European Youth Parliament 74th International Session Tbilisi, Georgia 4 – 13 October 2013
Creating Europe’s Future together
Each year, the European Youth Parliament (EYP) reaches out to over 20.000 young people in 41 countries to engage them in intercultural dialogue, parliamentary debate and discussion of current European topics. Since 2005, the EYP has offered young people in Georgia the opportunity to engage in European affairs. The EYP is a non-partisan and independent educational project tailored specifically to the needs of young European citizens. Today the EYP is one of the largest European platforms for political debate, intercultural encounters, political educational work and the exchange of ideas among young people in Europe. The EYP consists of a network of 41 European associations and organisations in which thousands of young people are active in a voluntary capacity. The international office of the EYP is hosted by the Schwarzkopf Foundation in Berlin.
The International Session in Tbilisi Every year, the European Youth Parliament holds three International Sessions in different European countries. We are glad to host the 74th International Session this year in Tbilisi. Here, nearly 300 teenagers, 16 to 20 years old, from over 35 European countries will meet and explore Europe together. For ten days, Tbilisi will be a hotspot for exciting debates about European political topics. The young delegates will exchange ideas and visions of Europe’s future and make friends across borders. They will discuss current topics of European politics and draft resolutions, which will then be debated according to the rules of the European Parliament. In the past our International Sessions have enjoyed wide media coverage. The Session will take place under the theme of “Youth Sharing Values”. One particular focus of the meeting is thus the question whether or not we share a set of values across Europe, from the Atlantic to the Caucasus region. The young people work in international committees on various topics, on ideas for the future of their own continent. The developed resolutions are then sent over to decision-makers across Europe. We are especially looking forward to holding our first International Session in this region, because young people from Georgia have been coming to our sessions since 2005, while independently organising meetings and events in Georgia since 2007. www.eyp.org
„I have noted with interest the work of the European Youth Parliament to promote dialogue and sharpen democratic awareness among young Europeans.“ José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
Teambuilding Discovering similarities, Building trust, Solving problems,
Creating a team...
Committee Work Articulating your opinion, Developing critical thinking, Reaching compromises,
Writing a joint resolution...
The Programme of the Session The International Session in Tbilisi is divided into three sections: Teambuilding, Committee Work and General Assembly.
Experts from NGOs, politics and Media will discuss with the delegates during „Expert Talks“.
Since working in a team with people you have not met before is always a great challenge, the session will start with a two-day training focusing on communication and group dynamics (Teambuilding). The youngsters will be given different tasks helping them to playfully overcome language barriers and develop the principles and rules for cooperation in an international team.
The two-day General Assembly constitutes the highlight and conclusion of the Session. The delegates will discuss their resolution in an open debate held in English and French. Each Committee will defend its own positions with the aim of having its resolution carried by the General Assembly. The resolutions passed are submitted to the European Parliament after the Session.
During Committee Work the teenagers will then concern themselves with current issues of European politics and compile their results in the form of a resolution written in English and French. Instead of merely reproducing existing opinions, the focus will be on developing individually distinct visions, ideas and concepts.
Also, the very broad session programme is full of further highlights focused on cultural exchange, such as a self-performed concert of the youngsters (EuroConcert) or the presentation of national traditions and culinary specialties of the different countries (EuroVillage).
Results of our work
General Assembly Developing speaking skills Convincing others Defending opinions
Experiencing parliamentary debate...
To the European Youth Parliament, Europe is not just an abstract, distant construct. It lives through the people who get excited about it. Intensive preparation for the session topics leads to broad expertise among the young delegates resulting in a very high standard of the committees’ discussions as well as of the resolutions. The results of the European Youth Parliament are visible and sustainable: Session evaluations show that more than 70% of our participants are willing to get involved in politics or NGOs. Close to 80 % of the youngsters claim to have acquired important skills for their personal future through their experience of active democratic decision-making. Moreover, more than 80 % of the delegates show higher interest
for Europe after the Session: We show the youth that it has a voice in Europe. And our results are being noticed: All activities of the European Youth Parliament are under the patronage of Mr Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, while Mr Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament and Mr José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission are Members of our Comité d’Honneur. The resolutions of the Session in Tbilisi will be presented to Members of the European Parliament, as well as representatives from the European Commission, national governments and civil society..
Contact
Project funding and partnership
Tatuli Chubabria EYP Georgia 36 Chavchavadze ave. Tbilisi Tel.: 591 994518 t.tchubabria@eyp.org.ge
The direct costs of the project total at about 140.000 EUR. We have already been able to secure about 90.000 EUR with public and private grants. For the remaining 50.000 EUR we are looking for partners to support this unique event. Every kind and size of con-
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tribution would help the European Youth Parliament to realise its ambitious aims. It is in our interest to guarantee the visibility of all our partners and to work together for shaping a mutually beneficial cooperation.