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EDITORIAL. Dear readers, This editorial is dedicated to my Video Editor, Anu Pekkerainen. The original idea was one video each day of the Session. First her own computer crashed. Then she borrowed one off a Journo. That one crashed as well. Finally, she borrowed one of an Organiser, but the computer is in Russian, and obviously not anything our lovely Finnish Lady can read. In the end, two Organisers worked on her own computer for two hours, and now it is working! Anu has stayed calm during the entire thing, and she deserves a massive thank you. When you see her, tell her hi and that she is doing a wonderful job, because she really is! You should look forward to the videos - knowing Anu for a long time, I know she will do well. Once again, I hope you are having the time of your life! Christina Daubjerg Newman
 Editor of Vantaa 201
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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
SPYING AND LYING... THAT IS SO N(OT) S(OCIALLY) A(CCEPTABLE)! BY ZEPHYR BRÜGGEN
You can honestly say that 2013 has been the year of the truth. Or perhaps, it has been the year of the lie. But truth and lies, of course, are two sides of the same coin. Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Edward Snowden, and WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange - the debunkers of the Matrix system we find ourselves living in - may be the heroes of our time. But when the lie has been demonstrated, does Truth, and therefore, Justice, really prevail? Now that Snowden has leaked the top-secret documents revealing secret treaties by the UKUSA Agreement (the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and New-Zealand) on global surveillance, collaborating with various European governments (eg, the German, Dutch, Swedish, Italian and French intelligence service), we finally know the truth. So what now?
Knowledge is power. But it depends how reliable the institutions are that you give your data to - would you trust them with your information? Do you trust them to use their power wisely? And what if lying had a good purpose, or even a good intention? Plato thought that ‘the noble lie’ – a case where it’s better for the state to lie in order to keep the peace amongst the people - should be permitted. Italian Renaissance philosopher, Nicolò Machiavelli, went even further to say that a good ruler is one who lies to his people for the sake of the wellbeing of the state. What if the NSA is really using our data to protect us, to collect statistics, to innovate?
The old knockdown argument of ‘surely you don’t mind being checked if you have nothing to hide!’ is beginning to get tremendously boring and idiotic. Yes, you do have something to hide. We all do. Something to hide; a space of thoughts that is only yours, your own perception of the world, your own little tower, is the most human thing there is. Privacy, therefore, is a manifestation of humanity. Besides, social relations wouldn’t be possible without having something to hide. You are, fundamentally, a different person in different social relations: you are, for example, someone else to your parents than to your boy/girlfriend or friends.
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TRAN Friday the 11th January 2014, Vantaa, Finland. The day that first looked miserably grey and rainy, turned into laughter and puzzle in the Committee room of Transport and Tourism. Not long after entering the room as just a bunch of unfamiliar faces, the delegates of the Committee were already tangled with each other’s feet and hands, Twister style. As it turns out, this would only be a warmup for the future challenges of the evening. I was stunned by the amount of special talents these 12 people bear. Languages from French to Russian, fencing, singing and various dance-moves that are definitely going to rock the dancefloor at the Farewell Party. The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy had the privilege to see some of these moves in action, as both TRAN and ITRE got lost in Sillytown, where the only way of surviving is an extraordinary, exaggerated and, most importantly, silly style of progression. There is no doubt that TRAN is going to amaze us with their innovation and energy during the following days as well. Tendency for spontaneous and innovative ideas - such as making the game of levitation an amusement park-like experience, with melodies playing on in the background - are undoubtedly going to benefit the process of Committee Work. I am extremely excited to see what TRAN is going to come up with during the weekend! 4
EYP FINLAND
During the Sessions, you get familiar with the different roles that make the event itself happen - the Organisers, Chairs and Journalists. People behind those teams are ensuring the high quality and smooth running of each Session. As these roles end at the day of Closing Ceremony, different systems have been established to ensure the continuity of our organisation. EYP Finland, in its current form, was established in 2001, but as Vantaa 2014 is the 20th National Session of EYP Finland, simple maths tells us that EYP had organised a few events in Finland before that. The Board of EYP Finland is selected at the annual Autumn Meeting. The Alumni (members of EYP Finland) present at the meeting vote a President and Board Members out of prospective candidates, the newest board being elected last November. The newly elected President, Mr. Alexander Proctor, got six ladies to form his board. The Members of the Board are responsible for the following portfolios: Internal Affairs; International Affairs; Fundraising; Events Coordination; Communications, Partnership and PR and Treasurer. Finland being a relatively big country, it has been found necessary to have organisational activity on a smaller and closer scale as well. The Regional Committees of EYP Finland - EYP Turku, EYP Tampere, EYP Helsinki, EYP Eastern-Finland, and the newly established EYP Northern Finland arrange activities for local Alumni between sessions. Each of these organisations is lead by a President and the Board, similarly to EYP Finland. Meetings and popular EYP Cafés are held throughout the country, offering the Alumni an opportunity to gather and meet familiar faces. The Board of EYP Finland wishes you a successful and pleasant Session and is eager to see you at aforementioned events! 5
THE LONELY NIGHT OF A NIGHT WATCH BY KATARIINA SUORSA
The first night of night watch – nothing is happening. Everyone is deep in sleep. The Journalist should be doing a reportage to summarise all the things that happen during the night. Unfortunately, everything there is to report, is a constant, smooth sound of snoring, the Night Watch has nothing to watch. Staying awake, however, makes the creativity fly. After having crossed a certain line in tiredness, almost everything becomes possible. Seeing things from different perspectives becomes easier, realising new things is inevitable. Inspiration is stemming from every little thing. By 4AM the Journalist’s notebook is full of drawings and poems. Even though it is nice to see creativity taking new forms and the silent peace of the night is gracefully calming, the realisation is going to happen any moment soon. After having drunk coffee for five hours, the brain is in caffeine ecstasy. At that moment it, may feel good, but the next morning is going to be a nightmare. The thought is comfortless. This is a good reason why you should not stay up all night before the General Assembly, unless you are a night watch. In the very end, the night was really productive, even though there were no Delegates to play Ninja with. We came up with the idea of a guest book, where we want to have as many names as possible. We also want as many rounds of Ninja as possible, because in the upcoming nights we are going to need other company besides our own creativity. Be there.
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CULT It is the second day, and the Delegates already seem to have connected. The atmosphere is positive, every each and one of them seem to belong to the group, and everyone is taken into consideration. These fourteen answers from fourteen amazing individuals are heartwarming and truly show them being the greatest committee ever! Why is CULT the best Committee? “We have the best group and the most interesting topic to discuss about!” –Mikael What is your weirdest habit? “I am always checking if I closed the fridge door” –Oona Greatest EYP memory? “Playing Sticky Moose with all the people in a session” –Kiira Is Juan number One? Why? “YES! He is intelligent!” –Juho What happened in the CULT room last night? “We had fun. We talked a lot.” –Linda What is the craziest thing you have ever done? “I think my exchange year in the US is the craziest” – Nea What is your favorite EYP Game? “Two truths and a lie” –Erenata EYP in five words: “Warmth, intelligence, fatigue, SISU, love”-Elvira Fruit salad ingredient? “Pineapple” – Leevi What is your favourite part of an EYP session? “Teambuilding, because you get to know other people very well”-Emma What is your favourite Disney character? “Oh, a Disney question! My favourite Disney character is Elsa from Frozen. I am trying to promote Frozen.” –Emmi Tell me something you have never done but you would like to do. ”Study or work abroad. And I am going to” –Marjukka What was the most surprising thing in Finland? “The people! they are so nice and helpful!” –Verena Aram zam zam a ram zam zam a kili kili kili kili ram zam zam? “Yes? What? Wait that is me! ... Just make me sound cool”-Zamzam
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EMPL
The committee of EMPL gathered together after some general teambuilding, consisting of 14 dedicated Delegates and two lovely chairs; Sophie Duffield and Sabrina Ariana. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs is focusing on youth unemployment issues and startup enterprises, but before getting started with the actual topic, it was time to get to know each other. Since the committee is one of the biggest ones in this session (with 14 delegates), knowing the names is vital, so Sophie and Sabrina started the Teambuilding with some basic name games. First, the committee practiced the names by throwing a tennis ball and saying the name of the person who threw to him/her. Then, everyone had to figure out an activity that starts with the same letter as their first name. Some names appeared to be quite difficult ones to come up with some activity, but eventually everyone got an activity. After these two games, it was time to try the legendary hitting game, where one member goes inside the circle and tries to hit someone’s head with a paper roll after hearing his/her name being said. With many confused faces in the middle of the circle, laughter and enough confusion to make you forget your own name, the hitting game really worked with this committee! Next up was the 3 facts game, where each Delegate had to come up with two facts and one lie about himself/herself. This game turned to be an interesting one, since every Delegate and Chair told very interesting, and even unbelievable, stories. The committee worked effectively together while figuring out the false story. The committee did a lot of other games during the evening, such as Snowball Fight and Skin the Snake against AFCO – this turned out to be a Battle of Titans, and a good practice for the evening programme. The successful teambuilding sets positive expectations for the actual Committee work as well. 8
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT AN INTERVIEW BY CHRIS NĂ–LTE
My name is James Benge and I have been involved in EYP for about six and a half years now. I started in Dublin, as a Delegate and since then I have travelled all over Europe. Are you interested into politics? Yes, I have always been interested into politics from a very young age. I think my family is quite political as well. I do follow it quite closely, because I think that decisions of politicians make a huge impact on peoples live. Do you have any wise words for Delegates? It is the start of a really exciting adventure for you if you want it to be and please take the opportunity.
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What Session were you attending four years ago in Finland? The Session was actually my first Session abroad, it was located in Espoo. I was attending as a Journalist. It was really interesting and very different for me, since I have never been to a Session where I had to sleep on the floor before. I did not even know that until the first night, so it was quite a surprise. Otherwise it was really exciting to see sort of a different way of EYP being done in a really good way. I met many people at that session, for instance Jari Marilund (former President of EYP Finland) that I am still really good friend with. It was a great Session and I am really glad that I did it. What is the greatest skill one can achieve during EYP Sessions? I do not know about skill, but one of the best things EYP teaches you, is to be a lot more aware of what your personal skill profile is and to be more comfortable with yourself. I have learned a lot about myself from EYP. Thanks to that, I have been able to form my life just through being able to know what kind of person I am. Have you ever considered stopping doing EYP because of any reasons? I am going to stop pretty soon, because I am just at the stage where there are not many Sessions left for me. But other than that, I never really thought “I do not want to do this anymore�. Definitely it can be quite tiring, the Sessions are really hard work, but when you are actually there, it feels like every second is so worth it. I have
met such fantastic people in this organization that I actually would never like to leave if possible.
What is the part you like most about an EYP session? What I like most is always seeing when Delegates start discussing a topic they are passionate about and really start forming this into new opinions. When they then bring all those opinions together to create a Resolution, it is just fantastic. I am always incredibly impressed by the Chairs. So basically seeing people discuss and putting that forward, that is always something I love seeing. What are you doing on a day to day basis? I work in financial services and at the moment I am just completing my second of three rotations in team management. So on a day to day basis, I manage a bunch of people, which I love to do and EYP has told me so much about that. I have been able to apply things that I have learned from EYP to my day to day job of managing my team, so it is fantastic. Do you have any plans for the future? No, I do not, since I think it is much more exciting if you do not have a clue.
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FEMM II
The first day of the session was very adventurous for the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality II. The committee faced violence, a monster, lava, and even Smaug - an evil dragon from the Hobbit - was mentioned more than once. However, as the delegates learned to trust each other through surviving multiple challenges with the aid of their chairperson, they were able to defeat the wicked monster. The first obstacle on the committee’s way was the Ministry of Silly Walks. The cruel minister shot everyone’s legs, eyes and arms one by one without any mercy. In order to escape from the ministry, the delegates needed to walk in the silliest way they could. Finally, they managed to fool the minister to let them go. Unfortunately, there were many more obstacles to come, lava being the next one. Suddenly, the nearby volcano erupted; causing a stream of lava that separated the committee into two groups. The committee faced a mission that, at first, seemed overwhelming, but later turned out to be easily solvable: to transfer a ball from the other side of the stream to another. By using imagination and thinking creatively, the committee was able to accomplish this mission successfully. After the volcanic eruption, the committee faced the last obstacle: the monster. Defeating an eleven-legged monster took surprisingly long time. At first, the committee underestimated the monster’s power. The delegates needed to try a few different methods before finding a good one. Finally, they slowly, but very steadily, managed to defeat the monster. In the end, the delegates had learned a wide range of facts about each other. It was surprising, how many people had cats and played violin (or did not). In general, the Teambuilding did what it was supposed to do: build a team spirit.
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AN ABOVE AVERAGE STUDENT, A DAUGHTER, A GRANDDAUGHTER BY SAARA RISSANEN
Who am I? For Jean Valjean from Les Misérables, the answer is very clear: 24601. For the Swedish teenage girl walking down the streets of Haparanda, the answer is not a number. However, the answer is not self-evident either. Who is she? The answer is neither an item nor a word. She is something that she has not quite figured out yet. Perhaps she is a hipster? No, that is way too mainstream for her. A goth? No, that is not her style. Even a thought of being a goth terrifies the girl, and causes shivers. Perhaps she is not one of those either. Whilst figuring out who she is, she has forgotten her true identity: a Greek immigrant, living in Sweden, an above average student, a daughter, a granddaughter – the list goes on and on. However, she fails to understand the importance of her family, past, hobbies and friends, when figuring out who she truly is. She stops walking. Who are the people around her? There is an old man, dressed very smartly, walking down the road with his black dog. A young girl runs after the dog with her big, colourful lollipop, knocking a man dressed in black down. They all have a clear identity. The streetlights are switched on. The night is coming. A cold breeze of winter air messes the girl’s hair. The first stars in the night sky are shining dimly, waiting for other stars to join them. However, there is something extraordinary in the sky. There is something that is rather misty and dim, but the girl cannot exactly name it. An unidentified flying object? No, they do not look like that in the television. Or is that what they truly look like in real life? The girl continues walking. She asks the question one more time. Who is she? Her mum says that she is her beloved daughter. Her friends claim her to be part of their gang, but she, herself, thinks that she is a lone wolf. Can a person have more than one identity at once? The colour of the strange mist in the night sky has strengthened, now shining in four different colours – red, blue, green and purple. It is the Aurora Borealis. What a well matching name for such a beautiful natural phenomenon! How lively the northern lights are. They change shapes, colours and motions constantly. They are restless. They never stay still. They are like the girl – many things at once. 12
FEMM I With only one boy in this ten-strong committee, it could be argued that FEMM have already fulfilled their brief… Teambuilding on the first day is always tough; it is late in the day, and the delegates are expected to do tasks some of which could be considered quite odd to an EYP-outsider - with total strangers. However, this committee rose to the challenge, and the students quickly bonded. By the end of the evening, they had gone from individuals to Mike’s collective ‘sunshines’. Nonetheless, judging by how many people lied about having pets during 2 truths, one lie, it was evident that the trust element in these recent friendships was still to come. There’s no questioning this group’s commitment to the cause. They have got up close and personal making their community shelter, posed enthusiastically for selfies, and one girl even risked a limb in order to save ‘Princess Fiona’. When it reached time to play ‘Pass the orange’ they proved that they were all perfectly comfortable with one another, and their trust in each other was finally put to the test in a blindfolded obstacle course. Their confidence as a committee has grown, peaking with them being brave enough to all have touched President James Benge’s beard - proving no challenge is too hard for them to overcome! Undoubtedly the committee’s highlight has to be when they enjoyed a clear victory over ITRE - completely destroying any ‘coolest team’ label that they may or may not have ever had.
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TODAY IN HISTORY: 11TH JANUARY BY EMILY SMITH
1693: One of the multiple times Mount Etna erupts in Sicily, Italy. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe! 1922: First use of insulin to treat diabetes in a human patient. Insulin was discovered at the University of Toronto. It remains the only effective treatment for type 1 diabetes and is one of the greatest medical discoveries of the 20th century. 1996: Haiti becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty. Births and deaths …there seems to be a musical connection to this day. Born: 1971 - Mary J Blige, America singer-songwriter 1981 - Jamelia, British singer of R’n’B genre 1985 - Newton Faulkner, British musician and singer-songwriter Died: 1843 - Sir Francis Scott Key, an American who wrote Star Spangled Banner, the American National Anthem. He originally wrote it as a poem in 1814. European News - 2014 Weather: ‘Miley Cyrus-esque’ wrecking ball waves slam Europe, particularly on the Atlantic coast. Political: The European Parliament’s recent inquiry into the National Security Council’s (NSA) spying scandal has resulted in harsh implications for several agencies, including; US government, NSA itself, and some EU governments and companies. The draft report hints at ‘compelling evidence of the existence of advanced intelligence systems designed to collect and store the data of citizens all around the world’. And in Finland… Energy: Sweden has opposed Finland’s proposed nuclear plant, expressing concerns for its nature and fish stocks. Economy: It has been suggested that the adoption of the Euro by Finland was a mistake. A top economist says the country would have been better off had it not started using the common currency.
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ITRE
While gathering together after the Opening Ceremony, the Delegates in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) seemed both nervous and excited. Nevertheless, it did not take long before the atmosphere changed dramatically. Their energetic Chair had prepared several Teambuilding Games, and as it turned out, the ice was not hard to break. In fact, it rather seemed to be melting as the Delegates did the Speed Date game, chatting and flirting, while revealing everything from their first kiss to their secret fears. To further boost the team spirit, the highly esteemed Ministry of Silly Walking initiated a battle. The Supreme Leader of Silliness, James Benge, started off what turned out to be a most serious competition between ITRE and the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN). The two teams’ task was to cross the hallway in the silliest manner possible. Any sign of sensible gait was strictly punished, which led to the most amusing and ridicules movements seen this far at the Session. (And honestly, that says a lot.) After numerous attempts at crawling, gliding, hopping and hobbling, the Supreme Leader declared ITRE as the champion. Eternally glorified, ITRE will remain the first Silly Walkers’ Champions in EYP History.
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AFET ”People literally have got your back”, was said by one of the Delegates in the Committee on Foreign Affairs, after falling into her fellow Delegates arms during a rather nerve wracking Team Building game. It is safe to say that this statement sums up the first day of the Session for the AFET-Committee. You could feel the excitement as the 12 Delegates and their Chairperson entered the Committee room yesterday. After four hours of Team Building, they proved that no challenge is too big, and when asked if they thought the previous game was hard, they usually responded with; “No, it was fun”. With their teamwork, good mood and unique personalities I have no doubt that this Session has a lot in store for this Committee. Watch out for the AFET people, not only in General Assembly, but also in the EYP Olympics. Last night they showed incredible skills, as they won the song contest with their creative accapella song about sustainability, cats and sleeping bags. After making and performing a song like that, it is reasonable to believe that their Resolution will be something extraordinary. One thing is sure, though we all entered the Committee room as strangers, AFET walked out as a team that have always got each other’s back.
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OPENING CEREMONY - GETTING STARTED BY IINA LAPPALAINEN
Sofia Westerlund, the Vice-President of EYP Finland gave the first speech, urging Delegates to be open-minded and to not focus on competing with other Delegates, but to instead compete with themselves. She also set some concrete goals by reminding them of their chance to get selected to go to the International Sessions of 2014 - the first being held in Riga, Latvia in the spring and the other in autumn, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Sophie also pointed out that some of the Delegates from Vantaa2014 - the 20th National Session of the European Youth Parliament Finland, are going to be selected to go to International Forums or National Selection Conferences. After her encouraging speech, it was time to listen the two ladies who have “made this Session possible .. who gathered the pieces and put them together�, as described by Oscar Stenbom, the Vice-President. Riikka Nieminen and Riikka Koskinen welcomed everyone to the Session, and also recalled their own first National Session. They have done enormous amount of work for this Session, and have also collected a hardworking Organisers team to support them. 17
Editor Christina Daubjerg Newman also welcomed everyone to the Session on behalf of the Media Team, ‘The Auroras’. Finnish EYP Sessions have an extremely special place in her life, since she stated that some of the best Session she has been to, and also the best friends she has made, have been Finnish. She also promised that the Journalists will be seen through the Session, carrying their cameras and publishing issues, videos and pictures on ‘The Aurora- The Media Team of Vantaa 2014’ Facebook page. A Session would be nothing without its vital sponsors. The 20th National Session of EYP Finland has had the privilege to get a sponsor whose “field of work is quite relevant for all participants in the session”, as President James Benge stated. Minna Honkanen, the Project Manager of Vantaa Innovation Institute Ltd, gave an interesting presentation about the company. The idea of the institute is to provide more business options in the Vantaa region. Vantaa has a rapidly growing number of new businesses, more or less because of the proximity of the Helsinki-Vantaa International airport. The airport is well known for its very special connections to Asia – it is is the only airport in Europe where you can leave for Asia, and then come back straight away (also why Vantaa Innovation Institute Ltd co-operates so much with Chinese and Russian businesspeople). They do more work in the areas of public health and technology, and provide good job opportunities for students from different universities. This is quite relevant for EYP, since a high number of Officials study in university, and Delegates will also soon be deciding their career options after high school.
Last, but not least, it was the President’s turn to say a few words. He firstly revealed that it has been a while since he has participated at a Session as a Delegate. He was previously in Finland taking part in a Session, and finally Finnish Sessions wanted to have him back to the North. Benge emphasized that Delegates have a great journey ahead – lasting as long as this Session, or even an adventure for many years. With these words he announced the Session officially opened and the audience headed to have a dinner. These speeches encouraged Delegates and all the other participants, the Session beginning in an excited atmosphere.
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EYP OLYMPICS BY KRISTIN GRAF VERPE
As many people are counting the days to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics - which is taking place in less than a month - something different is taking place right here in Vantaa; The 2014 EYP Olympics. The games started yesterday as Delegates from all 10 Committees gathered in the gym to test their strengths and weaknesses in different EYP games. The energetic Christopher Proctor opened the competition with a round of “A lele� before the Delegates were ready to compete. The first round was Skin the Snake, where the Committees used various techniques to win - some proved to work better than others. CULT was the first Committee to finish, but finishing first does not help if you get disqualified. As a result Econ 2, took the lead, close followed by their rivals Econ 1. The next challenge was to create a song, including three special words given to each Committee from their Journalist. The results of this challenge were completely different from the previous one, proving that each Committee has their strong side. The jury found that the AFETs acapello song stood out, and as of today the results of the two first rounds of the EYP Olympics are the following; Skin the Snake:
Song contest:
1.
Econ 2
1. AFET
2.
Econ 1
2. CULT
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AFET
3. FEMM 1
To those of you, who did not make the top list yesterday, do not worry; there will be more opportunities. And remember, everything can happen in the EYP Olympics.
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AFCO
If there is one thing that AFCO does not lack, that is imagination. In a relatively short period of time they were able to come up with stories about crocodiles, mountains, seeing the Finnish Prime Minister in the bathroom, swimming with dolphins or things such as camels entering clubs and you would be surprised to find out that some of them were true. During their Teambuilding, AFCO challenged the Committee of EMPL twice. Once they were playing the Snake Skin game and although they did not win they had the bigger group effort. They surely made up for it in the Marshmallow game, where they almost built a skyscraper with spaghetti and marshmallows, but they surely stopped just for the sake of the other Committee, because I can assure you that they could have gone on forever. In the beginning they might have found it a bit difficult to come up with strategies, but soon they got their heads around and performed in a delightful manner. As Teambuilding continued, communication between the teammates significantly improved, which in the main lesson to be learnt from this stage. I have to say, as a close observer, their ability to play the String game was very impressive and not once did they make a mess out of it. Mariah, Jan, Juhani, Oskari, Kimi, Pieta, Elina, Rostislav, Daria, Emma, Paavo and Inka - remember these names, as the AFCO committee will not stop surprising you
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CRUSHING THE UKRAINIAN EUROPEAN DREAM BY NATALIE M. DYVESETHER & LIRA LOLOÇI
The end of 2013 saw hundreds and thousands of Ukrainians rallying in the streets of the capital Kiev, after the president, Viktor Yanukovych, refused to sign the association agreement on closer EU ties. In the aftermath, vast crowds united in the Independence Square, also referred to as Maidan. As a place of discussion and debate, it became a symbol of the revolution. Clashes near the office of the President in December led to the use of tear gas and violence by the police, and casualties were reported. This ignited even bigger discontent amongst protesters, and the police responded with severe violation of the freedom of assembly. One million citizens reacted towards this by installing tents and blocking the main administration buildings. Personal activism Alex Guzenko (19) tells us that initially he took an active role in the protest on a daily basis, and he was present when the most violent demonstration took place in Kiev, where thousands of students were injured by the police forces. Likewise, Michael Rozhkov (22) participated voluntarily, by contributing in the form of both medical and sanitary help. They have both contributed financially, and it was reported that € 300 000 was donated by civilians straight after the revolution. Michael felt disappointed when the EU agreement failed, as did all the other people who lived through this experience. “I was crying when I heard about this. Ukraine has so much potential
and it would be a shame to see it all wither away.” Interestingly enough, he tells us how the NGO ‘Maidan’ was formed. It officially articulates three points as their priorities, on behalf of the Ukrainian society. Firstly, it aims to get back to the EU agreement. Secondly, it calls for extraordinary presidential and parliamentary elections, and lastly, to find the person in charge of the operation that involved the physical violation of the 400 students in the protest. The main disappointment arose because the government ignored the people’s will, since they did not respond to the protest. Is there a solution? Although cooperation with EU is not seen as the final solution to the problems that Ukraine is facing, it is, however, seen as a development phase necessary for the country. Alex believes that the monitoring of the institutions on behalf of EU could significantly reduce corruption levels, and should set the standards of quality. “Ukraine has a lot of potential, but not the ability to shape this potential into something tangible in the long-term,” Alex says. According to Michael, all this resembles a political game, rather than strategic political thinking. Although the most likely scenario includes the opposition taking charge, he fears the risk of a power abuse. On a positive note, there is a general hope amongst Ukrainians that the revolution will serve as an inspiration to the nearest future. 22
ECON I
As with basically all Committees,, ECON I started off with a short introduction round - not as you normally do at EYP, but with everyone singing their favourite songs along to their names. We had a variety of songs,, from Jingle Bells over Yellow Submarine to Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus. Some really enthusiastic and talented singers were found - the male fraction of the committee managed especially well. The Team Building continued with a snowball fight and the game called “Two Truths One Lie”. After this game, you always know who the professional liars in your team are - the made up “a snake bit me” story was too realistic to be a lie. In the beginning, everyone was a bit shy, but after having whacked each other heads with paper rollls for some time they were starting to become a real team and getting more self-confident. During another game, the committee had to order themselves according to height, shoe size and other factors, while they were blindfolded most of the time. The members of ECON I were also really enjoying the human knot game, the pilot game and the lava game. Since one of the delegates was not able to figure out who was lying on top of him in the pilot game, one after another had to lie on him, until there was no male Committee Member left and he finally guessed right. The Committee song at the games night showed us some insight to the topic and there is surely more to expect in the future from ECON I.
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ECON II Yes, a team. They have known each other for barely three hours and they are a team. The boys - without discussing between one another - immediately and unanimously agreed upon Mila Kunis being the most attractive celebrity alive, in a game where they all had to confess their most profound secret celebrity crushes. More revelations came with, as always, ‘Two Truths And A Lie’. Really? Sniffing an e-pilleri (a Finnish birth control medicine) through your nose? Reactions such as ‘Come on man, show us your nose-holes!’ were flying about through the room. The cooperation and communication in this committee was quite impressive. From working together to stand in a straight line that went to the person with the darkest socks to the person with the lightest (yes, controlled and approved of by me, the journalist!) to later on, improving immediately on listening to each other and letting each and every one speak. Judging from their evaluation and happy faces, I could see they felt comfortable, weren’t afraid to say what they thought, to listen to what others thought and to, if necessary, oppose that in a respectful way. Upon being asked how the Zombie Invasion game went, a delegate answered ‘I think the whole process was kind of easy, because there wasn’t much disagreement.’ Just for the record, they decided to take a lighter, a two-way radio and an axe… Beware of this committee in General Assembly…. This is not the last you will hear of them
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