Batumi 4th International Forum of EYP Georgia
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EDITORIAL Taking off from Tallinn with fairly strong rain, sitting in the plane and enjoing my first flight. I was amazed by what I saw from the window. Getting to Kiev was the first step, changing terminals and almost losing one of our cameras (airport security didn’t allow video recording in terminals). After several hours of flying and about 7 hours just watching movies in Kyiv airport I got on the Tbilisi flight. Flying through turbulence and dropping straight down some meters, having untasty food and getting coffee spilled on me, I arrived to Tbilisi. First look was excuisit. So was the second and third. But Batumi is in focus this time. The event of course is held here and by the looks of it, it is a perfect place. The worst thing for me would be the hot weather here, being from Estonia I am used to rather cold weather there and most of the time it is around 20 degrees and even that is hot for me. But i am loving the fact that we have a sea next to the venue, which gives me a chance to go and cool down from time to time. For you guys, I wish you the best of time in BIF and i am more than sure that you will love it.
Never ever in my life have I been late for a plane. Never ever in my life have I run so hard in an airport, and never ever in my life have I been so happy to finally take my seat and get ready for take-off. Two days later I am sitting in the hotel in Batumi and there is no other place in the world where I would rather be right now. At this moment you are all outside enjoying teambuilding in an absolutely amazing environment, and it makes me happy to see the session getting started. I try not to care about my terrible headache by keeping in mind the awesome week we are going to experience and especially the fact that we are two lucky editors having such an amazing team of journalists here. All the best,
Jussi
Janne
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We present you: the headorganisers____4 Erekle Antadze
6_________________This is Georgia Ia Tserodze
The Avengers at BIF______________8
Alex Guzenko
9_________One thing to learn from you Kaarle Varkki
CONTENTS
ISSUE 1
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We present you:the head organisers Giorgi Samkharadze
Asmat Naskidashvili
Once a person gets in EYP, he or she inevitably meets considerable amount of amazing people. Despite this, a person we meet the first can’t be forgotten or ignored, nor can we underestimate the importance of that particular person, person who gives us first impression about the organization itself. I was fortunate in this case, as my first interaction with EYP was with George Samkharadze, Board Member of EYP Georgia and Head Organizer of Batumi International Forum 2012. I did not know all of that when I walked in on that interview, but what I felt can definitely be described as a relief – the person in front of me erased all the tension, talking with him was pretty comfortable. If I were to depict George in one word, it would be “Awesome”, one emotion he evokes in me is respect. It might sound cliché but it’s the truth. There’s no need to ascertain you in all of this, this is something you’ll see with your own eyes during the session.
1) What is EYP for you? Life-time memory, about which I’ll even speak with my grandchildren. It is a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get. 2) What is special about this particular session? You will experience it yourselves 3) Describe your co-Head Organizer in one sentence. He never lies, so much so that even says 3 truths in a game “two truths and one lie” (Laughs) 4) What is it that you hope to gain from this session? Strongest PED (Post EYP Depression) Ever 5) Word of advice to all those who participate - what is the most important part of being an EYPer? Be ready to take as much as EYP can give you! 6) What was the most challenging issue while organizing the session?
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Neither part of the process is easy. 7) If you were to be a delegate for this session, which committee would you be in? All of them are really interesting, it would be a hard choice. 8) What is your favorite part of the session? General Assembly and Closing Ceremony. 9) If we were to switch places, do you think you’d be able to write a better interview? Hah, definitely NOT! (Even she didn’t believe that lie) 10) If you had to entrust HOing this session to somebody else, who would it be? No one!!! (Laughs, though it’s truth) 11) If you had to choose other position during this session, what would it be? Delegate
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Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome, welcome to the land of culture and traditions! The country known for its ancient history! The place where you can rely on hospitality, even while entering an absolute stranger’s house at 3 in the morning. Don’t worry, you will be fed, gifted, provided with a place to sleep and of course invited to stay even longer! Simply said, welcome to Georgia! The alphabet which was created in the 3rd century BC, Religion which was introduced in the 4th century AD, The Kingdom which was established in 7th century BC. We have experienced war as well as stability. Our country’s borders grew bigger or smaller after every battle, we’ve had an era called the Golden age and we have also lost our independence. We’ve seen our soldiers die on the battlefield but fighting till their very last drop of blood, we’ve seen tears of rage and tears of happiness. We have been defeated and we have triumphed in victory. We’ve overcome every obstacle and still remained the same country. Even now after centuries Georgia still stands tall! It might be small, it might not be the most powerful country in the world, but if you overlook its past, present and the possible future it is stronger than it seems at first sight! There are about 60 towns and cities in Georgia, more than 25 000 rivers and 860 lakes. From outrageously beautiful towns of Svaneti and Kazbegi in the Caucasus Mountains to Batumi, the host city of the Forum which is located at the Black Sea coastline, Georgia abounds in natural variety. Tbilisi, the capital and by far the biggest city, has 6 the atmosphere of an age-old Eurasian
THIS IS The country with
crossroad, yet it’s also a 21st century city with European-style nightclubs and eyecatching new architecture. The name, Tbilisi, actually derived from the Georgia word “tbili” meaning “warm”. Nowadays Dmanisi attracts attention from the whole world. A great number of diplomats, scientists, students, tourists from different countries come here to see it. Why is it so interesting? Many archeological and architectural monuments, dating back to Bronze Era, Antique Era and Middle Ages have been discovered in this district. The most important one is Dmanisi Ancient Settlement, where the first Euro-
GEORGIA open! doors wide
peans were found. The above mentioned fact provides evidence that Georgia was located on the crossroads of migration routes and that men from Africa got to Europe exactly via Georgia. After this discovery it is undoubtable that Georgia is the motherland of the first Europeans. Furthermore, Georgia is known for its cuisine. Have you ever heard of khinkali or mtsvadi? Let me give you short explanations. Khinkali is basically a dumpling filled with meat, although sometimes either with cheese or mushrooms. While mtsvadi is usually made of pork or beef and is cooked on a grill with the addition
of herbs and spices. And no, it’s not barbecue… it’s mtsvadi. If you come to Georgia and want to taste something traditional then these two will be waiting for you. Trust me you won’t be disappointed! (unless you are a vegetarian). The very unique feature of Georgia is it’s native language - Georgian. So if you want to impress someone with your knowledge just carry on with reading this article! Next time you want to greet someone simply say “Gamarjoba”, which means “hello”. Or if you want to say “thank you” you should say “madloba”. However, these above mentioned words are not written like this. We have the Georgian alphabet which is exceptional! It was created in the 3rd century AD and has progressed through three forms. The final transformation of the alphabet, took place in the 11th century AD. Around this time, the Mkhedruli script was born. This script is considered to be the most complete and economical script in the history of Georgia and again, has been preserved until the present day. The Mkhedruli script contains as many letters as the sounds in the spoken language, which makes it simple and special. It also has no parallel in any other language and, therefore, is one of the 14 existing alphabets in the world. Bearing in mind its history, Georgia has not once been influenced by different counties, but today it’s striving towards Europe for its future. Georgia is now developing its tourism potential and making the full range of its attractions safely and readily accessible to travellers. It is a country where guests are considered a blessing. It is a country where doors are always wide open! 7
The Avengers at BIF
In April 2012 the world’s cinematography was struck by a fabulous movie “The Avengers”. Millions of teenagers and adults rushed to the movie theatres once the film was launched, and even more are waiting for it to come on DVD. Continuously, people are discussing the movie, coming up with new stories and rumors. The film is about superheroes, constantly fighting against evil in a world full of violence, injustice and ecological problems. Now I would like to draw your attention to the world we live in. It seems like only the avengers are able to solve such global problems like we are facing now. You may think that it is just a movie, but its heroes are made of EYP prototypes. It’s time to meet them! Giorgi “Iron man” Tabagari— works at European Youth Parliament, chaired more than 20 committees, solved more than 25 EU problems. Nickname “Iron man” is given, due to his strong “iron” dedication to the solution of any problem the EU is struggling with. At BIF will be a vice president, chairing the committee on Foreign Affairs. Oleg Shimanskyy “Captain EU” – having experience of 10 years in EYP, we proudly announce that Oleg is the “Captain” or the president of the Batumi International Forum. Also he will be in charge of the committee on Constitutional Affairs. Dominic Degen—originally from Switzerland, land of the high Alps. While debating on certain topic can get very enthusiastic and impulsive, like a thunderstorm. Name “Thor” means the patron of thunder. He will be chairing the committee on Industry Research and Energy. Now as you are already acquainted with the members of the avengers’ team, there is a little amount of time left until the mighty board will fight the problem in Batumi. They have been hardly studying and preparing for the forum and they want YOU to be a part of their team. Oleg, Giorgi and Dominic believe that only together the problems of Eco-Technology will be solved! 8
On a windy afternoon I stood near the window looking at the clouds, wondering about people I know and things that they do. Why do I know all these people? I guess there is no objective answer. But I would like to believe that every person you know is like a seashell. Somewhere inside lies a very special pearl, a pearl that is different depending on who’s looking for it. Jussi and Janne would actually be a pair of rather similar seashells. They both like music more than the average person – Janne has been playing the guitar for years and Jussi is fluent in beatbox. Janne has also connected her love for music with another passion that is common with Jussi - photography. While Janne takes magnificient pictures at live concerts, Jussi prefers to picture cars and drag races. Although Jussi and Janne both spend a good amount of time behind the camera, it is easy to catch them in front of one, just to take a picture of them smiling, as they both smile a lot. Even if you just google Janne’s name, a lot of pictures of smiling people come up. In Jussi’s case, there are a lot of pictures of goths and just weird people... Anyway, both these seashells could be professional models. I’ve
One thing to learn from you never seen eyes more amazing than Janne’s and Jussi has an impeccable sense for fashion. The similarities go even further - they’re both a bit freaky in a way. Janne sometimes dresses like a zebra and paints her face accordingly, whereas Jussi used to have a collection of over 5000 buttons. But no, these aren’t the pearls you’re looking for. Something truely amazing about Janne is also something very simple. It doesn’t have to be your birthday for her to wish you a happy day. If Janne is your friend, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find a small note saying „Happy Tuesday!“ in your pocket or on your table. When it comes to Jussi, I think the most incredible thing about him is how he puts his whole heart into the videos he makes, therefore making them truely emotional. I think I’ve found what I consider Janne’s and Jussi’s pearls and I am happy to know these two people. I hope you will all have the time to get to know them better and discover your own pearls inside them, as they will hopefully discover yours. After all it seems to be a good idea to learn from each other and spread the good things in this world. 9
* What you see on the front page is a black c. It stands for the Black Sea.
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