Welcome Booklet
Amsterdam 2016
16th National Selection Conference of EYP the Netherlands
Table of Content
Word of Welcome
3
About EYP
4
Session Explained
5
Programme
7
Venues
8
Dresscode
10
Packing List
11
To-do list
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Word of Welcome Dear participants, It is with great pleasure to officially welcome you to the 16th National Selection Conference of EYP The Netherlands, which will take place between the 4th and 8th of February 2016. This booklet will provide you with all necessary information prior to your arrival in Amsterdam. Over the course of the last few months the Organising Team has been working very hard to make this session an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. We are very proud to host our activities in some of the most beautiful venues in Amsterdam. With Setting the European Agenda, referring to the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union as our theme, we have tried our best to bring our session as close to decision makers, politicians and stakeholders as possible. With a completely new addition to the programme, the Panel Debate, and the involvement of experts during Committee Work, we have tried to live up to that. The National Selection Conference (NSC) is your first full EYP experience, as it gives you insight in the standard session concept of at least one day of Teambuilding, one day of Committee Work and one day of GA. Both of us attended a NSC knew from that moment onwards that our newly gained alumni status would not go unused. This is exactly what we hope to achieve as Head Organisers of the session: motivating all of you to stay actively involved within this unique organisation. This is something that we hope to achieve not only by providing you with a good session from an organisational point of view, but also from an academic perspective. We strive to provide you with the highest academic standard and therefore want to stress the need for a proper academic preparation, which you will find in the Academic Preparation Kit. All topics are intricately linked to the session theme ‘Setting the European Agenda’ and we believe that your participation in such debates will truly challenge you and help you develop further. Please be sure to read this booklet thoroughly, as this booklet contains all necessary information to arrive at the session well prepared. We wish you success with all preparations and are very much looking forward to meeting you in Amsterdam this February. On behalf of the Organising Team, Mighel Molenkamp and Mirjam Pieters - Head Organisers of Amsterdam2016
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About EYP What is EYP? The European Youth Parliament is a politically unbound non-profit organisation, which encourages European youth to actively engage in citizenship and cultural understanding. It involves 40,000 youngsters from all around Europe in its events and has around 5,000 active members in the different countries.
What is an NSC? A National Selection Conference (NSC) is, for many EYPers, the first step within the organisation. Unlike a one-day Preliminary Round, an NSC adheres to the regular session format of at least one day of Teambuilding, one day of Committee Work and one day of General Assembly. With two days of Committee Work and a Panel Debate, Amsterdam 2016 has a more elaborate programme than a regular NSC. From the 5th of February until the 8th, you will, together with your fellow committee members, explore and investigate a topic corresponding with the session theme “Setting the European Agenda�, and produce a resolution during Committee Work. Consequently, you will defend your resolution during General Assembly the day after.
What comes after the NSC? During Amsterdam 2016 you will get a chance to be selected to attend one of the many EYP sessions abroad. After the NSC, regardless of if you have been selected or not, you automatically gain the alumni status, which makes you eligible to take part in activities organised by EYP The Netherlands, and grants you the opportunity to apply for sessions abroad.
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Session Explained Teambuilding Teambuilding is one of the core elements of the Session. It will provide you with a fun and interactive way of getting to know your committee and preparing yourself for the rest of the weekend. To prepare you for further EYP involvement we would like to explain to you what the differences are between the Teambuilding at Preliminary Rounds and the National Selection Conference. Teambuilding aims for, as the name states, the building of a team. Upon arrival, delegates will be divided into eight different committees. This means you will be in a comittee with about 10-15 people you don’t know yet. Teambuilding serves several purposes: one of the aims is to make you feel more comfortable in your committee and to get to know the other people in the group. Teambuilding also aims at improving the communication and teamwork between you and your fellow delegates. During Teambuilding, you will be challenged to carry out several activities that are aimed at ensuring you get along well with your fellow participants and that your committee becomes a well-functioning team. The chairpersons of the committee will guide this process. They will lead several activities for the committee to get to know each other, build trust and ensure everyone is comfortable with giving their own opinion. Bear in mind that Teambuilding may, at times, take place outside. Therefore we strongly recommend you bring warm clothes in order to protect yourself from Dutch weather.
Opening Ceremony Opening Ceremony is the official opening of the session and takes place before Commitee Work. During the Opening Ceremony guest speakers will hold short talks, as well as the Head Organisers and President. Bear in mind that you must be formally dressed for Opening Ceremony, whilst dressing smart is acceptable for Committee Work. There will, however, be no opportunity to get changed in between.
Committee Work Committee Work is one of the most important parts of the Session. You will discuss your topic and eventually write a high-quality resolution, presenting your vision to solving the key issues of your topic. Committee Work is therefore quite similar to Introduction to Committee Work at the Preliminary Rounds. Your Committee is assigned a topic on a specific current European issue. Your task is to write a resolution about this given topic. The resolutions you write at the Nationals will be in the same format as the resolutions at the Preliminary Rounds. A resolution is a collection of statements of what the problem is, solutions to the problem and how you would like to implement these solutions.
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General Assembly During General Assembly all delegates will come together to discuss and debate the resolutions they have written during Committee Work. Following standard parliamentary procedure, all resolutions will be presented and defended, and then debated upon by the Assembly. At the end of each debate, there is a vote based solely on your personal opinion on the quality of the resolution. There is little difference between General Assembly at the Preliminary Rounds and the Nationals. The difference is that instead of a pre-written resolution by someone else, you now defend the resolution your committee made during Committee Work. This also means that you will be sitting with your committee during the General Assembly.
Eurovillage On Friday evening we will have a dinner prepared by you. Delegations are assigned to a European country and you are asked to prepare dinner in style of this specific country. All delegates are asked to wear traditional clothes of that country and to bring attributes to decorate their country tables. Keep in mind that you prepare dinner for approximately 15 people, this is the size of your committee, plus teachers and officials. We will not be providing dinner next to the treats you prepare for Eurovillage, so make sure you prepare enough.
Rules During the evening activities, and the rest of the session, we will follow a zero tolerance policy regarding drugs and alcohol. Since the drinking age has risen to 18 and most participants are minors, we decided that alcohol may not be consumed during session. If someone does consume alcohol, he/she will be sent home immediately on own costs, and there will not follow any refund of the participation fee. The same accounts for the possession or use of drugs.
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Programme Friday February 4th
Monday February 8th
08:30 - 09:00 Arrival delegates at StayOkay
07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast
09:00 - 09:30 Registration
08:30 – 09:00 Explanation of the Procedure
10:00 - 12:00 Teambuilding
09:00 – 09:45 Resolution I
12:00 - 13:00 Lunch
09:45 – 10:30 Resolution II
13:00 - 19:00 Teambuilding
10:30 – 10:50 Coffee break
19:30 - 21:00 Eurovillage
10:50 – 11:35 Resolution III
21:00 - 01:00 Welcome Party
11:35 – 12:20 Resolution IV 12:20 – 13:20 Lunch break
Saturday February 5th 07:30 - 08:30 Breakfast 09:00 - 12:00 Committee Work 12:00 - 13:00 Lunch 13:00 - 18:00 Committee Work 18:00 - 19:00 Dinner 19:30 - 22:00 Panel Debate
13:20 – 14:05 Resolution V 14:05 – 14:50 Resolution VI 14:50 – 15:10 Coffee break 15:10 – 15:55 Resolution VII 15:55 – 16:40 Resolution VIII 16:40 – 16:50 Coffee break 16:50 – 18:00 Closing ceremony
Sunday February 7th 07:30 - 08:30 Breakfast 09:00 - 12:00 Committee Work 12:00 - 13:00 Lunch 13:00 - 18:00 Committee Work 18:30 - 20:00 Committee Dinners 20:00 - ……. General Assembly Preparation
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Venues
Accommodation StayOkay Amsterdam Zeeburg Timorplein 21
Teambuilding CREA Nieuwe Achtergracht 170
Eurovillage & Welcome Party Mirror Centre Ter Gouwstraat 3
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Committee Work Amsterdam University College Science Park 113
Panel debate Pakhuis de Zwijger Piet Heinkade 179
General Assembly City Council Chamber Amstel 1
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Dresscode One of the aspects about EYP that may be new to you, are the dress codes. For many, an EYP session is the first time they are required to comply with a certain set of dress codes. Here are the different dress codes and when to use them:
Casual A casual dress code mean you are allowed to wear what you would wear to, for example, your school or your friend’s house. This dress code applies to the Teambuilding part of the session, which will be the day of your arrival. During Teambuilding, activities take place both indoors and outdoors, so make sure you are wearing clothes which are comfortable.
Smart During Comittee Work, you will be required to dress smart. No full suit is required yet, but try to find the right balance between formal and casual. A shirt with dark coloured trousers and formal shoes will do just fine for boys. Girls have a bit more freedom in terms of what is smart. Probably the easiest way to pick an outfit is to select clothes you would wear to a job interview. Take note of the fact that altough you are allowed to dress smart to the first day of Comittee Work, you will first attend the Opening Ceremony, for which you have to be dressed formally. There will be no chance to get changed between the Opening Ceremony and the beginning of Comittee Work. This means that although you are not required to dress formally for the first day of Comittee Work, it may be the most practical solution to keep wearing your formal outfit.
Formal This dresscode applies to the Panel Debate, Opening Ceremony and the General Assembly. For boys, this mean two-piece or, if you want to be particularly fancy, three-piece suits with appropriate shoes. This means you should wear a long-sleeved shirt with jacket and trousers. A gilette is optional. For girls, formal could be interpreted more freely. Both a suit, a skirt and a dress will count as formal. Skirts and dresses should be just above the knee or longer.
Cultural During EuroVillage, you will be expected to wear something connected to the country you are representing. You could wear traditional clothing or the country’s national football team’s shirt. Be creative!
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Packing List Money for Evening Programme: â‚Ź15,- for Committee Dinners, plus how much you expect to spend on non-alcoholic drinks during other Evening Programme events etc. Formal clothes for Opening Ceremony and General Assembly Smart Clothes for Committee Work Traditional clothes for Eurovillage Traditional food and drinks for Eurovillage Warm and comfortable clothes; parts of Teambuilding might take place outside Your outfit for the theme party Chargers Pyjamas Toiletries: Tooth brush, shower gel, shampoo, hairproducts, lens fluid, etc. Towels Research material & printed Academic Preparation Kit for Committee Work Pen & paper for Committee Work and General Assembly Sleeping bag and pillow ID or Passport to check into the Hostel Excitement and a good mood!
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To-do list What can you do before arriving at the session? To help you prevent any unnecessary stress, we have put together the following list with all sorts of things you can do to prepare for you nationals. Keep in mind that, the more you put into this session, the more you will be able to get out of it. Academic Preparation In order to be able to fully participate in Committee Work, a certain degree of knowledge is required. You will be expected to know in great detail what your subject is about, and be able to keep up with and contribute to the discussions about your topic. Often you will find certain material like EU legislation or facts and figures to be extremely useful in your preparations. On top of that, in order to succesfully debate the other comittees’ topics, make sure you invest adequate amount of time into researching the other topics as well. Keep in mind you will not be able to print anything during the session, so if you want to have printed material, please sort this out beforehand. Last but not least, make sure to do the work you chairpersons asks you to do in the run up to the session. Consent Forms Before the session we need you to send us a filled-in and signed scan of the consent form you will find attached to the mail you have received. If you are an adult, so basically 18 years or older, we need you to sign your own consent form. If you are a minor, in other words, younger than 18, your parents or legal guardians will have to sign the form for you. Signing this consent form means you will comply with the rules of the session and that you take full responsibility for your actions. Signing this consent form is required to take part in the session. Please send a copy of your filled-in and signed consent form to nationals@eyp. nl before Tuesday the 26th of January. Official Photo As a part of your registration, we will need to receive an official picture taken of you, which is recent and can be used to recognise you. We suggest your teacher gathers all the official school pictures, as depicted on Magister, of your delegation. Alternatively, the picture used for your passport or ID-card can be used as well. Please send these to nationals@eyp.nl before Tuesday the 26th of January. Registration Form Finally we ask you to fill in the registration form. This registration form gives us access to all the information we will need before, during, and after the session. This ranges from contact information, emergency contact information, travel information and medical information to topic preferences. The deadline is Tuesday the 26th of January. This information is not only important for the organising team, but also for the chairs team so they can start contacting you regarding academic preparation. 12