EYP
PATh
Contents P. 4 - Editorial P. 5 - Welcome to Telavi! P. 6 - Survival: The Session P. 7 - UNFPA P. 10 - She-roes P. 12 - CULTivating Higher Education P. 14 - DROI For Equal Future P. 15 - RePRODUCTIVE Health P. 16 - United in Diversity
"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." Confucius
You get the floor, so should we The most time– and nerve-consuming two days have already passed… But were they just that? Definitely not for us, the press team and we really hope that neither for any of the readers of this letter. The most tiresome, and yet the most rewarding day is still awaiting you. And you know what? Drink as many liters of coffee as you might find necessary, take as many Valerian pills as possible and simply make the floor your natural habitat, the rostrum your nest and your speech your language. Then, everything will be fine (well, if you drug yourself too much, you might actually start seeing these things). The resolution might not be perfect, the committee work might not have been completely impeccable, but one thing is clear you worked hard and your labor has begot its fruits. Now you’re a tiny bit better than you were before you stepped into the opening ceremony venue. The changes are here all around you and make sure you make the maximum of the opportunities and let the changes be significant enough to change your lives Generally, I want to wish you best of luck and a really fruitful cooperation.
Ha,ha! Feeling something new that you don’t know a name of? That’s the pressure coming after finalizing the resolutions. That happens when you don’t mind all the tiredness and you are ready for ‘’the fight and devotion’’ on the General Assembly. GA – I call it passion. Why? Because it’s the place and time where you should all present yourselves, your committee and the result of the hard work of the past two days. Writing a resolution plays a very important role in making it perfect, although what really matters is your presentation, your defense, sum-up, attack and debates. All I can advise to you is to forget all the things that make you nervous while speaking in front of a big audience, be natural and make sure you do your maximum. Preparing for GA is like mobilizing all your powers and knowledge, so do research at home to show that you are an EYP-er. Changes can be made, they should be made and you are the ones who will do it.
Always at your service, Ed. Tamri Matiashvili
Yours sincerely, Ed. Giorgi Metskhvarishvili
WELCOME TO TELAVI Mariam will add even more spirit to our already heated up EYP spirit!
One day later, but still WELCOME to fascinating city of Kakheti! Sure your emotions related to Telavi have been already expressed and shared, but let me raise the spirit here. Telavi is one of the most beautiful cities of Kakheti. There are several historical castles, which still abide here, notwithstanding the brutal history and battles they have witnessed, and they give the town mysterious and wonderful look. One glance is enough to fall in love and get addicted to Kakheti, especially renewed Telavi. Atmosphere is super relaxing, as much as the environment as the people here. Yesterday, the first day for EYP in Telavi was quite successful, interesting and filled with lots of impressions. On the way from Tbilisi I was thinking how it would go here, but let me tell you I feel very comfortable and proud (hope you too guys), that city like Telavi belongs to my precious country. Okay, I’m done with describing Kakheti’s beauty, because words on paper are just words, you should see it! Now I’m going to introduce you the traditions, obsessions and just little things which is in every “Kakheli”. And the first place goes to: WINE – “Kakhuri” wine is very strong, extremely tasteful and wonderful. I suggest the delegates (not to mention officials) not to drink wine during the session, because trust me your chairs won’t be pleased with your hangover (theirs would be enough, KIDDING)
By Mariam Lataria
So, wine (especially red one) isn’t recommended / allowed! By the way, after the session drink as much as your organism will stand. Second and mostly noticeable one: Sense of HUMOUR – that really distinguishes people here from those in the other parts of Georgia. I’m not going to talk too much, from me their jokes would be “funny”, so just listen very carefully and you will really LOL. However I do know one about “Maro, Mikho and Donkey” so if you mind, do not hesitate!! (JOURNO ROOM) And the last but not the least: Famous STUBBORNESS! From my huge experience with arguing people from Kakheti, I strongly recommend to forget about any possible wishes to argue with stubborn “kakheli”. But, pleasant news, GA of 1st Telavi Regional Session is going to be the hottest one!! At the end, I want to say the biggest thank you to Telavi for its warm and friendly atmosphere, and the most of all for standing our crazy EYP spirit!!!
SURVIVAL : The Session Nestan will give ua a ti p or two on how to survive the session. Crucial Note: READ IT FOR YOUR LIFE!
By Nestan Mamukashvili
“Trick or Treat? “ I’m more than glad to welcome you to the first regional session in Telavi! I won’t bother you for long, just let me give you some advice on “how to survive the session”. Firstly, don’t get deceived by the name of the topic, cause it’s a little bit or too much exaggerated. you won’t have to survive, obviously, but my article will help you. Well, let’s talk about FOOD: As the living species, we have to take food daily. Some earthlings eat meat, some of them eat vegetables, some – insects and a hungry EYP-er eats EVERYTHING! If an organizer comes in your committee and tells you that food is served, don’t listen to anyone, just run and get it! if you got late, then don’t complain that food is gone. I’ll tell you what – if you want to be on time on every break, be active at the committee work! (now you are asking how are those two connected but they actually are). if you work hard you don’t lose time, if you don’t lose time, you have success, if you have success than here’s
the reward -your chairs will free you on time and you’ll be the first to get to the table! When the long day of work ends and you are all bored, all tired say the magic word and you’ll be full of energy again. Guess what the word is? It’s the “JOURNO”. Once you pronounce it, it’s like “expecto patronum” for the bad aura. You say that and the happiness is with you again! The last hint from me will be to get your sleep! Some people say – no sleeping at all is better than sleeping for only two hours. Well it’s a one huge lie! I know you’re not going to sleep at night cause c’mon, you are in EYP! But when you feel tired at last, what can be better than lying down in a warm bed, closing your eyes and slowly drown into the sleep. If you have not used any of my advices – congratulations, we’ll host your funeral as soon as the session is over. I won’t take blame for it, I’ve warned ya!
What’s
UNFPA? Zura will inform us about the generous UN sub-organization which donated money to the session, thus making it even better.
Do you remember who one of the sponsors of 1st Telavi Regional Session is? If you have seen first issue, you should remember UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) – the organization which donated some money to the session. This organization is interested in development of Kakheti region and that’s why they provided material help to organizing team. This money was used to increase the number of delegates from Kakheti region. UNFPA had also assisted the session in preparing two committee topics. Those of FEMM and ENVI. UNFPA was established in 1969 and began operating as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities. In 1987 the organization changed its name and now it’s known as the United Nations Population Fund and it’s placed under the authority of the United Nations General Assembly. The goals of UNFPA are achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health (including family planning), promoting reproductive rights, reducing maternal mortality and accelerating progress on the ICPD(International Conference on Population and Development) agenda and MDG(Millennium Development Goals). These 5 goals are inextricably linked. UNFPA also focuses on improving the lives of youths and women by advocating for human rights and gender equality and by promoting the understanding of population dynamics. From 2011 Executive Director of UNFPA is Nigerian Dr.
By Zura Giorgobiani
Babatunde Osotimehin and the headquarters of the organization is in New York City, USA. On 23 May, UNFPA will be marking the first-ever International Day to End Obstetric Fistula. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Campaign to End Fistula, a collaborative initiative launched by UNFPA to prevent fistula and restore the health and dignity of the millions of women & girls affected by this devastating but preventable condition. UNFPA is a great organization, which cares for people’s welfare, cares for the future, cares for children, cares for youth. UNFPA is trying to establish peace in the world… a goal toward which every single organization and even individual should be striving. It’s a huge step forward to the better future!
Food and EYP Veriko Devidze will tell us all about food and its meaning to EYP, so all gourmets prepare to have a very hard craving for food right as and after you read the article! According to Wikipedia, food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body… But what is it for us, EYPers? Food from delegates’ perspective: You have already experienced tiresome committee work. You and the people around you actively discussing about the problems which are so important for the society. After some time chairs make you play some games to make you feel more energized… Then you go back to work…
By Veriko Devidze
And you get a feeling you have experienced before… The more your brain works the stronger the feeling gets… The feeling of hunger I’m talking about. It takes over and you think you are predestined for this awful feeling till the end of the session… But then something magical happens… Someone who you most probably feel is sent from the heavens enters the committee room pronouncing two magical words: Dinner Time and you realize: “It’s always darkest before the dawn”.
You are not sure if they put a spell on you which makes you see everything in brighter coloures, or they actually rescued you from hell, but you know one thing for sure: you are happy! When you were building castles in sand in the voice of your mother: “Come up, eat and go back again” certainly sounded like an attempt to drag you to hell, but the voice saying: “Dinner Time” sounds like a voice to trust and follow because that’s what brought hope and joy back to your life.
The voice that sounds so pure and powerful… The voice that you would definitely turn around to if you were a coach on “The Voice”… After a few moments you find yourself in the corridor walking towards the one true treasure for the human race… The food! I guess this is the way delegates see it but participants take several other positions on EYP sessions. Food from the Chairs’ perspective: Chairs are the people who start working on the committee topics long before the delegates. They do long and quality research in order to come up with the proper topic and they work really hard on the overview hoping that in several days delegates will be just as much engaged in the committee discussions. And finally there they are on CW. And the delegates seem to be meeting their expectations. They witness active
and energetic discussions and their excitement escalates. They look just like the bandmasters, guiding their committee and taking a huge pleasure from seeing the feedback of their work… But then something suddenly and unexpectedly takes this pleasure from them… Dinner Time… It feels like an alert of the alarm clock waking them up from the most amazing dream. They used to love hearing those two words too, just like all of us enjoyed listening to the songs before making them our alerts. It is food, taking the delegates away from their chairs for some time. In a few moments they find themselves in corridor walking towards the dinner room as well, because after all they also need to feed. Food from Organisers’ perspective: As we know some products are heavy some are light, but for the organisers every food heavy.
I mean literally HEAVY. In most cases they are the ones carrying cookie boxes and weighty bottles of drinks. This is a paradox but for the organisers gain calories with food and at the same time food serves as an instrument for burning their calories. Well, at least they lose some weight. Food from Journalists’ perspective: You have already seen us, the people running around with cameras, taking pictures of you. We are like spies, trying to catch everything, preferably funny and ridiculous scenes. The only time we are focused on something else but the participants of the session is the dinner time. This is when we move our cameras aside and start providing nutritional support to our bodies. But do not relax for too long… After having something to eat we go back to doing what we do best… We go back to Jouno-ing!!!
Sheroes Veriko Devidze will elaborate on the topic of the committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee on Women’s right and Gender Equality, chaired by ZurabiPirtskhalaishvili and the president of the session, Mariam Tirkia will try to find and tackle the main problems concerning Gender Equality. As a female, I take a great pleasure from writing about the topic of the committee on FEMM. It is hard to find any female who would not because we have so much to say. The study of gender problems is becoming more and more important in the social sciences. Many Western scholars have stressed that gender divisions are a basic social relation and, for that reason, that gender inequality is as important as class or economic change in understanding social reality. This is extremely important as in this way gender studies have evolved away from an earlier focus on the position of women as one relatively disadvantaged group. Current research emphasizes how gender relations between men and women structure
By Veriko Devidze
society, including inequality between the sexes. Let’s take it back to the days we have spent in the kinder garden and remember all those girls in pretty dresses so eager to get parts in the performances, practicing their dance moves and reading the poems… Now picture your classmates at school, in most of the cases the hands raised asking for a permission to speak belonged to girls, didn’t they? I know in my case they did. If your memories don’t include experiences from university yet, I can provide you with the fact that women outnumber men in universities and doctoral degrees. Now take a look at TV (but first, make sure it’s turned on) who do you see in political talk shows most? Who do you see in the parliament making decisions for the country? Yes, I know the answer, you see men. After all of this I can’t help but wonder, where did those active and motivated girls go? Did something make them lose the desire to become successful or are they still out there?
Equal pay for equal work is one of the areas where gender equality is rarely seen. The majority of the world’s poor are women: around 70% of the people who live in extreme poverty. Women are over-represented in lower paid sectors and under-represented in decision-making positions. As the statistics show complaints about women’s work not being appreciated enough is not a myth. There are gaps between women an d m en in terms of employment, resources and income. Women actually get less salary than men for doing the same job. This is one of the reasons among many others why gender equality is fought against so actively in Europe. Gender equality does not imply that women and men are the same, but that they have equal value and should be accorded equal treatment. It is, first and foremost, a human right. Women are entitled to live in dignity and in freedom from want and from fear.
Empowering women is also an indispensable tool for advancing development and reducing poverty. Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of whole families and communities and to improved prospects for the next generation. One more thing that makes the topic of FEMM so interesting besides the actuality of the gender equality problem is that it calls for men’s engagement in genderrelated issues. This certainly is interesting and probably the most effective approach. Having men next to women fighting for their rights definitely increases a chance of their voice being heard. Most importantly this is the way of proving that fighting for gender equality is not just a demonstration of women’s will to be more powerful, more appreciated or more successful than they are today, it’s the demonstration of the will of the society to make our planet better than it is nowadays. Thomas Jefferson once said: “Men of quality are not threatened by the women of quality” and topic of the committee of FEMM gives every man a chance to prove that.
CULTivating Higher Education Mariam Lataria will outline the problems with the higher education system extant in in Georgia nowadays
Committee on Culture and Education is going to discuss the one of the most actual issues of Georgia. Committee will have to think about Higher Education System and ask themselves the question which is the following one: What measures should be taken in order to develop and improve the Academic Freedom and autonomy of universities and how can European Union’s experience affect this? Academic freedom is one of the pillars of university. Meaning of academic freedom was changing within the centuries, but finally it formed as a freedom of professors and students in learning-teaching process and researches. Academic freedom leads to exchange the ideas inside and outside of the university. Claire Fagin said:” knowledge will bring you to the opportunity to make a difference.”
By Mariam Lataria
Academic freedom’s aim is exactly making a difference and start thinking. Shortly after professors’ desire to research secrets of science and politics, several problems related to their safety arose. Because of these numerous accidents, AAUP (American Association University Professors) was established; AAUP defends the rights of professors. Because of these numerous accidents, AAUP (American Association University Professors) was established; AAUP defends the rights of professors. Furthermore, academic freedom is protected by the mechanism called Tenure. Tenure system is American and European experience, which has acceptable results in Education System. By the way, it is worth noting that the plan of development of Georgian higher education and tenure system was promoted by brilliant
Georgian physicist Gia Dvali. He says, that academic freedom is directly connected to the raising of involvement of students in the social activities, which itself means the better future. Higher Education has the relevant role in social and economic development of country. But no one should forget that university is a place where knowledge is created and spread. I’m strongly disagree with and am worried about government’s attitude towards university life. Political parties often manipulate several self-governments and other elective bodies in the universities. Another biggest problem is that university as a researching institution isn’t functioning and has lost its meaning, due to the bad
laboratories and no expenses for the researches. However, the whole world agrees that higher education is the real beginning of real life, which shows the way to better future. Tenure system’s success in world is clear example, how academic freedom and development of university life can be achieved. Tenure system is based on the tenured and experienced professors. The key is that they can’t be released easily; tenured professors are in the board of university and make decisions. They can be free in any researches and activities. But despite all these advantages, bringing the system to Georgian reality is extremely challenging and unreliable. At first there are a lot of low and business faculties and very few of science, biology, etc. because of this it’s hard to plan a good research. Another problem which we
should expect is surely the low quality of professorate due to the position as tenured professors. They might be demotivated, because of guaranteed place in the university. So, the committee on CULT 2 has to think carefully and work hard in order to find suitable solutions for these problems. It can’t miss that Georgia is a member of Bologna process, under which Magna Charta Universitatum has been developed. The main priority and quality of this common education system is academy of freedom and merit of academy, which both define the level of university and the w ho le s y s t em . Ge nera t io n changes, century goes one by one and now in the 21st century education is vital for survival. Some really wise person said: educate and bring the light of fire. Exactly, education is a public good nowadays, and public good itself concludes a lot.
Students and professors become more involved and participate in ongoing events, social activities and so on. But if government aims to preserve the academic freedom, it should simultaneously stop interfering and justify hopes. What steps should be taken to decrease risks of failure of tenure system? What should be improved to make higher education as a public good? How is society going to meet the changes? So, as you see the questions are quite a few and topic is really complicated and the hardest, but the most interesting one of the session. I call upon all the delegates of CULT II to be extremely motivated and diligent. I’m certain that they will do their best in order to prove everyone their truth on GA. I wish very productive session to the committee and to the amazing chairs, Ani Chkhikvadze and Mate Gabitsinashvili.
DROI FOR EQUAL FUTURE Niniko will tell us about the most unnerving topic in Georgia nowadays Different People, around the world are facing violence and inequality, because of how they look, who they love and what they believe in. Today committee on DROI with delegates and chairpersons will try to find solutions to these problems. We can all know that discussions about gay marriage and whether or not it should be legal is very popular in our country. Everybody has different opinions and everybody has different arguments. But what is the truth? For me the truth is that all people are equal. And it is inadmissible to discriminate people because of who they are. From the most pervaded ideas, society is against gay marriage and all LGBT people, because it is forbidden by their religion. Frankly speaking I understand them, when you believe in God’s words with all your heart it is very hard to have any opposing ideas, But sadly many people are using their religions in order to justify their horrible actions. We all remember what happened last year when couple of people was having demonstration against homophobe. Personally I think that when you try to protect one god’s rule, you should not break the other. On the 17 th of May there was demonstration against Homophobe; at the same time on the other side of Rustaveli Avenue was another demonstration against LGBT people. I think everybody who was there forgot these words: Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. When you read this article, the demonstrations will be already in past, deep in my heart I was hoping that they would be peaceful, without violence. I was hoping that nobody would get injured or bitten or arrested on that day, but today my hopes vanished.
By Niniko Lekishvili
Everything went out of control. I don’t want to blame anybody for want happened, I don’t want to say who’s fault was that, but I wish Georgian people had less anger and more kindness in their hearts. I wish they could understand other peoples’ feelings and I wish that the next generation will stand up on all this cruelty and hatred and the darkness which is around us will disappear. Religion has nothing to do with the government law. Because in one country not everybody believes in god, but states rules diffuse on everyone. To my mind denying someone else’s happiness and right because they are different is unacceptable. People say you can’t control your heart, so can’t a gay person. We can’t choose who we love. If two men or two women want to get married, they should be allowed to celebrate their happiness and receive the same benefits of marriage as every other couple. There is another argument beside religion why people are against gay marriage. Samesex couples do not produce children. This argument can be opposed, if couple want to have children they can find sperm donors or hire a surrogate mother; there is another option of adopting a child and so on and so forth. I think that homosexual people can be loving, responsible and capable parents. In my opinion for children it is better to live in a loving family than to be homeless. I don’t know how many of you have different ideas, how many will not agree with me, But what I know is that for my committee this is the big challenge. I think there will be a lot of debates, a lot of arguments and thoughts about this topic, but I hope that all the delegates will remember that we are all equal, and we all should respect, love and accept each other as we are.
RePRODUCTIVE Health! Lela Merabishvili will talk about the most fierce problems that the world is facing in the terms of sexuality and reproductive health. Our lives are a constant process of learning. We learn how to walk, how to communicate either verbally or with gestures. We learn how to use a fork so that we can eat independently, how to put our clothes on without the help of our parents. At the age of six we are taught how to read and write, how to behave in class and how to interact with our peers. Later on, we are introduced to a variety of subjects at school. Countless theories, facts and figures, ideas, poems, x+y=z, grammar, H2O, oceans, gravitation, ABC, etc. However, during our development stages, we seem to be unable to learn more about our body and health. It is absolutely illogical to raise generations without a fulfilled and quality education. An education that will include together with the above mentioned subjects, the basic principles of reproductive health and safety. Indeed, sexual and reproductive health are among the most fundamental aspects of life. Yet they often receive little or no attention in public discussions because of cultural and political sensitivities. The Georgian society thinks young people don’t need to know about reproductive health issues until they are married. This idea is rooted in traditional values and long-standing taboos surrounding sexuality that need to be examined in light of protecting health. For a human being health can be considered as the greatest wealth. Therefore, it is vital for young citizens to be able to maintain a healthy and wise personal lifestyle. Clearly, that will only be the outcome of adequately informed and educated youngsters. Every individual has the right to control his/her sexual and reproductive life and make certain decisions without interference or coercion. The full respect of the right to reproductive health depends on the enjoyment
By Lela Merabishvili of other rights, including the right to appropriate information. If you take a look to the recent surveys of UNFPA in Georgia, you’ll notice a significant lack of knowledge about basic matters of reproductive health among adolescents, which might result in undesired pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. To the question: “when is a woman most likely to become pregnant?” Of those aged 15-19 two thirds (86%) said they didn’t know. As did 37% of those aged 20-24. Studies from different countries show that highquality sex education programs in school can lead to enhanced understanding of personal hygiene, health and reproductive issues. Recently, in Georgia, elements of reproductive biology have been incorporated in biology and human anatomy classes. However, the curriculum is notably poor and has no real value. Moreover, some teachers refuse to teach reproductive health by skipping the chapters that include the latter. Another crucial subject is affordable health care and effectiveness of the government’s insurance strategy. As, without the accessibility of medical care the awareness about reproductive health issues would be in vain. Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety will be the one discussing the topic during these couple of days. The delegates of ENVI have a mission to complete! They will try to figure out how can the statistics be improved nationwide and what measures should be taken on local and administrative levels to tackle the problems related to reproductive health. It is their duty to find relevant and adequate solutions as they will have to present their resolution to other committees on general assembly. I wholeheartedly wish them the best of luck. Dear ENVIable delegates of the session, make sure to keep the standards high!
United in Diversity Nestan Mamukashvili will talk about the problems concerning language.
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” ― Nelson Mandela Every language is a product of a unique historical experience, each is the carrier of a memory, a literary heritage, a specific skill, and is the legitímate basis of cultural identity. The EU is a truly multilingual institution that fosters the ideal of s single Community with a diversity of cultures and languages. Its mission historically is to preserve, harmonize, strike a balance and get the best out of this diversity. The EU believes that using the different languages spoken by its citizens is a major factor in ensuring greater transparency and legitimacy, as well as an important element of European competitiveness and life-long learning. Now I’m writing in English, but I’m sure you are perceiving it in Georgian, oh the irony. As the biggest representative of culture, there is no way for life to develop without lingua, and no way for culture to develop without different families of languages themselves. Language comes first. It's not that language grows out of consciousness, if you don’t possess language, you can't be conscious. Have you ever heard of “Esperanto?” It’s a non-used language which was formed for the whole Europe to speak in order to promote globalization make people of every nation closer, However, there was only BUT worth to mention – would there really exist any culture without its own mother tongue? After the ages, there would be no individuality left, no differences seen and who would be to blame?
By Nestan Mamukashvili
We must all aim to discover ourselves, step up on the whole new level and then discover the place we live in, how amazing and prodigious it actually is, we must realize the importance of each nation and its meaning and to respect their own path and how they seize the future. People say their dream is to travel the world, so let the world stay as unique as it is, cause maybe one day there will be nothing to see at all. “Never before had I known the sudden quiver of understanding that travels from word to brain to heart, the way a new language can move, coil, swim into life under the eyes, the almost savage leap of comprehension, the instantaneous, joyful release of meaning, the way the words shed their printed bodies in a flash o f h e a t a n d l i g h t . ” ― Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian There are languages we like, there are languages we aim to speak and there is our native language which we don’t have right to forget, parish from the world, leaving a huge hole in our hearts and the hearts of the country
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