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EDITORIAL. Dear readers, This will be my last and final editorial of Vantaa 2014. I have not been around much, but I have by all means still been an active part of the Session, together with my Editorial Assistant Cat Noonan from Ireland. Cat is a calm person, and I am an absolute freakshow when I get stressed (which happens a bit too often...) and nobody can get me more down to earth than her. Despite the fact that everyone is having a hard time at the Session, Cat has an extra hard time with me as her Editor Supreme, and gets too little credit for it. This is my official thank you - thanks for putting up with me, and supporting me. Thanks to all Officials and Delegates for being there when needed. Everything you have done is grand, and the Session would not have been the same without you. Espeically thanks to Riku, Erasmus, Christopher and Alex from the orga team for keeping me sane when nobody else could. Before I get too emotional, I am going to end this with a “I will see you around!”. I hope you had the time of your lifes. I did. Christina Daubjerg Newman Editor of Vantaa 2014
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THE AURORA IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY Editorial Assistant:
Jenni Röynä (FI)
Catherine Noonan (IE)
Katariina Suorsa (FI) Kristin Verpe (NO)
Video Editor:
Lira Loloci (AL)
Anu Pekkarinen (FI)
Natalie Dyvesether (NO) Saara Rissanen (FI)
Journalists:
Zephyr Brüggen (NL)
Christopher Nölte (DE) Emily Smith (UK) Iina Lappalainen (FI) 2
AN EYP INTERNATIONAL SESSION BY KRISTIN GRAF VERPE
You are now approaching the end of Vantaa2014 - the 20th National Session of the European Youth Parliament Finland, which you hopefully have enjoyed to the fullest, and worked your hardest at. As you know, some of you will be selected to participate in the International Sessions (IS) in Riga, Latvia in the spring of 2014, and Kyiv, Ukraine in the fall. If you are one of the lucky ones selected, you are up for one of the greatest experiences of your life.
EYP organizes three International Sessions each year; one in the fall, one in the spring and a summer Session you can attend after being a Delegate at an IS. The International Session gathers around 300 Delegates, from all over the continent to solve current European issues. The Session will last for nine days, and you will normally have two days of Team Building, four days of Committee Work and two days of General Assembly.
All the Delegates you will meet at an International Session are there the same way as you, carefully selected from their National Sessions to represent their country. As a result, the academic level at the Session will be extremely high, which will naturally be reflected in the quality of Committee Work, and 3
the debates during General Assembly. The Committees will be lead by Chairs that are experienced EYP Alumni, and the high quality products from the Media Team of the Session will entertain and inform the Delegates.
However, the Session will consist of a lot more than just the academics. For instance, the participants from all the countries will have the opportunity to share the treats of their cultures during events like EuroVillage and EuroConcert. There will be plenty of time during the evenings to socialize with all your new friends, and I guarantee you that you will have a good collection of stories to tell your friends about when you get home.
You will understand what is so unique with about International Session when you are finding yourself in the Committee room, debating and trying to agree with people that are born and raised in 15 different countries, and therefore have completely different point of views and
opinions. It will broaden your horizons, and challenge your way of thinking - you will get new insight and perspectives that you have never thought of before.
As you are struggling to keep your eyes open, after only four days with close to no sleep, you might wonder how on earth you will be able to survive an International Session. Do not worry, the special atmosphere and energy of an IS works like magic - it will keep you going during the whole Session, until you are on your way back home.
All this might sound weird to you right now, but you will understand me when your chaperone has to drag you out of the Farewell Party because you do not want to leave the people that you have shared everything with the last ten days. From that moment, the European countries will be more than just a name on the map; they will be friends and special memories that will stay close to your heart for a long time. 4
TODAY IN HISTORY: 13TH JANUARY BY EMILY SMITH
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TODAY IN HISTORY: 13th January 1559: Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey at just 25 years of age. Elizabeth had a long reign of 44 years, and this time period is often thought of as the ‘Golden Age’ as it was a time of extravagance and luxury. She was known as the ‘Virgin Queen’ due to her reluctance to marry. This was thought to be because she did not want endanger her authority. 1797: The end of the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle was between a French ship and two British ships off the Brittany coast. The end came when the French vessel ran ashore resulting in 900 deaths. 2012: The Costa Concordia, a cruise ship, sunk off the coast of Italy. It was among one of the largest ships built in Italy. The name Concordia was intended to express the wish for ‘continuing harmony, unity, and peace between European nations’. Births and Deaths …one for the ladies today Born: 1966: Patrick Dempsey, American actor. Best known for his part in medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. 1977: Orlando Bloom, British actor. Best known for roles in The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Poirot novels which have since been made into a television series. European News - 2014 Medical: Ukraine’s ex-Interior Minister has been moved out of intensive care and is reported to be in a ‘stable condition’ with concussion after getting injured when violence broke out between protesters and riot police last week. The unrest occurred after a court jailed three activists over an alleged terror plot. Political: 100,000 people marched through the city of Bilbao, Spain after a rally, calling for imprisoned Basque militants to be moved closer to their families, was banned by a judge. The march was said to be for ‘human rights, understanding and peace’ and was organised by Basque nationalist and separatist political parties. And in Finland… Military: For the first time, Marines will train with Finnish soldiers in Finland. They will swap skills on arctic and urban warfare in freezing temperatures. It is thought that this will prepare them better for cold weather operations. Education: A recent survey proved that the majority of Finns would like to abolish compulsory teaching of Swedish in schools. However, many teachers oppose this and fear that without this compulsion, Finns’ language skills would deteriorate.
Died: 1976 - Agatha Christie, English crime writer of novels, short stories and plays. One of her most famous works would be her Detective
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WHAT HAPPENS ON NIGHT WATCH BY KATARIINA SOURSA
The Night Watch, Juho, turned out to be a fake and a poser. Two all-nighters was too much for such a decrepit EYPer. Fortunately, the handsome Organisers Anthony and Ian saved the night by keeping the Delegates occupied with a selection of great EYP games. They started by playing the ‘Question Game’ for warm up, to get everyone a bit more relaxed. The next game they played was called ‘Movie Charades’, which meant they had to perform a pantomime about movies. Some of the most memorable ones were ‘Titanic’ and ‘Shrek’. They continued their late night programme for hours, playing ‘Honey Tell Me That You Love Me’, ‘Encore’ and brain teasers such as ‘Pointing Game’ and ‘Murderer Game’. There were over 30 Delegates having fun, and the atmosphere was amazing through the night. The lobby was ringing with laughter when the Delegates got to playing ‘Broken Telephone’. It was funny when we were five years old and it still is today. It is hard to understand how the phrase “cookies in a toaster” could evolve from “cocaine on the coaster” all the way to “pasta piston hairy stomp”. Finally, in the last game, the Delegates returned to pantomime, this time with words that did not pass the censorship of this paper. For the details you should contact the shameless Delegates involved.
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THE PHANTOMS OF THE SESSION BY LIRA LOLOÇI
These are the people, without whom, the Session would be impossible. The faces that serve you breakfast, the ones that spent hours and days, and even months, preparing this Session beforehand. Having experienced being in this position myself, I would like to draw special attention to the Organisers. Just because they do not have direct contact with you all of the time, it does not mean that they are not there. Most likely, they are preparing the next best thing. When all of us still think that the Session is months ahead, they are already working on it - running around finding sponsors, sorting arrivals and departures, searching for venues, preparing lists of Delegates or Officials, arranging food and transport - and I am just stopping here to be polite to you all. Although it might seem as if being an Organiser is too much work and stress, you cannot really grasp the true feeling of EYP as an organisation without having experienced this role. This is not to say that it is not stressful, because it is. One of the most important qualities that an Organiser should have is patience and the ability to respond quickly to these situations. The Organisers of the Vantaa 20th National Selection Session have proved themselves more than capable to do so - saving many ill-equipped Officials (such as myself) when they do not bring essentials such as sleeping bags. It would be interesting to know what is it that motivates them to actually do all this work. However, do not expect any life-changing reasons. Some of them are simply in it because they like Riikka and Riikka, so why not help them out? But there is, of course, more to it than that. All of them, having had previous experience in EYP, would like to help all of the Delegates experience what they did during their first Sessions. Therefore, acknowledge their work, find time to be respectful and thank them, because they are not paid to assist you. They are all in it so that they can offer you one of the best experiences of your teenage life.
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THINGS THAT WILL STAY IN YOUR MINDS BY CHRISTOPHER NĂ–LTE
There always comes the point when a Session is coming to an end and people are looking back over it, having created thousands of unique memories that hopefully will stay forever in their minds. See this not just as a conclusion of the Session, but also as your personal mnemonic device for if you are looking back to the Session in the future. For some people, the Session started really embarrassingly, and girls in particular seem to have been too enthusiastic during the teambuilding. Not just one, but actually two girls in the Committee of TRAN broke their skirts. When asked for best part of the Session, everybody mentions the Evening Programme. It seemed to be especially entertaining on the second day, because there was a good mixture between songs and games and also many new games that the Delegates had not played before. The most exciting game by far was the chain game, followed by the pony song. 9
Another thing that will stay in everyone’s mind is the lovely wakeup calls by the Organisers. There was a broad variety of voices and emotions during the different announcements, and the two voices never to be forgotten are those of Christopher Proctor and Ian Perring. Those two were also mentioned a lot because of their hair, which is “pure magic” from the point of view of some Delegates.
The late night games, which were traditionally conducted by Anthony Fedorov, were most likely the most enjoyable part of the day for all Delegates who appreciated staying up late. The game night included a singing competition with great performances, where you had to sing existing songs after having one word mentioned that had to be in the song. Movie guessing and pantomime rounded out the whole programme.
Since there were also a few foreign Delegates attending the Session, it is worth taking a look into their impressions of being at a Finnish Session. The German Delegation was surprised by the friendliness of the Finnish people - during Committee work, one Delegate even said “Do not be so friendly, please stop being so friendly, it is okay to be averagely friendly”.
During Committee Work, some Finnish people were referring to the “European Onion”, but even so, they had no problems understanding each other. Another similar instance happened in AFCO, were the German “kurz und prägnant = short and concise” turned into “short and pregnant”.
One other Delegate was even wondering why everybody was working so hard, and why there is nobody not working, because that was quite unusual to him. In general, people were enjoying the harmonic mixture of serious work during Committee Work and personal enjoyment during the evening and the late night programme.
As at every Session, people were really tired, and so a lot of small accidents / incidents occurred, which was really funny in itself, according to a member of ITRE. Forever in our mind will be the poker face guy, who was unbeatable during the late night games when it came to the non-smiling competition.
All in all, some foreign Delegates may have been shocked by the high numbers of blond people, but also surprised by the extreme friendliness of representatives from a single nation. Vantaa has been a great place with a lot of funny and remarkable moments, which you will hopefully share with everyone interested. Help other forgetful persons, like me, to remember the Session as great as it was by putting all your wonderful pictures on Instagram with the hashtag “#Vantaaselfies”.
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WE ONLY PART TO MEET AGAINCONTINUING EYP BY IINA LAPPALAINEN
The Session is coming to its end, and many Delegates might be considering life after this Session. Returning to normal life might feel difficult with the uncertainty of continuing EYP - what happens if I am not selected to any further Sessions? No worries, we will give you some ways to continue. Ask any Official you want, they will urge you to continue EYP. You can apply to Sessions abroad as a Delegate - many countries want foreign Delegates at their Sessions. The best way to apply is to contact the Head Organiser of the Session and ask about participating, but there is often an open call for Delegates. EYP has its own Alumni-page where all Sessions are listed, and is also where you apply. The EYP Finland Alumni-page on Facebook gives information about the upcoming Sessions, so join and you will get all this information! A good way to continue in EYP is to become an Official. EYP Finland organises Chair and Journalist Training Sessions - this year; Journalist Training is held in May, and Chairs in August. Becoming a 11
Journalist does not require Training, but is a big bonus in your application and Finnish Training Sessions are well known for their high quality. Information about them will also be posted on Facebook and the Alumni-page.
be part of the Organisers team, you have two options; you can either contact the Head Organisers, or fill in the online application form. Remember that you can also be an Organiser at Sessions other than your own Region’s.
EYP Finland is divided into five Regional Committees; EYP Helsinki, EYP Turku, EYP Tampere, EYP Eastern Finland and the newest, EYP Northern Finland. These Committees arrange events called EYP Cafés, the idea being to gather all EYPers together to have fun. They are meant for everyone, not just for members of that specific region. The next Café will be held in Oulu on February 1st – find it on Facebook!
Lastly, let’s look to the future. Last autumn, EYP Finland got some great news; Tampere will be hosting the International Session in the summer of 2015. Here is an opportunity for all EYPers in Finland, and also for you, Delegates! Call for Organisers will open very soon!
Regional Committees have their own Board, and function essentially in the same way as the Board of EYP Finland, so there are many different roles available. Being part of the Regional Board is not necessarily a heavy burden, and a good way to continue EYP as you gain lots of knowhow and experience. Board Selection usually happens at the end of each year, so it is possible to watch the Board working, then apply to the next Board. Since EYP Northern Finland is so new, they are selecting their Regional Board soon, so there is an opportunity to start working in the Board in the beginning of this year. All current and former Regional Board members would be pleased to answer to your questions concerning their work.
www.facebook.com /eypfinland
www.alumni.eypej.org
www.facebook.com/groups/eypfinlandalumni The Regional Committees are on Facebook as well ; EYP Itä-Suomi , EYP Pohjois-Suomi, EYP Turku, EYP Tampere and EYP Helsinki - join the groups!
The next round of Regional Sessions will appear in autumn. Organising is a good way to continue in EYP, since it provides a chance to see how the Session really works, and you can appreciate the Session in a different way afterwards. The hosting cities of Regional Sessions 2014 have not yet been announced, but information about them will be posted on Facebook. If you want to
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GLORIFICATION OF EUROPE? BY ZEPHYR BRÜGGEN
Tomorrow, General Assembly will be traditionally opened with the solemn listening of the European Anthem. It is an important tradition in EYP, a rather epic moment, and above all, the most beautiful piece of music. I would, however like to warn you against how it could possibly affect you. Say you are in Committee Work. You are discussing how European citizens can be made aware of their European identity, and what Europe should do to make them politically active and involved. Now, all of you belong to the category of active European citizens, but do you think the solving of this question it is a must for Europe to function? Separatism and civil wars because there were different groups, even within one country, because people felt different, in an ethnical or religious way or simply because they didn’t agree with their country’s policies - has been a recurring theme of history. Do you really think something such as big as a European identity exists? And that if it doesn’t, we should create it? Force it upon all those people from all those different countries, only to justify one central European legislative government that decides over 28 Member States, all culturally diverse? Is it really good if the same laws are applied to so many different and diverse countries? Does the motto ‘United in Diversity’ really hold true? Or say you are racking your brains on how Europe should innovate its technology and industry, and protect business at home to compete with Asian countries, where all labour is being outsourced. You do not even have to agree with the fact that this is a problem. You
could disagree with it. Why create this block formation around the world of continents that all maintain an economically hostile position towards each other? Why should Europe be the best and the wealthiest? And why do we, for example, never talk about the fact that Europe is selling all agricultural leftovers of their total production for a ridiculously low price in third-world countries, taking away the chance for local companies and farmers to sell and develop themselves? And that the other way around, Europe has such high tariff walls and import requirements that it is almost impossible for those countries to export to Europe? With this article, I in no way want to express an anti-European sentiment: of course European countries should work together, and of course Europe has achieved many great things. It is for a very good reason they received the Nobel Peace Prize last year for 60 years of peace – after thousands of years of tumultuous, yet common, history, they have united and established peaceful diplomatic and democratic structures between countries that used to meet each other on the battlefield to fight over disagreements. I would just like to remind you to stay critical. EYP might not take political stances, and your resolutions may not have any political influence, but they do matter – a lot. It will, to some extent, shape you and your thinking, and you, in the end, are the future of Europe. EYP is an educational organisation where you can learn a lot about political issues about Europe and debate them – it is not a youth wing of Brussels. You do not have to ‘think Europe’ if you think it is better not to –as long as you just think!
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DID YOU SLEEP WELL LAST NIGHT?
DO YOUR BEST MOOMIN IMPRESSION.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT GA? 15
HOW TO SURVIVE PED? KATARIINA SUORSA
Something that every EYPer has gone through: Post EYP Depression (PED). Even though it is called depression, it is a good thing - it proves you have just experienced something amazing and unforgettable, something emotive.
Attending a Session isolates you from the outside world. For a few days, you interact only with the other participants and the Session venue becomes your home. When it all comes to an end and it is time to face the everyday life again, the PED hits you hard. The first symptom is a blue, melancholy feeling. You feel somehow empty, and do not know what to do when there is no more committee work and coffee breaks. You just simply want to crawl back into that EYP-bubble.
Time is the best cure for everything, and for PED too. You are going to feel normal in a week or two, but there are certain things you can do to make the process quicker. First of all: sleep. Sleeping is a natural response to dejection, but it is also important because of the fatigue you probably faced during a Session. When you feel rested, the next thing to do is to get some ice cream and start browsing the Session pictures and watch the videos. You must also read the Session newspapers from cover to cover, not only to reminisce about things that happened at the Session, but also to get some useful information about, for instance, about continuing in EYP.
If you have not done it yet, it is time to get connected. Connect with all the great people you got to know during the Session. Add them on Facebook, Skype with them and meet up. It is good to utilize the social media to stay in touch with your new friends until your next Session together. It is also good to like EYP Finland, join EYP Finland’s Alumni page and EYP Couchsurfing on Facebook, to keep up with all the happenings and to get the most out of EYP. Remember to join your Regional Committee’s page too, to know the upcoming Cafés and meetings!
Of course, the greatest way to relieve PED is to just do more EYP. It is not the end of a road if you do not get selected to continue from Vantaa. You can always go to other countries’ Regional Sessions, and every now and then there are spots for the National Sessions too. You just need to find your own way.
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RIIKKA^2 IN CHARGE BY NATALIE MAHMOOD DYVESTHER
When I tried to set up an interview with the two Head Organisers (HO), Riikka Nieminen (20) and Riikka Koskinen (20), I was told that I had to wait until next morning. Riikka N. had lost her voice after extensive shouting during the first day of Committee Work, so in order to prevent further damage, she had taped her mouth and temporarily renounced the freedom of expression. Head organising is obviously tiring. HOs get up in the morning before everyone else, and they are the last ones to go to bed. This Session would not have existed if it were not for them. Even so, we barely see them, except in the glimpse of an eye when they run from one place to another. What does the HO position actually entail? Backed by their team of 16 Organisers, commonly referred to as Orgas, they are the Session’s most vital Officials. The two Riikkas run the whole of the Session, Delegating, coordinating and supervising the administrative tasks of the Orgas. Working behind the scenes, their hard work and effort may seem invisible to Delegates and other Officials. On the contrary, they become the centre of attention if things, for some reason, do not work out the way they were intended. To avoid this during the Session, the two HOs started the planning a year ago. “The hardest challenge has been to combine it with school and social life. It has without doubt been
exhausting and frustrating from time to time, but it gives us so much in return,” Riikka and Riikka agree. In this respect, it must be reassuring to know that they are both experienced EYPers. Together, they started their EYP careers as Delegates at the Regional Session in Turku 2010. Since then, they have attended numerous Sessions, both as Delegates and in different Official’s positions. Riikka and Riikka are not only name sisters; they are also close friends and colleagues, which according to them, facilitated the collaboration. “We have the courage to be completely honest and straight forward with each other, and this is crucial in cases where we disagree.” Although being name sister causes some confusion, Riikka and Riikka have figured out how to deal with it after years and years together. When someone calls their name, they are now somehow able to interpret which one of them they are trying to reach. Riikka N. tells us that they even finish each other’s sentences, but Riikka K. is not sure if she agrees. “That is one way to put it, but I think that you are rather interrupting me, than finishing my sentences,” she smiles.
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GOODBYES BY SAARA RISSANEN #VantaaSelfies #YOVO. Exactly. You only Vantaa once. #SadFace A long train journey from Vantaa to Oulu is pure agony for one of the Delegates. It is over now. The most incredible Session has come to an end, leaving everyone, regardless of his or her position in the Session, mourning it. The Post-EYP Depression hits hard. #PED. ‘Imagine’ has been sung and the Session has been declared to be officially closed by the Session President, James Benge. A few tears have been shed and the goodbyes have been said. It is the end of this chapter. The atmosphere in the train is far from cheerful – at least for the Delegate. Sadness has taken over the Delegate’s entire body over, making her feel miserable. The agony is very real. Will she ever meet her fellow Delegates, her new friends, again? A warm handshake and a hug after the Closing Ceremony have sealed their friendship. Surely, they will keep in contact. Clearly, they will meet again someday. It is dark outside. Darkness fills the windows. #BackToReality. The train steadily continues its journey through the night to the great big somewhere – not in a positive sense. At least not for the Delegate. In the Delegate’s opinion, she is travelling straight to the repulsive reality. If she could travel back in time, she would return to the beginning of the Session, when everything
exciting was still ahead and there were new friends to be met. Thinking about the Session makes her want to burst into tears and cry until she falls asleep. Alongside with enormous sadness, there is overwhelming sleep deprivation that makes everything even worse. The Delegate’s eyelids feel heavier than a stone. They close slowly without the Delegate’s permission, although she does her best to prevent it. However, the weight of her eyelids is insurmountable, and she slowly falls asleep. #ZzZzZzZz The train moves on at a steady pace, slowly approaching its destination. Towns are passed. Fields are passed. Stops are passed one by one. The soothing pace is very sedative. Whilst the Delegate is fast asleep, there is something extraordinary going on in the night sky. The northern lights are dancing in the sky, causing beautiful colours to appear. The lights are magical, making the Delegate’s fellow travellers to go speechless. They do not usually appear this far south. #Astonishing. Just like the Session – in every way extraordinary, breath taking and stunning. The Delegate continues sleeping. Nothing in the world could possibly wake her up. This is her moment. #EYPiloveyou #SeeYouSoon #TheAurora
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