Call for Vice-presidents and Editorial Team Amsterdam'19

EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT THE NETHERLANDS

Call for Vice-presidents and Editorial Team for the 19th National Selection Conference of EYP NL

CALL FOR VICE-PRESIDENTS AND EDITORIAL TEAM

It is with great excitement that EYP NL would like to announce that the call for Vice-presidents and Editorial Team for the 19th National Selection Conference in Amsterdam 2019 is now open! We are looking for two Vice-presidents to join Barış and Bernat in leading the Chairs Team, as well as one Editorial Assistant and one Video Editor to join Debra on the Editorial Team. The call will be open until Sunday the 15th of October and all applications will be submitted through the Members’ platform. The selection panel will discuss each application individually and all applicants will be notified personally of the selection result.

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Academic Theme of the Session Bending Without Breaking: A Modern Union in a Changing Europe There are many reasons why 2019 is a year of reflection for the European Union. Forty years ago, the first European parliamentary elections took place, which were the first ever international elections. At the time, only nine Member States participated. Twenty years ago the Treaty of Amsterdam came into effect, with which, among other things, the Euro was introduced. Three years later, it would become the official currency in twelve countries. The EU then had fifteen member states. Ten years after that, in 2009, the Lisbon Treaty came into force, involving many far-reaching changes, including a greater role for the European Parliament, the introduction of a President of the European Council and the legal implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The European Union then had 27 member states.

In 2019, the EU will have 27 Member States again, for the first time since 2013. With the departure of the United Kingdom, the philosophy of European integration as an irreversible process has been definitively disproved. At the same time, the EU is struggling to find answers to problems such as the migration crisis and global warming, the challenges of the digital age and the ever-growing Euroscepticism in its Member States. Although more than 80% of European Union citizens support its fundamental principles, only a third have confidence in the EU as we know it and a majority thinks the Union is headed in the wrong direction.

The necessity for change is not only evident close to home. The EU's share in the world is shrinking. Whereas in 2005, the EU economy accounted for 26% of the world, this number will be only 20% in 2030. The withdrawal of the United States from the Paris agreement and the Iran deal confronts us with a harsh reality: Europe must become independent enough to stand up for the protection of human rights and the preservation of peace on the international stage without having to rely solely on its traditional allies.

In 2017, the European Commission published the White Paper on the Future of Europe, in which it presents its view of the current state of affairs, identifies the greatest challenges for the European Union and sets out five possible future scenarios for Europe. The European Parliament elections will take place again in 2019. These will not only determine the composition of the European Parliament but will also guide the composition of the European Commission. A new President of the European Council will also be elected in 2019.

The need to change is clear. The opportunity too. Only the right way forward must be found. The role of young people in this is unmistakable; for the first time since World War II, there is a real chance that the youth will be less well off than the generation of her parents. Throughout Amsterdam 2019, participants will be challenged to explore current problems and find an answer to the question of how the European Union should face the future.

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Head Organiser’s Vision for the Session

Just like the European Union, EYP, too, must bend or break. I envision Amsterdam 2019 to be a session during which we can move away from some common EYP practices, mindsets and traditions. First and foremost, I believe that participant welfare has a long way to go in EYP but I see this as one of the most important things to a session and will work with this value in mind throughout the preparations for this session. This means proper food for all participants, those with dietary needs as well, but also a schedule that allows for winding down and getting some good sleep after a long day. It is important to realise that participant welfare will not be treated as a secondary priority during the session but rather as a prerequisite for all officials and delegates to be able to fully enjoy and learn from their session.

Another key aspect of my vision for this session is the manner in which participants interact with each other.

This can be interpreted at the Leadership-level, with different teams often not communicating properly among each other, the official level, which manifests itself in the form of some teams not interacting with the rest of the officials team at all, as well as between officials and delegates. For Amsterdam 2019, I see a session which has delegates and officials learning from each other, not just during the session programme, as well as an officials team which can function as one without internal strife or gross miscommunications.

Finally, I aim for a session which allows for all participants to have a challenging academic experience, focusing in-depth on current issues on the EU level and on participants’ personal development, as well as a unique emotional experience, highlighting the network’s value on a personal level and showing delegates and officials both how special an EYP session can be. Both aspects should be two sides of the same coin, yet all too often EYP sessions seem to select either or, a choice which seems to imply an incompatibility between the two options. However, I believe that, with efforts from all the Teams, Amsterdam 2019 has the ability to combine the two into one successful session.

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Presidents’ Vision Having co-presidents in EYP is something that will happen for the first time at a National Session (NSC) in Amsterdam 2019. Consequently, the Vice-Presidents (VPs) of the Session form an integral part of our vision for this unique opportunity.

Having two presidents fulfilling the same role means that the supporting tasks usually held by the VPs are less demanding. As a result, VPs will have a lot of freedom to define their own roles. The care we give to this autonomy for VPs should be clear by the question dedicated to proposing a new role for themselves. Instead of an extension of president’s will, VPs will be an equal member of the Board who happened to join the team later than us. The flat hierarchy we intend to work on will give you a considerable playing field for the new directions you’d like to take this position, as well as equal responsibility for an optimal Session development.

Furthermore, Amsterdam 2019 will have a special emphasis on participant welfare. This is why VPs, during the NSC, will find plenty of opportunities to make new connections with every other official. Together with the rest of the Session Leadership, we want to create many opportunities for different teams to come together; because in the end, that’s what makes bonds in EYP. This will not be a Session Board turned to itself throughout the whole Session, but one that’s visible to everyone else, always within reach.

We would like the Session as a whole to embody its theme, “Bending without breaking”, and turn it into a tangible experience for every participant. Just as any EYP Session, we would like Amsterdam 2019 to push its participants out of their comfort zone; to show how much they can adapt. For this purpose, every part of the Session should reflect this theme, and the VPs will be tasked with embodying this theme alongside us. Their challenge in this field will deal with innovation as much as facilitating academic excellence.

All in all, a redefined VP role, and a focus to make you connect with everyone else in the Session is what we offer. Every step of your journey will be designed to increase your welfare and get the most out of the Session, and every innovation will aim to make life easier, and give you more space to shine. If all of this sounds like your cup of tea, you know what to do.

Application Questions for VPs ●

Given the flat hierarchy that will exist within the session board, as well as the fact that the co-presidents will be fulfilling the supportive role usually given to VPs for each other, how would you redefine your role as a Vice-President?

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In EYP, we tend to rely on a particular set of skills, but everyone has talents beyond the usual EYP talents. What unusual skill of yours would come in handy in Amsterdam 2019?

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Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

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Editor’s Vision The Media Team of Amsterdam 2019 will alter the dynamic of EYP Media Teams; innovating positives and bringing negative traditions to an end. This will be achieved during the session by prioritising the personal and technical development goals of all media team members. Our team will be one of support and guidance combined with a unique opportunity for journalists to try out aspects of EYP Media which they haven’t explored before. For this vision; of enabling you to have a high degree of autonomy and freedom over your own work as well as having an emphasis on academic themes in our output, to succeed, I need one editorial assistant and one video editor who are as eager to aid others in reaching their goals as they are in meeting their own. Inclusion and innovation are our main objectives leading, to each participant of the session gaining that unique sense of belonging which EYP offers.

From my side, I promise to maintain an atmosphere which encourages mutual learning within the media team. I can guarantee that as long as you are open and honest with your needs and goals for the session that I will work with you to achieve them. If you become part of this exciting journey with me, I can ensure that both your personal development goals and wellbeing will be my top priorities prior to, during and even after the session ends.

As for you, it is your principle role to aid me in creating and maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment within the media team, this will be achieved through open communication prior to and during the session alongside your involvement in the journalist’s preparation for the session. If you are applying as Editorial Assistant your responsibilities will predominantly consist of photo-editing and layout. If you are applying as Video-Editor you will have a high degree of autonomy of all session videos produced.

Application Questions for Editorial Team Application questions for Editorial Team

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What is the biggest impression anyone in EYP has ever made on you? How do you aim to leave an impression on the participants of Amsterdam 2019?

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How do you envision your role within the editorial team?

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Provide a link to your previous work, within and outside EYP

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What are your personal AND technical development goals for this session?

Application questions for Editorial Assistants

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Please outline in detail a training module/modules which you would be comfortable with giving to prepare the journalists for the session.

Application questions for Video Editors

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Please outline how you would create a session video(s) which would outline the session theme of ‘Bending Without Breaking: A Modern Union in a Changing Europe’ 5

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