Call for Delegates

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Committees

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Welcome to Dilijan

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The European Youth Parliament

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EYP Armenia

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EYP Forum Methodology

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Venues, Accommodation

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Dress code

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Preliminary Agenda

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How to Participate?

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We are thrilled to inform you that the 1st Pan-Regional EYP Session will take place on 17-20th, April 2015 in Dilijan, Armenia. Around 70 delegates from 14 cities of Armenia will gather together to brainstorm, discuss diverse topics in their respective committees, challenge each other and themselves, get to know various perspectives and see matters a bit differently. It is our pleasure to open the call for the delegates from Alaverdi, Stepanavan, Gyumri, Amasia, Ijevan, Noyemberyan, Vardenis, Gavar, Chambarak, Talin, Aparan, Yerevan, Kapan, Sisian.

❖ Meet awesome and creative enthusiasts from different parts of Armenia; ❖ Discover cozy and hospitable Dilijan with its old town, branch of UWC international school and breathtaking views; ❖ Get the chance to be selected to participate in the EYP International Forum in May and further more represent Armenia in Germany; ❖ Participate in the General Assembly held at the newly built headquarters of the Central bank in Dilijan; ❖ Give your vote to the resolutions and bills you are supporting.

 All costs are covered for the participants;  Best delegates will be chosen based on the Independent Jury’s assessment and the voting of the participants to represent their city in the IEFA International Forum in Yerevan, and you can be one of them!  You are young, talented, amazing and can’t wait to be a part of the big EYP family.

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The Delegates will be allocated in the 5 committees to discuss the following topics in the scope of “Activating Regional Youth via Challenging Unemployment� broad topic: 1. Environment, Food Security and Public Health (ENVI). Rural areas in the EU represent 91 % of the territory and 56 % of the population. Many of these rural areas face significant environmental and socio-economic challenges.

Agricultural practices put pressure on the rural environment, but on the other hand, agriculture and forestry are generating public goods, notably environmental such as landscapes, biodiversity, climate stability and protection against natural disasters. Agriculture and food industries directly related still represent a high share of the economy particularly in remote and predominantly rural areas. What kind of policies should EU adopt for green growth?

2. Industry, Research and Energy. The EU aims to allocate more than 3 billion euro worth of grants in the 2014-2020 financial periods to support sustainable energy projects in about 30 countries that see energy as a focal sector for development. The projects include hydro, wind, solar and biomass projects. This will leverage between 15 and 30 billion euro in loans and equity investment, thus enabling to plug the gaps in energy infrastructure projects and power businesses, schools, homes and hospitals. The projects will address energy challenges in rural areas and are part of the EU’s last Energy Facility Call for Proposals, which focused specifically on improving access to modern, affordable and sustainable energy services for rural poor, by promoting renewable energy solutions as well as on energy efficiency measures building on proven successful actions. What kind of models EU should use to contribute introduction and spreading of sustainable energy in developing countries?

3. Human rights (DROI). The law that bans Holocaust denial has been adopted in most of the EU countries and has been in force already for a decade. In the recent years, the Armenian Genocide denial law has been brought on the

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agenda of several European superpowers and since then become a very disputable issue. Its supporters are underlining the importance of preventing the hate speech, while its opponents bring forward the limitation to the freedom of speech. What should the EU’s stance be on the matter, given its strong ties with Turkey?

4. Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)/Regional Development. European Commission understands the importance small and medium-sized enterprises.

More than 99% of all European businesses are SMEs. They provide two out of three of the private sector jobs and contribute to more than half of the total value-added created by businesses in the EU. Moreover, SMEs are the true back-bone of the European economy, being primarily responsible for wealth and economic growth, next to their key role in innovation and R&D. Declining employment opportunities in primary industries (mainly agriculture), as a result of structural change, puts necessity to diversify economies in rural areas. This emphasizes the need to take steps to stimulate economic activity with employment-generating potential in rural areas. Which measures should EU adopt to further develop SMEs in rural areas?

5. Employment and Social Affairs. With budgets still tight and austerity measures in place, Europe's youth unemployment rate stands at 23.5 percent, with every 4th young European being unemployed. Rural youth unemployment is more serious issue, influenced by the following factors: lack of proper jobs, scarcity of educational possibilities, housing problems and changing life-style patterns.

Taking into account, that the youth employment is the backbone of the competitive economy and failure to ensure the latter may result in social tensions, the above-mentioned issues has become very urgent in the recent years for the EU and EaP. Thus, what should be the main pillars of the program to reverse the rising joblessness for the rural youth in the EU and EaP countries?

The EYP Armenia team will be also organizing a range of evening activities to create platform for non-formal and cultural communication as a supplement to the academic aspect of the conference (refer to the conference schedule). The organizing team will do its best to ensure high quality of the forum and unforgettable experience for all the delegates. We are working hard to make the upcoming session outstanding and provide an insight about the urgent issues of Europe to our delegates.

We look forward to meeting you in Dilijan, at the 1st Regional EYP Session in Armenia.

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Often called the little Switzerland of Armenia, Dilijan is one of the greenest and most stunning cities of the country. It is home to numerous Armenian artists, composers filmmakers,and features Armenian traditional architecture.

The city lies on the banks of Aghstev River, the beautiful mountains are covered with thick forests, and up on the peaks alpine meadows. Dilijan has a rich historical and cultural heritage. Some historical items found in the area are dating back to 1000 years. Some of the most known monuments are the famous Rotondo, the Amphitheatre, Khanjian’s villa, Memorial to Soviet Armenia, Memorial to the World War II. Some of the nearby touristic places are Haghartsin, Goshavank, Dilijan Reserve, Jukhtak Vank, Parz lich. It’s incredibly nice to walk around the green city in the evenings, meet the locals, hear their legendary stories, taste the delicious organic food and wonder upon the stars. In the recent years the Government decided to make Dilijan a financial capital of the country. Numerous banks have established their branches in Dilijan, the Central Bank of Armenia built and Training and Research Center of the bank there.

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The European Youth Parliament (EYP, www.eyp.org) is a non-partisan and independent educational project which is tailored specifically to the needs of the young European citizen. The EYP encourages independent thinking and socio-political initiative in young people and facilitates the learning of crucial social and professional skills. Since its inauguration, in 1987, many tens of thousands of young people have taken part in regional, national and international sessions, formed friendship, ponder over urgent issues of Europe, proposed solutions, made international contact across and beyond borders. Today the EYP is one of the largest European platforms for political educational work and the exchange of ideas among young people in Europe and has been granted patronage from Thorbjorn Jagland (Secretary General of the Council of Europe), Martin Schulz (President of the European Parliament), Jose Manuel Barroso (President of the European Commission), and many other outstanding figures in the European Politics. The EYP consists of a network of more than 41 European associations and organizations in which targets to empower the young people through the involvement in the decision-making process.

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The EYP Armenia has been established and recognized as a full member of the European Youth Parliament network in December of 2012.

Since then our delegates have taken part in numerous of regional sessions, international forums, and got involved in various projects with the most recent being Forum to Empower Emerging Leaders, 1st International EYP Forum in Armenia, EYP BuS, 2nd National Selection Conference, etc. Overall, EYP Armenia has implemented 25 projects which involved around 3000 young people, hosted 400 foreign students from 68 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, Americas and Australia and 45 volunteers from Armenia, Georgia, Sweden, Romania, Austria, Czech Republic. The 3rd EYP Youth Forum to empower emerging leaders Activate youth for sustainability: obtaining and rebuilding (FEEL AYSOR) took place on 14-18th November. It brought together 150 participants from 30 countries for this 5 day event in Yerevan. The delegates have been allocated to 5 Committees to discuss respective subtopics. In the scope of the 3rd EYP Forum, the 3 best delegates were given the opportunity to repres ent Armenia at the Regional Conference of EYP Germany in Hamburg, from 5-8th of March. The International EYP Public Speaking (IEPS) Competition organized by European Youth Parliament – Armenia in cooperation with EU Centre in Yerevan took place on 1819th July, 2014. The 16 selected participants took part in the workshop on public speaking

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skills delivered by the expert from Sweden and furthermore presented their speeches on July 19th. Based on the voting of the jury comprising experts from Italy, Sweden and Armenia best speakers were chosen who will form the Armenian delegation at the Cork International Forum in Ireland (October 28-November 2). And one place in the delegation was given to the speaker who got the People`s Choice Award. The International EYP Forum in Armenia (#IEFA) on “Democratic Citizenship: obtaining, developing, empowering” took place in Yerevan, May 1-5 and hosted by the American University of Armenia. 200 delegates from more than 30 countries came together for this 5 day event in Yerevan. The delegates have been allocated to 10 Committees to discuss respective subtopics. In the scope of the International Forum, the best delegate was chosen based on the Independent Jury’s assessment and the voting of the 200 delegates to join the delegation representing Armenia at the 76th International Session of European Youth Parliament in Barcelona, Spain 24th July – 4th August.

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EYP Session follows a similar program and is based on the same methodology of teambuilding, committee work and General Assembly (GA) synthesized with the evening activities.

Teambuilding. Young people coming from very different background and having never met before will gather committees.

They need to function as a close-knit team pulling together and respecting each other by the end of the event. The preparation for this challenge is the aim of the teambuilding activities. In conjunction with the committee chairperson, the delegates in committees engage in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Some of these are physical, others creative or problem solving but all of them are designed to get the group of people working as a team, creating the basis for an open, productive and fair political discussion in an atmosphere of trust among the participants.

Committee Work. Committee work is the central part of any session of the European Youth Parliament.

The delegates of committee come together after the teambuilding to work on the particular topic allocated in the scope of the general topic which will result in a resolution. Resolution itself includes introductory and operative clauses: identification of the existing problems and the ways to solve them. The principle of consensus is central to the EYP method and it can be a huge challenge for the group to reach a compromise in the

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end. Chair is facilitating the group discussion and gives the insight into the specifics of the discussed topic.

The General Assembly (GA). The General Assembly reunites all the participants of the session in order to consider the results of the committee work. Each committee presents a resolution, which furthermore is defended, attacked, debated and, ultimately, voted on based solely on the personal conscience of each delegate.

The Resolution is successfully passed if more than half of delegates voted in favor. In the end of the GA, 3 to 5 delegates are chosen to represent EYP Armenia at the International European Youth Parliament Session based on the voting of the jury and the delegates themselves.

Concert and Cultural Evening. The idea of the Cultural Evening is for all the delegations from all the regions of Armenia to put together their own stall to present local products and culture. The presentation tables usually include a variety of local food and drinks, brochures, small gifts and other products. Quite often the delegation even wears their respective national costumes to make the event a colorful celebration of the different nations. Every delegation will be asked to bring their national food and products.

The talents of EYPers are various, and in recognition of the many musically gifted among the participants, this event is a chance for these musicians to show their abilities, playing a variety of instruments, singing and dancing. Concert is yet again a possibility to explore and share the diversity coming from different regions.

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During the session the delegates will stay at the Haghartsin hotel which is located in a wonderful part of Dilijan, among picturesque mountains covered with spectacular forests. Here you will feel as a part of the nature and will be touched by national cultural and spiritual values coming through the ages. Entertainment places such as table tennis, swimming pool, fitness center, chess and backgammon will be under your disposal to relax after the hot debates. Here you can taste delicious dishes of Armenian, Georgian and European cuisine or just enjoy the evening in an open air pavilions. There is free wifi in hotel's rooms and public areas.

Committee Work. The Committee Work activities will take place at the Haghartsin hotel which is equipped with all the necessary facilities and will make the work more comfortable for the participants. The cottages located around the complex will host the two-day intense work, discussions, resolution writing and continuous exchange of ideas.

General Assembly. The general assembly will be hosted by the Central Bank Armenia headquarter building in Dilijan. It is a round shape building with 100mt diameter, 7 stories. There is a breathtaking view of the area up from the mountains. The headquarter was opened in January 2013. It is a creative modern building equipped with the newest technologies to conduct fruitful work.

Cultural Evening. The ArmVillage/Present your region together with the Talent Night event will be hosted by the Haghartsin Complex. The participants will have the opportunity to share their traditional family cuisine typical to

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their town with everyone. The event will take place in the beautiful hotel yard wich has the breath of traditional architecture. The Talent Night will be held in the special hall of the complex. The participants will reveal their talents and show what they are good at.

SMART. During Committee Work you will be required to follow the smart dress code. You will not be expected to wear your suit, but worn-out jeans with sneakers or flip-flops don’t quite fit the smart clothing requirements either - preferably you wear something in between. For example, trousers with a shirt or a blouse will suit perfectly for Committee Work.

CASUAL. This dress code applies to Teambuilding, where you will be doing various activities, both indoors and outdoors, depending on the weather conditions. You are free to wear any type of clothing you feel comfortable in, as long as you are able to move around actively.

FORMAL. During the Opening Ceremony, the Euroconcert and the General Assembly you will be expected to dress formally. This means suits with ties for the gentlemen, and suits, dresses or skirts of an appropriate length for the ladies!

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APRIL 18

APRIL 17 10:30-11:30

Opening Ceremony

09:30-10:30

Breakfast

11:30-12:00

Coffee Break

10:30-14:00

Committee Work

Team-Building activities Lunch

14:00-15:00

Lunch

15:00-17:00

Committee Work

17:0-17:30

Coffee Break

17:30-19:00

Committee Work

12:30-14:00 14:00-15:00 15:00-19:00

19:00-20:00 20:00-22:00

Team-Building activities, City Tour Dinner ArmVillage/Present your Region

19:00-20:00

Dinner

20:00-22:30

Talent Night

APRIL 19

APRIL 20

09:30-10:30

Breakfast

10:30-14:00

Committee Work

14:00-15:00

Lunch

15:00-17:00

Committee work

12:30-14:30

Coffee Break

14:30-15:30

17:00-17:30

09:00-10:00 10:00- 12:00 12:00-12:30

15:30-17:00 17:30-19:00

20:00-22:00

Breakfast General Assembly (Committee 1,2) Coffee Break General Assembly (Committee 3,4) Lunch

Committee Work (Finalizing Resolutions)

17:00-18:00

General Assembly (Committee 5) Closing Ceremony

19:00-20:00

Dinner

Free Time

20:00-24:00

Farewell Party

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We are now happy to launch a call for delegates for the exceptional first regional EYP session in Dilijan. The participation, accommodation and meals as well as the transportation costs are covered by World Vision Armenia.

Application will be opened on 9th of March and will close on March 15th, 23:59 CET. You can either apply to the World Vision ADP in the cities of Alaverdi, Stepanavan, Gyumri, Amasia, Ijevan, Noyemberyan, Vardenis, Gavar, Chambarak, Talin, Aparan, Yerevan, Kapan, Sisian, or fill out the online application form before the deadline.

The evaluation of the applications will be done by an independent evaluation committee.

Online application form for delegates can be found here: http://goo.gl/forms/Jpos4EFZvE Online application form for Chairs and Vice-Presidents can be found here: http://goo.gl/forms/7hnTJw3zwd

The deadline for the application submission is March 15, 23:59 (Armenian Time).

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