Turku 2015 – Information Sheet for Officials

Turku 2015 21st National Session of EYP Finland Information Sheet for Officials Turku 2015 | 16–19 January

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Welcome to the 21st National Session of EYP Finland!

Turku 2015 | NS of EYP Finland

European Youth Parliament Finland will organise its annual National Session for the 21st time in 2014. The session will take place in Turku on 16–19 January 2015. Turku

16–19 January

2015 will gather some 180 participants from over 15 European countries to discuss and debate some of the most pressing issues of our time. The session is under the

Presided by Valentina Mina from

patronage of Mr Jyrki Katainen, former Prime Minister of Finland and current Vice

Cyprus.

President of the European Commission. The session will be presided by Valentina Mina (CY) and head-organised by Ayda Jodayri Hashemizadeh and Henriikka Hakala.

Head Organised by Ayda Jodayri Hashemizadeh and Henriikka

The session will host delegations from both Finland and abroad and have an inter-

Hakala.

national team of officials. The Finnish delegations to the session are being selected at the four Regional Sessions of EYP Finland in October–November 2014. At the Na-

The call is open until 14 Novem-

tional Session, delegations will be selected to represent Finland at the International

ber for vice presidents, editors,

Sessions of the EYP in Izmir, Turkey, and Leipzig, Germany, in 2015.

and chairs and until 19 November for video editors / editorial

EYP Finland now welcomes you all to apply for another national session in Finland.

assistants and journalists.

The call is open for two vice presidents, 1–2 editors, 1–2 video editors / editorial assistants, 10 chairs, and 10 journalists. Finnish national sessions are of extremely high quality and gather somewhat more experienced alumni under the leadership of a highly experienced president. Valentina has been to nine International Sessions, in which she has chaired twice and vice presided once. However, EYP Finland puts a lot of emphasis on the application and thus we will truly consider all applicants.

Welcome to the National Session and good luck!

Applications to: applications@ eypfinland.org

Alexander Proctor President EYP Finland

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How to take part?

How to apply?

Programme

The National Session will host an international team of officials – two vice presidents, 1–2 editors, 1–2 video editors / editorial assistants, 10 chairs, and 10 journalists. You

The National Session includes a

can apply for any of the positions. The call is now open for all positions and will be

day and a half

closed 14 November for vice presidents, editors, and chairs and 19 November for

of officials’ training, a day of

video editors / editorial assistants, and journalists. You can find the instructions for

teambuilding, two days of

the application below. Please submit the form to applications@eypfinland.org. Each

committee work and a one day

applicant will be informed of the outcome of the selection within two weeks of the

General Assembly.

deadline.

The working language of the EYP Finland places emphasis on the transparency and fairness of the selection pro-

session is English.

cedure. Reasonable balance of nationalities and levels of experience will be pursued, but the guiding principle will be that of meritocracy. Thus, we encourage all appli-

Contact

cants to pay attention to their applications, and the selection panel will also provide all rejected applicants with feedback on their application upon request.

On all issues related to the

The participation fee for Finnish officials is 30 EUR. There is no participation fee for

National Session, please contact

foreign officials, but the participants need to cover their travel expenses.

Jenni Röynä at jenni.royna@ eypfinland.org.

How to get there?

The Helsinki–Vantaa International Airport has direct connections to dozens of loca-

EYP Finland on Facebook:

tions all around Europe, and Turku is easily reached from Helsinki by train or bus.

https://www.facebook.com/ey-

The bus from Helsinki to Turku costs around 10 euros and takes two hours. Certain

pfinland

low-cost airliners such as AirBaltic and Norwegian fly directly to Turku. Ryanair flies to Tampere, which is a two hour train ride from Turku.

Application instructions and application template on the Alumni

As officials are expected to arrive by noon on the Thursday before each session, it is

Portal.

rather likely that you need to arrive in Finland already on the Wednesday.

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How to apply?

EYP’s Mission Statement

Application Process

“Our mission is to support the development of young people into politically aware and responsible citizens by involving them in European political thinking and promoting intercultural understanding.”

For our National Session, we have rather simple application process. We believe that

Open spots:

panel questions. Instead, your opportunity to reveal your skills in your unique way.

2 vice presidents 10 chairs 10 journalists 1–2 editors 1–2 video-editors /editorial assistants

We ask all applicants to write a one-page Cover Letter (max. 600 words) and send

you distinguish yourself by your talents and the ambition to contribute those to the session. And we do not consider a number of questions we came up with to be the ideal method of discovering what makes you a valuable asset to our team.

We want you to show us in your own way who you are and why you are the best fit for the Officials’ Team of the 21st National Session of EYP Finland. Hence, no selection

it as PDF to applications@eypfinland.org before November 14th for vice presidents, editors and chairs or November 19th for video editors / editorial assistants and journalists, both by 11:59 PM CET on the respective days. The template can be found on the Alumni Portal.

You can address any aspect you deem relevant to support your application. We reckon a blank page and what you do with it to be the best possibility for us to get to know you, your qualities and your ambitions. It may seem slightly daunting at first, but we

Application deadline: November 14th, 11:59 PM (CET) (vice presidents, editors and chairs) and November 19th (video-editors / editorial assistants and journalists).

Applications to: applications@ eypfinland.org 4

encourage you to embrace this chance, allowing you to convince us by using your own concept.

We also invite you to send any official EYP recommendations or evaluations, which you may have received. However, this is not a prerequisite. However, we do require you to attach your session history to the application.

FAQ What do you value in a Cover Letter?

We will be reading quite a few Cover Letters. Thus, use content, structure, formatting

”Do or do not. There is no try.”

– Yoda

and whatever comes to your mind to support your key message. Your Cover Letter should convey your core strengths briefly and clearly.

I have no idea what to write about. What should I do?

Start with what distinguishes you from other applicants. What are you excellent at?

What do you really enjoy doing? Every strength you have can be valuable to our team.

You could also read through your past evaluations and see what other people considered as your main assets.

I want to apply as Chairperson and Journalist. Do I need to write two Cover Letters?

This is up to you. If you feel that one Cover Letter suffices to explain your suitability for both the Media Team and Chairs’ Team, then we will process your application through both positions. Else, you may also submit two different versions respectively.

I want to apply as VP and Chairperson/ Editor and Journalist.Do I need to write two Cover Letters?

Please only submit one Cover Letter whilst stating clearly that you wish to support us in either of those positions. However, you may want to explain your talents for both capacities.

When will I hear back from you?

Application deadline: November 14th, 11:59 PM (CET) (vice presidents, editors and chairs) and November 19th 11:59 (CET) (video-editors / editorial assistants and journalists).

We will do our best to conduct the selection process as quickly as possible to assure you have sufficient time to complete your travel arrangements. But we place a thorough consideration above speed, hence we ask you for some patience.

Applications to: applications@ eypfinland.org 5

Good luck!

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry Uudenmaankatu 15 A 5, 00120 Helsinki http://www.eypfinland.org info@eypfinland.org 6