CALL FOR APPLICATIONS Vice-presidents, Chairpersons & Editors 79th International Session, Tampere 2015
The session The 79th International Session of the EYP will be held in Tampere, Finland between 24th July to 2nd August 2015, under the theme ‘Ideas change minds. People the world’. The event will be presided by Joanna Dreger (PL). You are invited to read about her vision in the next page. More information on the session can be found on the event’s official website and Facebook page.
We are now looking for vice-presidents, chairpersons and editors. Chairpersons bear significant responsibilities and play a crucial role in the success of the event. Thus we would be delighted if you were interested in contributing to making Tampere 2015 an unforgettable event for the session’s participants and the entire EYP community. All members of the chairpersons’ team are required to arrive in Tampere two or three days prior to the start of the session in order to attend the training. Departures are on Sunday, 2nd August. Additionally, please note that in preparation for the session, chairpersons are required to attend the Chairs’ Academic Training (CAT), that will take place 15th - 17th May, 2015 in Berlin. Chairpersons need to be at the CAT venue by 12pm (noon) on Friday. Attendance of the CAT is an integral part of a chairperson’s responsibilities. Expenses for the training will be covered by the EYP-SF. N.B. Please note that the event has not yet been granted the green light by the Governing Body. This also means that we cannot confirm yet that there will be a full team of officials at this International Session.
European Youth Parliament, Sophienstraße 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
Message from the president ‘Ideas change minds. People the world’ Nestled in a breathtaking scenery of Finnish lakeside and the Tammerkoski channel, Tampere 2015 will be a cradle for change, a birthplace to both ideas and action, in the year of the 20th anniversary of Finland’s accession to the European Union. Our highly professional and committed organisers’ team has been putting all their passion and zeal to organise an exceptional International Session that will showcase the best that the Finnish summer has to offer. We are now ready to select the officials for the session, and are looking for Chairpersons, Vice-presidents and Editors. The ambition for Tampere 2015 is very high. We will give the voice to the delegates and ask them for their contribution in shaping the future. We will create a highly stimulating, safe environment for the development of ideas of our brightest and most committed youth. We will seek to offer the participants a platform to grow, individually and within their teams, to challenge themselves and to become the leaders of today and tomorrow. And then, for the first time in an International Session setting, we will support the most motivated of our participants in turning ideas into action, to complement the session impact with a few, thought-through follow-up projects in their communities, countries and Europe. Your role in this ambition is crucial. As a Chairperson, you will be the closest to the delegates, with a paramount role in nurturing their ideas and/or projects. In my Chairpersons, I look for leadership, commitment, willingness to grow and passion to ensure the best possible setting for the participants to find their solutions and, should you be supporting a project team, develop the follow-up projects. As a Vice-President, you will support and join different committees and teams at different stages of the session. In my Vice-Presidents, I look for your leadership and training skills, as well as the ability to motivate, support and challenge the experienced officials of the International Session. As an Editor, you and your team will have a real contribution to the atmosphere and the feel of the session. In my Editors, I look for leadership and vision for the media team that, through the presence at different session elements and the media output, will act as a social glue and as a platform to celebrate creativity and promote the ideas and the projects of the participants. Let Tampere 2015 be your individual chance to grow. Please bring your individual strengths to the table. You will be supported and encouraged to manage your personal development, maximise your potential, develop your skill set, challenge yourself and become the person you want to be. The functioning of all the officials’ teams will be underpinned by straight talking and feedback, the empowering fundament of EYP. Let Tampere 2015 be your individual chance to make an impact. Please bring your enthusiasm and motivation to ensure the success of the session. Tampere 2015 will be based on the Nordic values of equality and openness. I strive to live these values by acting as your megaphone. Instead of one presidential vision, the kaleidoscope of your ideas and visions will be the building blocks for the session set-up. Let us work together on how to stimulate ideas that change minds, projects that make an impact and people that change the world. I will be delighted if you decide to join me and the organisers’ team in shaping Tampere 2015. Yours, Joanna Dreger President of the 79th International Session of the European Youth Parliament European Youth Parliament, Sophienstraße 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
Criteria According to EYP policies, the Selection Panel is looking for individuals with the following qualities: For Chairpersons: i. Excellent English language skills; ii. Good knowledge of and interest in European issues; iii. High sense of responsibility, expressed motivation and commitment to further EYP’s objectives; iv. Previous group facilitation and EYP experience; v. Good planning and organisational skills; vi. Ability to lead a group and good understanding of group dynamics; vii. Ability to work as a member of a team and with individuals from various cultural and socio-econo nomic backgrounds; viii. Creativity and personal vision for the role desirable. Additionally for Editors: i. A clear vision and plan for the media team and its output; ii. Excellent leadership skills and understanding of group dynamics; iii. Creativity in all aspects of the work of the media team; iv. Previous media team experience; v. Ability to critically assess contemporary media production technologies. For Vice-Presidents: i. Excellent English language skills; ii. Excellent knowledge of and interest in European issues; iii. High sense of responsibility, expressed motivation and commitment to further EYP’s objectives; iv. Substantial facilitation experience at EYP events including a minimum of one International Session attended as a chair; v. Very good planning and organisational skills; vi. Excellent leadership skills and advanced understanding of group dynamics as well as ability to provide feedback; vii. Ability to work as a member of a team and with individuals from various culturaland socio-eco nomic backgrounds; viii. A solid understanding of the EYP and a strong personal vision for the role; ix. Training experience: ability to plan, run and evaluate training modules; x. Ability to represent EYP in an official capacity; xi. A sense of awareness of one’s own strengths and weaknesses in the role. The overall team will also present a cohesive and suitable balance of nationality, gender and levels of experience. Applicants should be aware that failure to be selected is no reflection on their talent or ability to be part of an IS chairs’ team. The selection panel will consider first the individuals who have applied for the position and thereby thoroughly go over all the applications, following the guidelines given by the GB.
European Youth Parliament, Sophienstraße 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
The Panel will consist of the Session President Joanna Dreger, past session president Chris Hall and a member of the Governing Body Sophie Hall. A recommendation to cover the role of a Chairperson or Vice-President is a prerequisite to be considered for the selection of the respective posts. In order to be selected as Editor, please note that the candidate must at least have a chairperson recommendation. Editor recommendations are not considered a prerequisite; however candidates with press team experience will be prioritised in the selection. In case you are unsure if you are eligible to apply, you can check your recommendations and individual feedback forms with your previous Chair(s)/ President(s) or by contacting the Human Resources Officer of the EYP at hr@eyp. org. The selection will only begin once the application deadline is over.
How to Apply? If you are available and interested in attending, you should do the following steps to apply: 1. Log on to the EYP Alumni Portal (if you do not have access or encounter any other problems, please get in touch with support@eyp.org); 2. Update your profile on the Portal; please make sure your full name, country, nationality and contact information are available and updated. 3. Sign up for the 79th International Session as either vice-president, chairperson or editor and fill in the “additional fields” in the application form (questions are listed below). If you would like to apply for multiple positions, please send one of your applications in pdf format to hr@eyp.org. Please include all your information (full name and contact details) on the offline application, as well as the questions. 4. Once you have submitted your application via the platform, please send your updated session history using the template provided on the event’s page on the alumni platform to hr@eyp.org. Please note that this is a prerequisite for your application to be considered. 5. The deadline for submitting your application via the platform and sending in your complete session history is Monday, March 23rd at 12.00 CET (noon).
European Youth Parliament, Sophienstraße 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
Application questions Please note that the panel will be looking for quality rather than quantity, which is why we kindly ask all applicants to ensure that none of their answers to any of the questions below exceeds the word limit. All applicants: 1. Explain how you fulfil the criteria for the position you are applying for and support your reasoning with concrete examples (max 250 words); 2. Identify and discuss your key strengths and weaknesses as Chairperson/Vice-President/Editor and how you intend to work on the latter at the session (max 250 words); 3. Tampere 2015 should be a birthplace of a few, thought-through follow-up projects that the delegates can implement in EYP, their communities, countries and/or Europe. How should this vision be implemented? What role would you play in its implementation? (max 500 words). Additionally for chairpersons: 4. What is your area of interest and knowledge in European affairs? Suggest a topic you would like to facilitate at the session and explain why (max 250 words); 5. Propose and elaborate an area or an issue that could be tackled by a project team of Tampere 2015? We are looking for general ideas, like digitalisation & democracy or rethinking environment protection. Both new ideas and thoughts on the two given ideas are welcome (max 100 words). Additionally for vice-presidents: 4. Leadership and Tampere 2015: In your view, what does leadership by the session board entail in the context of the session? What is your understanding of providing support to the president? (max 250 words); 5. Propose and elaborate an area or an issue that could be tackled by a project team of Tampere 2015? We are looking for general ideas, like digitalisation & democracy or rethinking environment protection. Both new ideas and thoughts on the two given ideas are welcome (max 100 words). Additionally for editors: 4. Explain how a media team led by you would contribute to the academic and social experience of the participants of Tampere 2015 by outlining your vision and concrete ideas for the media team and its output. Please also state in your application who you would like to edit with (no word limit) The deadline for submitting your application is Monday, March 23rd at 12.00 CET (noon). All applicants will be informed individually about the outcome of the selection process. For any questions regarding the application procedure, please contact the HR Officer at hr@eyp.org.
European Youth Parliament, SophienstraĂ&#x;e 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org