EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT UKRAINE
ANNUAL REPORT 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2016 EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT UKRAINE
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Welcome to EYP
The European Youth Parliament (EYP) is a unique educational programme which brings together young people from all over Europe to discuss current topics in a parliamentary setting. As a network of independent associations, EYP is present in 40 European countries and organises almost 500 events every year. The EYP network organises almost 1,000 days of EYP activity every year, involving close to 28,000 participants. Thousands of young people are active as volunteers all over Europe, making EYP a programme truly for young people, by young people. The European Youth Parliament’s mission is to inspire and empower young Europeans to become open-minded, tolerant and active citizens. International Youth NGO “European Youth Parliament - Ukraine” (EYP Ukraine) represents one of 40 National Committees of the European Youth Parliament. Registered with the Government of Ukraine on February 18, 2002, it is a full-fledged participant of civil society development process in Ukraine. De facto, EYP Ukraine has been successfully operating in Ukraine since 2000, involving young Ukrainians in activities of one of the
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largest European platforms for debate, intercultural encounters, educational work and exchange of ideas among young Europeans. Annually EYP Ukraine conducts a National Session selecting delegations to represent Ukraine at EYP international and regional sessions in Europe, as well as regional sessions in Ukrainian cities and other youth projects. During its lifetime, EYP Ukraine has acquired professional expertise and valuable experience in organising different kinds of youth events: regional and international sessions, national conferences, trainings and workshops etc. Moreover, EYP Ukraine has been a key partner in organisation of UN Youth Summits on Millennium Development Goals in Ukraine as well as a key youth partner of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine as it pertains to the organisation of Europe Days in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine. Experienced and talented young people ready to volunteer their time and efforts to implement interesting projects are the most valuable resource we possess.
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Welcome word Dear reader, On behalf of the newly elected board, I would like to share my thoughts on the outgoing year and present you our ideas for the year to come. Undoubtedly, the year of 2016 was challenging for us. Yet, we managed to overcome all the obstacles we faced and become stronger in every aspect. This wouldn’t have been possible without unity and professionalism of the Board 2016, for which I express my sincere gratitude. The year of 2016 brought us a lot of new and inspiring ideas, which we are eager to fine-tune and implement in 2017. It was the first year in the history of EYP Ukraine when the regional sessions were implemented. Those sessions gave an opportunity for young people from all over Ukraine to expand their understanding of European values, foster tolerance and become active citizens, which, again, constitute the basis for civil society. The term of the board has already started and every board member works hard to learn even more about the organisation, people in it and about themselves. The board tries to develop employed approached, optimize the processes and make sure that the activities of EYP Ukraine are of the highest level. We will uphold high standards set by previous boards and ensure sustainable and consistent development of the organisation. We wish you a fruitful year full of discoveries, adventures, positive emotions, personal and professional growth. Cordially, EYP Ukraine board 2016/17 Wladyslav Korshenko Yuliya Nagirnyak Yuliya Koba Mariam Kunchuliya Valeriya Yudina Sophia Bilenko Nataliia Senatorova Mykhailo Rozhkov
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What we do
Session types Sessions are youth conferences and the main kind of activity for EYP Ukraine, becoming a platform for active discussions and informal education and bringing together young people from all over Ukraine and Europe. For the duration of a session, the participants are divided into international working groups (committees) that draft resolutions on their respective topics. In these groups, the task of the young people is to come up with their own suggestions and ideas for Europe’s most pressing challenges. The results are then presented and debated in a parliamentary assembly at the end of the Session. They can be held on different levels: from two-day EYP-Weekends to two-week International Sessions.
EYP Weekend EYP Weekend is a two-day event which aims to promote the organisation and trains youth to participate in bigger EYP events such as the National Selection Conference. Despite its relatively brief format, the structure of a weekend is similar to the structure of international EYP events and includes Teambuilding, Committee Work and the General Assembly. The main advantage of weekends is the possibility to organise them in many regions of the country, thus expanding the outreach of the organisation.
International Session International Session of the European Youth Parliament takes place three times a year (in spring, summer and autumn). Usually, it gathers about 340 participants (delegates, journalists, chairpersons, teachers, international organisers) from 40 European countries. During 10 days delegates work in international committees to develop solutions on political, economic, social and cultural issues that are on agenda of the relevant committees of the European Parliament. The result of the work in a committee is a resolution, which contains ideas and solutions, discussed in committees and approved at the General Assembly of the session. Those resolutions, which are approved at the General Assembly, are passed to the European Parliament as the European youth initiative.
Regional session
International Forum
Regional Sessions of the European Youth Parliament are held throughout the year in different parts of Europe and gather usually nearly 70-100 participants (delegates, journalists and chairpersons) from different European countries. During 4-5 days delegates in international committees discuss political, economic, social and cultural issues that are on agenda of the relevant committees of the European Parliament. The result of the session is a Resolution, which contains ideas and solutions, discussed in committees and approved at the General Assembly of the session.
International Forum represents a type of Regional Session with greater participation of international delegates. Geographical diversity of the participating countries makes International Forum a platform for intercultural communication. In terms of programme and number of participants International Forums are similar to Regional Sessions, but they have a wider space for variation in regard to the session topic and offer a unique experience to its participants.
National Selection Conference National Selection Conference (National Session) of EYP Ukraine occurs once a year and aims to select its best participants for the Ukrainian delegation, which will represent EYP Ukraine at International Sessions. National Selection Conference usually lasts 4-5 days, during which delegates work in committees discussing political, economic, social and cultural issues that are on agenda of the relevant committees of the European Parliament. National Sessions usually gather 100-130 participants, together with international committee chairpersons, journalists and the board of the session.
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How we do
Session activities
To make the work more productive, engaging and exciting for the youth, each session is divided into several stages, each serving a specific goal: from bringing the participants together, getting to know different countries and culture and academic preparation to practicing public speaking and debating.
Teambuilding During Teambuilding, experienced-based pedagogy is used by performing outdoor and indoor activities in order to form international teams and establish principles of cooperation.of cooperation.
Committee Work The established common ground then enables the young people to come up with their own suggestions and ideas for Europe’s most pressing challenges during the Committee Work. The results of the different committees are compiled into the form of unanimous resolutions.
Objectives
Why we do
& Achievements
Our aims:
Our impact:
Raise awareness of European issues, encourage active European citizenship and motivate young people to get involved in European politics.
More than 80% of the delegates show higher interest for Europe after our events. EYP shows youth that it has a voice in Europe and trains them to become responsible citizens.
Promote international understanding, intercultural dialogue and diversity of ideas and practices.
More than 95% of the participants claim that the participation in an EYP event has helped them to get to know better the point of view and situation of youngsters in other European countries and allows them to explore Europe’s cultural diversity.
Contribute to the personal skills development of European youth.
Close to 80% of the youngsters claim to have acquired important skills for their future, through experiencing active democratic decision-making in the EYP.
Provide a forum in which young people of Europe can express their own opinions, without reverting to role play.
More than 85% of our participants claim that taking part in EYP events helped them to become aware of the active role they can play in European society.
Cultural Programme Throughout the whole session, a Cultural Programme gives the participants the possibility to get acquainted with each other’s cultures and traditions. This results in increased cultural awareness, self-confidence and mutual understanding, while at the same time tackling xenophobia and prejudices.
General Assembly The committees come together to debate all of the resolutions during the General Assembly, following a standard parliamentary procedure.
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EYP-UA in numbers
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82nd International Session in Rennes, France RISE and shine! When you combine cross-culture experience, amazing people, hardships to tackle, team-building to excel in, and multilingualism - what do you get? Just one of the best events I've ever been to - RISE 2016. The experience you get at the international session is the one that stays with you for life. Firstly, you meet people from different countries who, apart from being amiable and smart, also speak several languages and are not afraid of using them. RISE-2016 was everything we could wish for: team-building on a sunny beach and narrow streets of Saint-Malo, committee work in peaceful Rennes, amazing concert, interesting topics and, of course, two days of hard work on producing resolutions for the problems each of the committees had. One of the concepts of the session was multiculturalism and as a result – multilingualism, there were three working languages: English, French and German. As I was in the committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), we had to deal with the topic of balancing the right to privacy and necessity to decrypt information. Our committee was implicitly divided into law and IT supporters, but we still worked as one body. Thanks to facilitation of our chairperson we spent great times together. In just 10 days of the conferences we learnt how to blindly trust each other, got to know the best memories from each other's lives and became real friends. The support and warmth for each other was enormous throughout the entire session. Few words about the two-day process of working in the final stage of the session – the General Assembly - impressive! Hearing everything that the participants say and getting it translated simultaneously into two other languages by nonprofessionals - that's an absolutely new level for the EYP. I believe that EYP is the basis for our further development and every participant gains experience and knowledge absolutely inevitable for his or her future success. This is pure pleasure, combined with quality education, language practice and finding new friends beyond the country borders. And, really, there's nothing to it - you come, enjoy the hard work and RISE to the occasion! Nadiya Pagava
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Vienna and Belgrade 2016 EYP International Forums Vienna International Forum was one the best events in my life. I felt utterly honored to have been selected to represent Ukrainian delegation. As a member of Anti-corruption committee I truly understood that I definitely need to gain essential experience in order to bring change to our country. Throughout the session we overcame stereotypes and borders perfectly managed by our chairperson. Not only did we work out practical and helpful solutions, but also we united our ideas and cooperated in team-building and during committee work, feeling support and understanding without any words. As it was my first International Forum I was so inspired and motivated to steer myself to the new achievements, hence that recently I had been an organiser at the Kaunas National Selection Conference and meeting the participants from the previous event, the Vienna International Forum, felt like we’ve known each other for ages. I extremely grateful and thank wholeheartedly the organizers for the unbelievable work, the chairs and board member who managed the academic side perfectly and united all the delegates, and, of course, I would like to thank to the media team who made our memories eternal. The innovative element of this forum was that it gathered delegates from all the OSCE countries. What can be more fascinating, when you’re playing a game in the city centre and strangers are taking photos of you? Then you are dancing Waltz on the 20th floor and seeing the beauty of the night Vienna. Next day at the General Assembly when people from all over the world discuss vital problems and looking for solutions. That was fantastic! I want to thank EYP and especially EYP Ukraine for helping me to broaden my horizons and implement my dreams.
International Forum in Belgrade was not my first international EYP event, though the first where I got the chance to discuss the issues of Dialogue, Trust and Security with the representatives of the OSCE member-states (apart from European states there were delegates from the US, Canada, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan). This time the cultural bonding felt totally different. The broad range of participants, as well burning issues (corruption, media freedom, women refugees, far-right wing politics, water security and others) made my 5 days in Serbia truly unforgettable. The contribution of Ukrainians to the session was fundamental with 4 delegates: Yuliia Zhuravel, Veronika Zadontseva, Iryna Stryk, and Myroslava Savisko and session editor Maria Fedoruk. While most of the people would consider international EYP-event as fun intercultural experience, for me International Forum in Belgrade was a reminder that EYP may be a useful tool for discussing ideas of young people to the people who are in power, and thus transform fresh ideas into practical measures and solutions. That is exactly what happened to me and my committee on Security and Defense when our expert on corruption in Western Balkans, Deputy of Ambassador of Germany in Serbia, became very interested in the suggested ideas and even came to support us at the General Assembly. Moreover, EYP again showed me how different we are, but how fruitful the outcomes of our cooperation can be. My last point would be about Serbia, particularly Belgrade, city that hosted the event. I unraveled the perplexed history of Balkans, and its nations, fell in love with peoples hospitality, learnt that the Ukrainian language is more similar with Serbian than with any other (68% of similarity). But just as usual it’s not about country, topic or venue, it’s always about people… people, who are open, eager to learn and share, ready to make a change. Thank you EYP Ukraine for such a chance!
83nd International Session in LAAX, Switzerland Together with 7 outstanding personalities, I have had an honor to be a part of the Ukrainian delegation on the 83rd International Session of the European Youth Parliament. Laax 2016 was my first international session and it turned out to be absolutely amazing! Beyond the set structure of team-building, committee work and general assembly the session included new elements. The academic part was very well thought through as during the Interactive Modules and Lobby Event each delegate had an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process of other committees. This has brought in some fresh opinions, challenged the ideas and has significantly improved the quality of every resolution. With the topic of the session being “Young and Innovative Ideas for a Sustainable Future”, we have not only developed ourselves academically, but also learned how to reduce the ecological footprint in different ways. The organizers made sure that every participant tries living a lifestyle that is less harmful for the environment at least for 10 days. It was truly unique experience that has definitely provided us with more knowledge on the topic and has changed our daily routine. I am really grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given and for the amount of work that has been done just to make sure all the participants enjoy every moment of the event, get inspired and makes long-lasting personal connections with the young people from all around Europe.
Lesia Pohorila
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10th National Selection Conference
Ukrainian Sessions
During 10-14 August 2016, the city of Dnipro became the host of the 10th National Selection Conference of the EYP Ukraine. The event brought together active young people from all over Ukraine and from 15 European countries to discuss urgent issues of peace in Ukraine and in Europe. This event was the primary and most ambitious project of EYP - Ukraine in 2016. Among the countries, represented at the conference – the United Kingdom, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia, Georgia and Armenia. The discussions focused on the main theme of the conference: "Discrimination and Inequality: Defy, Oppose and Challenge". For five days, 100 participants, aged 16 to 22 years, worked under the guidance of 40 experienced members of the European Youth Parliament to answer the questions that concern all the residents of the European continent. The head of the academic team, Mr. Nathan Hunter from the UK, together with experienced moderators - chairpersons of parliamentary committees – proposed session topics and facilitated academic exchange between youngsters. Not only did the participants have time to become a team, prepare and draft resolutions, but they also learned about the cultural traditions of other countries and gained valuable intercultural experience. The main purpose of the conference was to prepare a consultative document - a Resolution, which is an official document with unique solutions for studied problems, regarding peace in Ukraine and Europe. Next step – to select two delegations of 8 Ukrainians that will represent the country at the two international sessions: in Laax (Switzerland) in autumn 2016, in Trondheim (Norway) in spring 2017 and for the various international forums across Europe.
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Regional sessions
The Spring Regional Sessions of the EYP Ukraine were the initiative of the Board 2016 as very ambitious project organised within just 2 months. Four 3-day regional sessions were held in April 2016 in the cities of Lutsk, Cherkasy, Sumy and Zatoka and headorganised by Vladyslav Kozachuk, Myroslava Savisko, Ilya Koshitskiy, Liliya Guzeeva and Iryna Ivanova. Sessions consisted of the signature EYP activities such as trainings, teambuilding, committee work and General Assembly. The sessions have involved more than 300 participants in general. The Jury, consisting of the members of the Board and EYP alumni, selected most active delegates for the key event – the 10th National Selection Conference. The academic program for all the Regional Sessions was created by a team of experienced moderators, coming from all over Europe and even Asia - Estonia, Poland, France, Georgia, Belarus, Belgium, Russia, and China. From 2016 on the Regional Sessions in spring will be held annually as pre-selection rounds for the National Selection Conference, where the brightest individuals will be selected to represent Ukraine at the events of the EYP abroad. The Regional Sessions will be organised in different cities to involve new participants and spread the opportunity to a wider circle of youngsters.
Trainings Newcomers’ Weekend Newcomers Weekend is a two-day training event for new members of the EYP Ukraine. The Weekend aims at introducing new members to the structure of the National Committee of EYP Ukraine along with all the opportunities they can gain. It is a possibility to meet with experienced alumni, to get new knowledge and to prepare for the future EYP events. 2nd Newcomers Weekend of EYP Ukraine took place on October 22 - 23, 2016 in the premises of the American Councils for International Education in Kyiv. It gathered 20 participants.
T4ETs Trainings for EYP Trainers (T4ET) are an integral element to the organisation, contributing to the development of our active members and ultimately assisting in the enhancement of their educational experience. This indirectly increasing the organizational and academic quality of our events and strengthens the EYP as a training-based organisation. On October 5, 2016, the Training for EYP Trainers (T4ET) 2016 in Armenia took place. We were happy to be represented at the event by Valerie Boyko as a Trainer, and Natalia Senatorova as a Trainee.
Training Camp From the 24th till 28th of August an International Training - EYP Ukraine Training Camp was held in the picturesque region of Carpathian Mountains for the first time in the history of the EYP Ukraine. This event was a part of #BASES project and was organized to empower EYPers with new skills in Media, Project and Team management. During these four days, participants had a chance to learn different techniques of chairing and go in depth of team management under the supervision of the head trainer Christian Macht and trainers - Olha Shvets and Niks Bērziņš. The Project management training focused on modules like fundraising, crisis management, team coordination taught by head trainer Halyna Virt and trainers Shukur Guliyev and Natalia Senatorova. The Media Course was held by head trainer Fotis Papadogeorgopoulos and trainer Endre Haugland, who lectured on the photo and video editing, SMM, media team vision, adding practical assignments thought out the camp. Participants also had a chance to enjoy the beauty of the Carpathians during the mountain hikes, singing Ukrainian songs, playing traditional instruments on the Independence Day and transforming into the wizard world while playing Quidditch. All in all, it was a great way for participants to learn and we hope they will continue growing in EYP and beyond!
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Events and inclusion
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Spring GA On May 27, 2016 about twenty active members of the organisation gathered in American Councils for International Education in Kyiv. Our members have been repeatedly travelling across Europe to the sessions, performing in different roles and at the Spring GA they had an opportunity to share their experience with other members. The event was fruitful to all the participants, because less experienced members gained valuable knowledge and more experienced ones practiced their public speaking skills. Therefore, the event has contributed to the aim of making the EYP Ukraine community more motivated, active and solid.
Picnic The EYP Picnic is an informal meeting of active members, which has become a tradition already, being held every spring. When warm days start, EYPers come together in park to enjoy the nature, ride bikes, play games, make barbeques. This year we gathered in the beginning of May in Holosiivskiy Park in Kyiv. The youngsters shared exciting stories about travelling to the sessions, tips and tricks of building a team in a culturally diverse European society.
Civil engagement This year the EYP Ukraine became a part of the working group on youth policy in Reanimation Package of Reform. This working group aims at developing of the base for new legislation on youth policy. The representatives from youth NGOs served as advisory group. The Board Member on Human Resources, Valeria Yudina represented the EYP Ukraine at the meetings. Work on new legislation on youth policy is still in process and other youth NGOs are involved in it as well. The EYP Ukraine plans to continue to contribute to this working group.
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Spendings
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Our partners
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The Schwarzkopf Foundation is the international umbrella organisation of the European Youth Parliament (EYP). EYP Ukraine is a National Committee in the EYP network.
International Youth NGO "European Youth Parliament Ukraine" www.eyp-ua.org