www.eyp-ua.org
EYPigeon Official newspaper issue of EYP - Ukraine January - July, 2015
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content 01. Projects & trainings 02. Events 03. People 04. Opportunities
EDI RI Olha Chychykalo, Journalist
Olha Rybak, Journalist
Iryna Ivanova, Journalist
AL Anastasia Paranich, Journalist
Why EYP? Because people. Why people? Because exchange. Why exchange? Because development. Why development? Because life.
TO L Alina Solovey, Journalist
As you can see EYP means the whole life for me in this sense. After attendance of some EYP events I have looked at EYP from the perspective of an exciting way of diverse selfdevelopment. I have met lots of smart and interesting people that had something to share, that were better than I am in some spheres and they showed me the level to which I want to reach now. What is interesting about EYP? It’s that this level goes higher and higher at that exact moment when you have reached the previous one. So, I would say that it is infinite way to the universe of selfdevelopment. Now I’m on my way. I try myself in the different roles that EYP can offer, I take something from each of them and I like it. I like to be diverse. I like to learn something new. I like to accept a new challenge. If you feel the same way, you are always welcome to join! Olya Budinskaya Editor/Layout Designer
Veronika Zatsarinnaya, Sherbaz Ahmed, Journalist Proofreader
Nadia Telenchuk, Proofreader
PROJECTS & TRAININGS
Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. – Jesus
by Victoria Korniichuk
Understanding Europe
Ukraine is intensively developing on its way to joining the European Union. At the same time a number of people still do not understand why European integration is so important and which benefits our country can get from this process. Some informational work is really required. The project Understanding Europe is aimed at opening European frontier for Europeans as well as for citizens of other countries on the continent. Currently the project is held in 14 countries. Three of them are non-EU members. Ukraine was one of the first to establish the project and now it is developing even faster. Since the beginning in spring 2014 the team has conducted 14 courses for both pupils and students. In general 154 people have participated in course, 107 placards have been rewritten and redesigned according to Ukrainian context. All of that would not be possible without core team of five beautiful girls. We talked to national coordinator of the project Mariia Fedoruk asking what motivates her to implement European ideas and what we can wait from “Understanding Europe – Ukraine� in the near future. How your course differs from simple lections? Is it more efficient? The main value of the UE Crash Courses is that they are based on peer-to-peer approach concept. You will never find a trainer, who acts like a teacher or makes students do things they are not interested in. During our courses high school student feel more convenient, more comfortable with the flow of information apart from lections, where they are quiet
listeners. Another thing that proves Crash Course being more efficient than traditional forms of studying is that it gives opportunity to gather information during the workshop and gain new skill via discussion. What is the main goal of the project in modern Ukrainian society? To promote EU? I would not say that. In our country project is by Ukrainians and for them. The main goal is to create the platform, where students can discuss burning issues of the day and provide them with the required information. As far as now the future of Ukraine is closely connected to EU, the discussions within our project make a lot of sense. What difficulties do you face while working on the project? Considering the European project scale, our country is the first non-EU member. For us it is quite a challenge to come up with a long-term strategy so that next generations could know what they are joining and how much they will bring to the society with UE. Another hard task is establishing network of the project, because we are pioneers in different regions of Ukraine. First steps are the hardest ones, but we will get through all of complications. Be sure! What are your plans for the near future? Most of all we struggle to give students from different regions, especially Eastern ones, an opportunity to participate in the project. We want to explain them what the EU really is. I find our course in Dnipropentovsk as a milestone. In addition we have a great team in this city. Also involving the more students the possible is our main goal at present.
by Alina Solovey
Fundraising Training
This February people who didn’t have much experience in fundraising had a wonderful opportunity to enrich their knowledge. Kyiv has held an amazing FR training on the basis of BIONIC University, which is a partner organization to EYP as well. The training was organized by two people – Lidia Zhgyr and Yegor Vlasenko, who shared their valuable knowledge and experience they have in FR. More than 10 people participated in the training, with organizers of the upcoming EYP sessions and members of EYP departments being among them. The training lasted the whole day; the tough schedule made sure the most important concepts of FR were covered. At first, the basis of FR was presented, including the 2 main questions: what one organization may offer to another and what it could get in return. The trainers explained that beyond financial support there is a great variety of things that can be offered and asked for. For example, it may be services – volunteering, transportation, participation in projects or events, or products - some goods, branding products, foods etc. However, the main thing is to make the partner
organization interested in such support. The other part of the training was devoted to the FR instruments and the ways to “hook” the interest of a sponsor or an organization. These instruments and techniques were visualized with the help of drawing schemes, tables, jotting down the main ideas and pictures that illustrated the main points. That made the discussion vivid, interactive and very interesting. At the beginning of the training participants were offered to play a game that stimulated them taking part in a conversation and not being afraid to ask questions. The point of this game was to ask another person a question and to answer with a question as well. The loser was the one who answered the question first. This game develops the ability to formulate correct questions as well as to analyze and decide which questions are important. The main point of the training was that FR is not a hard thing to do, it is not something that only the chosen ones can manage. One should rather see it as an opportunity and challenge themselves while bringing benefits for the whole organization.
training
Training for Teachers Perfection cannot be reached even by the best representatives of this world. Each of us should work and develop themselves daily. This idea became the basis of the Training for Teachers organized by the EYP-community. The EYP-world is unique and characterised by some special features, the most important of which is the concept of non-formal education. In post-Soviet countries it is rather hard to implement any new idea considering the process of education and exchanging information. EYP broadens the horizons of the teachers’ minds and makes them feel like students again. The role of the teachers in the European EYP-community is rather significant; they are coordinating all the sessions. In
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by Iryna Ivanova
Ukraine this youth movement is mostly carried out by the students themselves. But it doesn’t prevent teachers from getting some EYP-experience that would be really helpful not just in their professional life, but in their personal development as well. The teachers were able to feel the difference between the ways of studying they had and they bring into life and way of the EYP-educating. They were asked about and discussed new learning styles that are already implemented in some European countries. Taking into consideration the great and friendly atmosphere of the training, we are pretty sure: changes are going to come!
S T
N E V E 2.0
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. –Robert Frost
Kyiv School Session’15
by Olha Rybak
The modern world is calling for new superheroes. Elaborated innovations, untraditional approaches, unusual views and sophisticated solutions are being introduced by the well-known vital power of our society – young generation. EYP made a great contribution in development of such practice in Ukraine and organised a special session “Redefining Security, Protecting Europe” for pupils in order to enhance their general awareness of national and global security as well as to set a discussion space. It is worth to mention the main supporters of the session: Gymnasium of Dragomanov National Pedagogical University, Kyiv City State Administration and Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine; their assistance played a crucial role in the creation of all organisational preconditions. The whole event took place from 25th to 28th of March and was led by Mr Panaghiotis P. Kalaïdhopoulos (GR), who was responsible for the coordination of a committee of moderators, and Mr Zura Giorgobiani (GA), responsible for media coverage. During these 4 days about 80 participants were able to share their ideas in open discussion, which presumably may resemble for you the decision-making process with members of the European Parliament. The idea was to identify an existing problem and try to find an efficient solution. There were lots of different and argumentative standpoints about global peace, financial crisis, demographical issues and even online piracy.
Ms Olena Popova (UA), manager of the whole organising process, gave us an opportunity to find more about what we get as a result of running the event. What was an incentive to organise KSS? - Since I have joined EYP when I was almost 20 years old, I wished more teenagers had an opportunity to join EYP in the younger age. Please, describe the whole atmosphere of the event - It was fascinating to observe how newcomers become acquainted with EYP session elements, especially active teambuilding and official General Assembly Did the results coincide with your expectations? - The most important is that the delegates gave positive feedback about the session. I am happy that EYP Ukraine has new young and talented Olena Popova, members
Head-organiser of Kyiv School Session’15
EYP - UA Marathon While people were enjoying spring, real EYP-ers could not waste their warm April days. Annually, the Global Youth Service Day gathers millions of young people all over the world. These people are mobilising with the only aim – to change their communities and bring some more improvements into their life. This year GYSD took place between 17th and 19th of April.
delegates had a challenging opportunity to improve their English due to the multicultural community of the session and to develop their public speaking skills. The representatives of Ukrainian youth – high school students – were brainstorming the most significant and controversial issues, debating on the proposed topics and trying to bring all their ideas into the form of resolution.
Certainly, EYP sets the main arena for discussing the world’s most critical issues, crucial questions in the case of changing our society. That’s why we organised four EYPUA Weekends in Dnipropetrovsk, Chernivtsi, Odesa and Ternopil. This marathon could only have happened because of the strong support of such high-respected establishments as the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, European Union in Ukraine, IREX Ukraine and FLEX Alumni. Moreover, these EYP-weekends were patronised by the European Parliament, European Commission and Council of Europe.
As usually, these EYP-sessions consisted of 3 key elements, such as Team-Building, Committee Work and General Assembly. Team-building was aimed to create friendly and unique atmosphere among delegates who were taking part in this kind of event for the first time. As far as an EYP-weekend takes just two days, Committee Work should be very effective and progressive. This year all the delegates were divided into 4 committees: Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), Committee on Human Rights, Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) and Committee on Development (DEVE). The results of these two-days hard work was put into their resolutions presented, discussed, attacked and defended during the General Assembly.
All these unforgettable events were united under the umbrella topic «Hand in Hand for a Better Ukraine». Although our country is not in the best condition now, youth movements become even stronger and united all over Ukraine. The main idea of this marathon was to make the participants familiar with the structure of the European Parliament, explain the main functions and roles of the European Union institutions. The
The youth of Dnipropetrovsk had a great opportunity to discuss such important topics as energy efficiency, corruption, unemployment and, of course, the governance of our own country. They were led to the great results by
the team of hard-working chairs (Iryna Struk, UA; Marta Franchuk, UA; Maryna Titarenko, UA; Valeriia Nikitenko, UA) and brilliant supervisor and very active EYP-member Lidia Zhgyr. The whole session was presided by a member of EYP of Czech Republic Zuzana Holakovska. The beautiful city Chernivtsi was lightened by the most experienced Ukrainian EYPer Dmytro Kharchenko who presided the session. He helped all the participants to challenge themselves in a new role in a new place. In his great job of creating atmosphere of peace and harmony the main effort was made by the team of amazing chairs (Konstyantyn Yevchuk, UA; Yuliia Yehorova, UA; Krystof Stupka, CZ; Natalia Senatorova, UA; Anastasia Grigorash, UA), cheerful VicePresident Maria Fedoruk (UA) and supervisor Liza Skorobreshchuk (UA). The session became an unforgettable experience for all the participants from the Western part of Ukraine. When the spring is coming to our country, the best place to spend your April weekend is surely close to the sea, in the marine capital of Ukraine – Odesa. The team of Officials was formed by such international representatives as Alexandra Batea (RO), Henriika Hannula (FI) and the President of the Session Sebastian Hosu (AT). They were welcomed and backed up by their Ukrainian colleagues (Yuliia Tsytsyliuk; Kate Petrenko; Artem Gusak and Sofia Bilenko). Ukrainian
experienced supervisor Olha Shvets helped all the participants to enjoy not only warm weather, but also the warm atmosphere of EYP-family. As it was mentioned by the President of the EYP-UA Weekend in Ternopil Tobias Satlow (AT), Ukraine is now a country that has not found its own way of development, but is still searching for it. That’s why the team of qualified Vice-Presidents (Angelina Tarashevska, UA; Nina Thomic, AT) and Chairs (Dmytro Zinchuk, UA; Halyna Virt, UA; Alexander Ustymenko, UA; Lena Strehmann, AT) came to Ternopil for that weekend to coordinate first-coming delegates in finding this way. The delegates discussed political, economic and social problems of high significance and made their first steps in the EYP-field. Looking back to these sessions, each of 300 participants of these exciting events feels happy and satisfied for these 2 days of debating difficult issues, developing their thoughts and making efforts to bring these thoughts into action. If somebody doesn’t go to the EYP, EYP will go to your city to make bright and talented Ukrainian work together – hand in hand for the better Ukraine, for the better future, for the better life!
by Iryna Ivanova
EYPWeekend in Zhytomyr On the 16-17 May a great event was held in Zhytomyr – EYP-Weekend. It gathered around 60 delegates and more than 10 officials, not only from our country but from around Europe.
by Veronika Zatsarinnaya
«The thing with small sessions is that they are very, very intense. You have all these weeks of preparation and then everything goes by at an alarming high velocity. And so did the EYP-UA Weekend in Zhytomyr. A day full of training modules comes to an end and we face ourselves only a few hours away from the delegates’ arrival. The media team members check their cameras, chairs their plans, the orgas the schedule. Delegates arrive and everything becomes real. The fears are overcome. Expectations become moments. Problems appear and are solved in a blink of an eye. Two days of hard work and it all comes to an end. What to take from such experience? Memories. Friends. Smiles. New knowledge. New boundaries to our comfort zones. New goals and a path for the future. If so - as I truly hope -, one can honestly say: well done, mission accomplished my friends!» - José Eduardo Feio (PT), president of the session
“It was my first time on EYP in Zhytomyr, but I have really good memories about it. Firstly, I heartly appreciate our chairs - Maria and Emma. They did everything to make us a team: they played with us, they laughed with us - in other words, made our conditions for investigation of our problem more and more comfortable. I love you guys. Of course,I was crazy about the manner in which we investigated our problem: games, discussions, debates, different kinds of conversations. Sure it was little bit hard for us, because we all were there for the first time. But I believe that in the future, we will be more organised. All in all, I hope that we will meet somewhere somehow again...» - Helen Tsysar, delegate «Personally for me EYP-UA Weekend in Zhytomyr was perfect. New friends, many exciting activities, awesome atmosphere, new and great experience, only English for two days - that was really joyful. I think that such events are popular among youth all over Europe and I hope that the #EYP is going to conduct more frequently in my country and especially in my city.» - Sveta Horodetska, delegate
by Anastasia Paranich
Spring General Assambley
It is always great to remember one of those sunny-funny spring days! Especially if it was a day spend in a friendly EYP family! On 24 of April Spring General Assembly of EYP - Ukraine took place. It wasn’t only heartwarming meeting of old and young friends but definitely a very productive working time. As a mix of bright sparkers with confidence in their eyes EYP has outlined its plans in the yearly perspective, presented the report of the Board, shared bright impressions from the sessions in Turkey, Slovenia and Luxemburg as well as welcomed motivated newcomers. As they always do, EYPers had great time and with great satisfaction are ready to keep on EYPing!
by Liza Skorobreshchuk
EYP - UA Anniversary’15
On Saturday, June 13th our dearest EYP-Ukraine turned 15. Around 60 people including EYP-Ukraine alumnis, sponsors and partners, members gathered in Ukrainian Crisis Media Center to make this day remarkable for everyone being connected to EYP-Ukraine in some important way. Head organised by Dima Kharchenko and his Team including Halyna Virt, Sherbaz Ahmed,Liza Skorobreshchuk and Maria Shcherbak as a photographer the event turned out to be not just a birthday party but a fancy reception full of memories, joy and surprises. About 200 EYP memories aka photos on the hall’s walls, traditional teambuilding games, guests’ inspiring speeches, a tasty dinner were just the beginning. Everyone coming
had a chance to win some EYP souvenir in a ruffle. Followed by EYP-Ukraine chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, a video of every EYPer living abroad and willing to come but having no chance was shown. People’s joyful faces where the proof of everything being done in a right way. The next surprise coming was the after-party in Buddha bar where guests could finish the night with few more bright memories. And here we wee done. But we know it is just the beginning for such a great organisation in such a promising country. This ambitious teenager will discover the world and show its’ best, no doubts. May your life be meaningful, Happy Birthday, EYPUkraine!
P E O P L E
The mind is everything. What you think you become. –Buddha
KR IS TI Interview with:
KRISTINA CHELMAKINA
by Veronika Zatsarinnaya
PRESIDENT OF EYP - UKRAINE
Do you remember your first day in EYP? How many hours do you spend for EYP How was it and why did you decide to join every week? You know, there is a theorythat there are 24 it?
hours in a day, so 8 hours you should spend for sleep, 8 – for work and 8 – for yourself. I think that those 8 hours for myself I call my EYP hours. That is a joke of course, but I actually don’t count. So you combine EYP with those hours for yourself. Is it difficult? Sometimes when there are complicated days and my working days depend on the situation in the country and if it is more or less peaceful and calm then I manage to do EYP well and a lot but if it is not, well than I am forced to postpone it and procrastination is my biggest enemy. And now about the sessions. What part of the session do you find the most interesting? Interestingly my taste has changed. I used to enjoy teambuilding a lot back when I was just starting. I just liked playing games and honestly didn’t enjoy the comettee work as much because I thought I never had enough economic knowledge to debate on that. But with the time I think it changed. Teambuilding is now just an “ok” stage but my real passion lies within committee work and I asbolutely love General Assembly, I like the debating and I hate the fact that there is never enough time for it. So I would say that committee work and Eurovillage are the parts that I love the most. Eurovillage is that celebration of culture And how many sessions did you attend? diversity, while being united by academic debates. According to the alumni platform it is 35.
So, my first session was in Kyiv 2008. It was National Selection Conference in Kyiv and we applied at the very last day, at the deadline. The way it happened....well, I’m a FLEX student and it was an initiative meeting. When you come back they make a forum of initiatives. There was Nina Ivanchenko, who told that it’s really cool conference and we must attend it and that day was a deadline. Together with a couple of FLEX friends we decided to get wild and apply. It wasn’t exactly in Kyiv but rather in PuschaVodytsa near by Kyiv. And it was really strange for the first time! It was raining all the time so my hair was looked like a mess and it was curling all the time, and the people were strange, and the games were strange, literallyeverything was strange! But it was probably for the first 10 minutes. After that I actually started to enjoyplaying games and well, games were the reason I stayed. There was also one accident with my roommate. Her laptop’s got stolen. Due to the fact that were were looking for her laptop we skipped the Eurovillage. The following day everyone was talking about how amazing that Eurovillage was, so I thought I’d come to another conference like this at least to see what was that cool about it.
Why did you decide to become a president? What was your motivation?
I need one more gulp of EYP air and decided to apply for a position of the president. Firstly I was secretary of the Board and was secretly dreaming of becoming a president,howeverI never thought that it could be me. And it all happened spontaneously and not like I was thinking about it or as if it my goal for so many years. I gragraduated from university, I have my job. Plus, I have been a board for three years previously (on positions of Secretary,Board member of HR and then Board member of RD) , later I was in the Auditing committee.... I wanted to try being in charge of a huge team and challenge myself, see how may I be able to hold all these people together, unite everybody across Ukraine with the idea of EYP.
Do you have your own EYP motto?
I think there are several of them. One of them is “Impossible is nothing”. Also EYP is an organization that adjusts specifically to an individual and undercovers your hidden talents. According to it my EYP motto will be – “Give it a try. Always give it a try.”
Can you enumerate the most memorable sessions that you had.
You know, I have been thinking recently that the most memorable sessions are the sessions that have either been the least professional, or very professional. The sessions that have been very not professional stick to your mind because there were lots of thingsthat went wrong.. Anyway, most memorable session I would say it Stockholm Internaitonal Session (IS) in
* FLEX – Future Leaders’ Exchange Programme. A programme for high school students to go study in an American school for one year. The programme has a strong alumni community and many EYPers are so called ex-FLEXers.
2009 the first IS I have been to. It was one of the best organized sessions. And of course ASK in 2014 was really a memorable one. There were many innovations on that session and the target audience was a little different.We made a step away from EYP methodology but that already meant a lot. And the organising of it was very professional. And the one more session, this is one the not very professional but the spirit there was amazing. . A Polish regional session in Krakow 2011 and it was really crazy session.I even wonder how resolutions just happened! Everyone was just having so much fun there.
And now about the resolutions. Was any of resolution adopted in real life? Do you know such cases?
Yes! I can give you 3 examples. One of them some time back to the first EYP resolutions, I’ve just briefly hear of it. The other example was the resolution on the Amsterdam IS 2012. One of the committees, I think it was ECON, when their resolution appeared at one of the EU institutions and that institution asked the committee to gather once again and their resolution was discussed again with so to say adults. The third example is about Tbilisi IS in 2013. It was in fact my committee. We were reviewing sexual education across Europe and that time there was a conference on sexual education in Caucasian region in held Tbilisi by United National Populations Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA gathered such school teachers and experts from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. And also invited us to come and present our resolution to them. It was really cool, I came together with Dr. Alan Flowers. This topic is a bit of a taboo and in that region especially. Most likely I was the youngest on that conference of a taboo topic!
Can you name 3 things that you associate with EYP?
Friends, travelling and the European anthem, also, of course the song «Imagine»! It’sthe fourth one but still.
Would you like to innovate something in EYP – UA?
Yes I have a plan. I am trying to work closer to the departments and I see their functions and I
try to suggesting them something because the biggest challenge for the all the managers is the delegating tasks Also, I really want to establish regional boards. We need to gather more information , formulate a policy and empower those EYP kinds in the regions, give them anopportunity to create opportunities for their communities. . It is my the biggest dream.
How do you see EYP in 5 years?
Wow! If there will be a good president, and I’m sure there will be someone really good, EYP will be one of the most famous youth organisations both in Ukraine and across European continent. EYP will cooperate with lots of universities and they will support EYPers and give them lots of opportunities. The EYPers from our country will go abroad and they will bring academic knowledge together.And I definitely see EYP having more members.
There are 183 members in our organization now. How many members would you like to see till the end of your term?
At the beginning of the year there was an aim to have 350 members. I would like to stick to this number.
Can you wish something to our members and give motivation for new people to join.
EYP is impossible to explain you just have to give it a try! It is a platform for a non-formal education and debate for a young to understand Europe and travel around Europe. And of course you can improve all your knowledge in political and social issues. It is an organization that will take you out of your comfort zone and help you to discover the best in you. EYP is more than just a youth NGO, it is an organisation so to say “with a soul”, meaning with a greater idea inside of it. EYP is a family. If you dare to discover the best in you – EYP is the organization to join!
by Anastasia Paranich
EYP - UA Board 2015 -2016
Q
uestions:
1. How do you think what role does EYP play in life of Ukrainian youth? 2. How much time do you spend for EYP per week? 3. If not European Youth Parliament what else could «E», «Y» and «P» make you think of? 4. Plesae, complete the sentence: «Like every EYPer I...» 5. If EYP was a food, what kind of food wood it be?
Q&A:
MICHAEL ROZHKOV Vice-president/Board member on Regional Development 1. We keep understimate what EYP does. We literally open borders, change their mindset and proof that it is easy to learn if only you have desire and dedication. 2. Around 5-6 hours. 3. Energetic. Young. Promising. 4. Like every EYPer I keep balancing between academic excellency and ridiculous fun. 5. Juicy burger full of different ingredients with a glass of white wine and a little red pepper aside.
:
ALEX USTYMENKO Secretary of the Board
1. EYP is perfect for developing professional skills and have fun at the same time. I think everyone should experience it at least once in a lifetime. 2. Around 6 hours. 3. Energy. Youth. Process. 4. Like every EYPer that every dream can come true. 5. A delicious endless healthy Big Mac with fresh salad and meat.
MICHAEL KOMAROV Board member on Public Relationships 1. EYP gives a lot of opportunities to become friends with hundreds of people all over the Europe and learn how to work in a team. 2. 4-5 hours per day (+20 hours per week) 3. Enthusiasm. Yoga. Precious. 4. Like every EYPer I’m happy to be a part of this big international family. 5. Pineapple.
HALYNA VIRT Board member on Fundraising 1. EYP can suit different kinds of people, because here you can travel, study, have fun, work, meet, new people, find connenctions, learn a lot about managemnt on multiple levels. 2. 3 hours per day - 20 hours per week. 3. Emotional Young. Promising. 4. Like every EYPer I can’t imagine my life without EYP. 5. Skittles.
WHAT IS EYP - UA FOR YOU?
HENRIIKKA HANNULA (FI)
MARIA LEPESHINSKAYA (BY)
JOSE EDUARDO FEIO (PT)
Chairperson at EYP-Weekend in Odessa 2015
Journalist at EYP-Weekend in Zhytomyr 2015
President at EYP-Weekend in Zhytomyr 2015
I attended EYP weekend in Odessa and I loved it. Смайлик «smile» It was a well organised session, and had a nice atmosphere even though it was very short. The officials team was lots of fun, too. It was my first time in Ukraine so that was very exciting and Odessa is a very beautiful city. All in all, my impression of EYP Ukraine and Ukraine in general was very positive.
Well My first meeting with EYP-UA was a first meeting of Kyiv and Ukraine as well. So I was double surprised. EYP UA develops rapidly and magically assembles a very talented and creative people. Their enthusiasm is contagious! And I returned inspired and ready to achieve the new goals! So thank u EYP UA
EYP-UA is one of the warmest, coziest organisations I have ever worked with.
MARTIN PICHLER (AT) Video-editor at EYP-Weekend in Zhytomyr 2015
The third EYP session was the ASK Agora on security in Kiev, in November for 2014. I was really happy to go there, even though my grandparents and teachers woried about me. A bit about it. Being there, I had the chance to participate at one of the best sessions, since it had a really high academic standard. The organisers were really great and I could talk to them all the time. It is one my best memories. My second time I was the Video Editor at the ua-weekend session in Zhytomyr. Being the first time official I was a bit nervous, but I had a great team, which showed me the right path of being responsible for my work. I am pretty sure that those are not my only sessions in Ukraine. ZUZANA HOLOKOVSKA (CZ) President at EYP-Weekend in Dnipropetrovsk 2015
EYP UA is a great NC with very good regional outreach and inspiring people
EMMA CAUWELAERS (BE) Chairperson at EYP-Weekend in Zhytomyr 2015
First I didn’t know what to think about the session. I had never heard of en EYP-weekend but the concept seemed fine to me. During the session, I need to say that it was pretty well organised and the food was also pretty good. So i was chairing for the first time at the session so I was already pretty nervous. Most of my delegates were not able to speak english at first, but after I gained their trust, they were not that shy anymore and I was really impressed by the fact that they were able to speak English. But I enjoyed the session in general and loved the Ukrainian alumni! I will defenetly try to do another Ukrainian session in the future
TOBIAS PAUL SATLOW (AT) President at EYP-Weekend in Ternopil 2015
EYP-UA to me is one of the most interesting NCs. It is astonishingly big and active even though the country itself is in turmoil whether or not the european values (we put forth in EYP) really align with it and it’s people. To me personally it doesn’t mean much more than any other NC, but it is amazing how much effort the people working for it put in even though they are astonishingly ‘far’ from ‘Europe’ JAN-WILLEM JANSEN (NL) Chairperson at EYP-Weekend in Zhytomyr 2015
It was fantastic and very interesting for me as I did not know what to expect in Ukraine but I only met nice people and even at the session I was surprised how well most of the delegates were prepared and how good their English was.
ALEXANDRA BATEA (RO) Chairperson at EYP-Weekend in Odessa 2015
All I can say is that my experiences at Ukraine sessions was life changing. To say it in one sentence - I havent left the session being the same.
by Alina Solovey
EYPers
AB -RO AD
Iryna Garbuz Member of Auditing Committee of EYP - Ukraine Who are you today? What view do you observe every morning from your window?
My name is Ira Garbuz, I am a Master student, studying International marketing management at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. Every morning I see a lovely inner yard from my window, with lovely trees, flowers and benches.
How long does it takes to be accustomed to the new culture?
There is a theory that you can get used to new environment in six months and I think that it is very true. My first half a year in Germany was more stressful than enjoyable for me. Everything is going better at spring and I finally got used to my new environment. I never lived alone before, so it was the first time when I was supposed to be responsible, to organise my life without help of my mom.
Have you noticed for yourself changes in your habits or even features of character?
Definitely, I am mature person now and I am more purposeful. It hasn’t changed my character a lot, but some small details change a bit. It is not a noticeable thing and the only ones who pay attention to these small changes are my close friends. It’s like just “You had never liked beer by now. How can you like beer now?” What is one more crucial shift for myself is that I also take much more care about my health. I try to be a super healthy: to eat healthy, to be active. Young people in Germany always do like this. It is the general influence of the country.
How many you met there?
If we are not several EYPers say that, I haven’t from Ukraine yet. I represents Eastern However, I met a real there. They were middle involved in different activities charity and volunteer events.
Ukrainians have taking into account from Ukraine, I may met anyone young am the only one, who Europe, in my group. Ukrainian diaspora aged energetic people, and organisations of various
Did you face some language barriers or cultural shocks at first time?
I had a huge cultural shock about German bureaucracy. You should be very cautious about terms. Being a nice girl and crying doesn’t work in Germany. Germans are much stricter regarding this. When I came to Germany I didn’t speak German actually. Even though most of the people speak language, there are always some people who don’t and usually they are those, who you need the most to talk to. They merely don’t want to understand you.
What would you say to encourage young people to join EYP and international exchange programs?
EYP gives me absolutely new aims in my life, new emotions and opens to me new horizons. I would never think that I would be who I am now without EYP. It is a huge step in the selfdevelopment. Exchange program is a long EYP-session. Actually, it is true, because you meet lots of new people and you have to get used to them. Teambuilding within new culture gives you an amazing experience. All in all, when you are abroad, you become adult.
Michael Rozhkov Board member on Regional Development of EYP - Ukraine Who are you today? What view do you observe every morning from your window?
Hi there, I have many different stances of myself: human-being, son, EYPer, friend, dj, notstudent-BUT-KEEP-SAYING, citizen, Jew, etc. Every morning I see a bunch of children playing twister, organizing water battles or simply drawing on the backyard of our house.
What was the main trigger incentive, which pushes you to make these changes?
I have been combining work and classes since the 2nd year of my studying in Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, so then the transition period from graduation to the employment went quite smooth. It facilitated my inspirations to travel, learn, feel, experience. So in July, 2014 I left Ukraine and moved to Israel. December 2014 brought me back to Ukraine for a month, but then I felt that I need to go to Israel again. I bought a ticket one day prior the flight.
Have you noticed for yourself changes in your habits or even features of character?
Oh yes, definitely. I do care less about your personality. Hence, my book – Gulliver’s Travel. seminars, learn from the into truly Middle Eastern limitless space for
How many have you met
Nowadays, there emigrating from I also met many of mine in Okean in Tel Aviv. They feel and just not ready to
Did you face some or cultural shocks at
about my outfit. People here care I read more and I finally found I attend lectures and environment and dive deep world of Jews, Arabs and improvisation here.
Ukrainians there?
a lot of Ukrainians Ukraine to Israel. Ukrainian friends Elzy’s performance comfortable here change their life.
language first time?
barriers
Before going to Israel I took a couple of Hebrew classes. I knew the letters at least and a couple of phrases. Then, at the beginning, I studied with mostly Ukrainian and Russian students, so that was ok. As for now, when I live in the capital of the country, I learn the language from the environment a lot. And the cultural shock was in place indeed. Everything was strange at the beginning, like I am in another civilization. In small cities, e.g. like my university city, there is well-elaborated system on the crossroads for school students. They are provided with the uniform, legal guardian and the right to stop the traffic. Have you heard about such a thing in Ukraine?
What would you say to encourage young people to join eyp and international exchange programs. How to be brave enough to make these changes?
Never stay aside. Never express your neutrality towards international life. It is great to stay in Ukraine, but then a young individual has learn his stuff and then take as much as he/she can from others. So go abroad, witness other civilization, try new food, meet new people and do not forget to be a human-being.
by Olha Rybak
UA delegation to Luxembourg
UA delegation to Izmir, Turkey
The spring of 2015 has already passed and what do we have now? We have tons of memories, impressions, precious experience and desire to do it again! Four amazing sessions – four different countries. Let’s see how it all happened! LUXEMBOURG In April people from over 15 countries gathered to debate on European politics. The theme of the session was “Realizing European ideas”. It was only the 2nd National Conference in the history of EYP-Luxembourg. One thing makes this session special: NSC Luxembourg was held in the format of an International Forum. That is why Ukrainian delegation was there as well. The session lasted 4 days which passed as in one breath. The spirit was great! Positive, pleasant and inspiring. What atmosphere can be better when you are working? Needless to say that it really influences the final result as well. There was no barrier between Chairs, Jury Members and the Media Team – everybody was very friendly, open and felt as if one was at home. For most of the participants the favorite part was Eurovillage. It gave a
great opportunity for cultural exchange and everybody had a unique chance to try national cuisine and to see national costumes of different countries. However, people brought not only their traditional meals, but other food as well. It is always funny to realize, that the food you brought is also a national food of another country. Actually, this event is great because you can see how everyone loves their countries and their cultures and how everyone is eager and proud to represent their country in the best and most delicious way. Participants lived in an amazing hostel with a great view on medieval castles. Not bad, I should say. All in all, the session had a nice balance between work and fun. Participants had lots of events organized for them, and that in combination with a beautiful city of Luxembourg made this session totally unforgettable.
SLOVENIA Another amazing session of this spring took place in Slovenia, in the beautiful city of Ljubljana. For Slovenia it was a great event, since it was the first National Conference held there. The peculiarity of this session was that on this NSC there were a lot of representatives from other countries, including Ukraine. For many participants this national session was the first, so they were really impressed by it. The academic level was very high, participants where wellprepared and led a very interesting discussion. Everything was organised in a proper way. The most memorable was the opening ceremony, as participants listened to an inspirational speech of the member of European Parliament Klemen Zumer and after the official part they even had an opportunity to talk to him in person. He was really interested
in the situation in Ukraine and the conflict in the East. He impressed with his openness and his informal way of communication with the participants. As for different activities, we also had the Eurovillage. It was held in a wonderful place - Ljublyana city hall, which is a really nice historic museum. During the Eurovillage everybody had a lot of fun as all delegations were thoughtfully prepared with food, drinks and even dances and songs. The committees were doing a great job and managed to discuss such complicated topics as actions which the EU should make in order to help third countries deal with refugees from the ISIL affected states. The First National Selection Conference in Slovemia had a great success and I hope Slovenian NC will keep this quality of organisation and spirit in the future.
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Ukrainian d
UA delegation to Estonia IZMIR Between 17 and 28 of April the78th International Session of the European Youth Parliament took place in Turkey. It united almost 300 participants from over 30 countries. It had a great level of organization. New and interesting concepts were introduced, such as an electronic voting system or an official mobile app with all the updates. Committee work and activities were fascinating and the participants spent a lot of time outside. “People who organized this one should be wizards or something, – says Kyrylo Korol, the participant of the session, - That kind of a session builds lifetime connections with other people around Europe. I love that”. Talking about committees, they did a great job and were satisfied with their academic outcome. Among the problems discussed there was the Ukrainian question as well. When asking our Ukrainian delegates, what their favorite part was, almost
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ESTONIA On the 14th of May participants from all over the world gathered in a beautiful city of Tallinn. First that impressed them upon arrival was the city itself – very cozy and pleasant, that swallows you entirely without any hope of getting back. The heart of it is definitely the old part, with its architecture, which stands from the medieval times. You walk through these beautiful cozy streets and suddenly you get into the atmosphere of a technological super-modern city, which seems yet to be another world, with its business buildings and universities. It worth saying, that the session was held at the most prestigious universities of Tallinn – National and Technical universities. The session can be truly named a “student session” because only students participated in it. Another peculiarity of the session was that everybody could become
UA delegation to Slovenia by Alina Solovey everyone answered: Euroconcert. It was indeed majestic. The concert was well-prepared and there were many professionals performing on stage. However, in order to prepare for the concert participants had to spend more than 8 hours doing rehearsals. Tiresome, huh? But totally worth all the efforts. The concert was held at the Opera house. Among other interesting activities the most remarkable was the tour to the ancient part of the city, the Great Gatsby party and Eurovillage. The city was also very nice, with its beautiful architecture. The people were also very open and friendly. Thus, it was an incredible, bright and really multicultural experience. Almost everybody has become friends with citizens of more than 30 countries. This session was also a wonderful opportunity to visit Turkey and feel its spirit.
a participant individually, not being a part of delegation. It means that this session has gathered people, who were really interested in the questions discussed. That’s why their work was very productive and the outcome was interesting. In total there were about 60 people from different countries, all gathered to discuss the most urgent problems that disturb the world – religious discrimination, transatlantic agreement between the USA and European Union, brain drain and the rights of minorities. The main accent was placed on the academic part. The level of academic preparation was very high. Our Ukrainian delegation did a very good job, in fact, 4 of 5 delegates presented a speech there. This session was a wonderful opportunity to get unforgettable experiences and to get to know this beautiful country.
delegations
O P P O R T U N I T I E S
Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it. - Julie Andrews
by Olha Chychykalo
ÂŤWe travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape usÂť Every time when you close your eyes while having a bad day, you think about all the hardships and difficulties of life. But no matter how difficult it might be sometimes, still there is an incredibly big list of opportunities which are available now and may change your life for good! Educational opportunities and variety of programs for studying abroad are open to each motivated person who strives not only to enhance their educational level, but also to learn new things and discover other cultures. Since the Schwarzkopf Foundation is the international umbrella organization for EYP, I would like to give you a brief overview of educational and professional opportunities in Germany, the country which does a lot to support EYP activity and Ukraine in general. If simple travelling or culture programs have already been experienced by you, then International Parliamentary Scholarship (IPS) is a great chance to implement your professional skills and have some practical experience. German Bundestag in cooperation with the Free University of Berlin, Humboldt-University of Berlin and the Technical University of Berlin annually provides approximately 120 scholarships to young people from 41 countries. The program duration is from March 1st to July 31st. In order to be eligible to apply, you should have a Ukrainian citizenship, hold a university degree and obtain very good knowledge of German (level B2). Moreover, your age should not exceed 30 years at the start of program. What about the scholarship? It is 450 euros per month, including free accommodation; insurance (health, accidents, and civil responsibility) and travel costs to Berlin and back fully covered. This program is a perfect chance to see the work of Bundestag from the
Educational Opportunities in Germany inside and get inspiration for action and change in Ukraine! Hurry up, the deadline for application is 30.6.2015. Further information can be found at www. bundestag.de/ips There are also some other scholarships which happened to be a life changing point for so many students! For instance, Copernicus e.V. is a student association, which offers every semester about 8-10 scholarships to students from Central Asia, Central and Eastern Europe. The program provides training for one semester at the University of Hamburg or Berlin, and the subsequent 6-10 week training in a German enterprise or public institution. Deadline for submission of applications in 2015 is 01.09.2015 (Program starts on 04.01.2016). More information can be found www. copernicus-stipendium. Moreover, DAAD is The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), a German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation. Each year DAAD provides information and financial support to highlyqualified students and faculty for international research and study per year. Scholarships are available for summer language courses, Masters and Ph.D. degrees and scientific research in German universities. Scholarships are provided to students of 2-4 years, graduate students and scientists of all fields of study. Deadline for applications to be submitted annually falls on October/November. Detailed information on each program can be found on the page www.daad.de So do not hesitate to change your routine and way of thinking. You never know what the program may give you: whether it would be professional contacts, or motivation for action, or new friends! Do not be afraid, you just need to start - and life will show you its palette of colors.
ESTONIA, TALLINN POLAND, WROCLAW CZECH REPUBLIC, PILSEN FRANCE, LYON ROMANIA, ORADEA ARMENIA, NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC
EYP Open Calls - July Academic Power Shifts Forum European Forum Pilsen 2015 Where? Lyon, France When? October 24th to November 2nd Wanted: Delegates Visa: required How to apply? Official Call Deadline: 26th July
Where? Pilsen, Czech Republic When? 10 and 16 August 2015 Wanted: Vice-President and Chairpersons. Visa: required How to apply? The applications should be sent to efo15@eyp.cz Deadline: 5 July 2015 23:59 CEST
Application Form Application Form Check the details
12th National Selection Conference of EYP Poland Where? Wroclaw, Poland When? 3rd to 7th September Wanted: Journalists and Editorial Assistant Visa: required How to apply? Official Call Deadline: 1 July 2015 Application Task
by Olha Chychykalo The 16th Estonian National Forum of EYP
Study Trip to Artsakh Republic Oradea National Selection (STAR) by EYP Armenia Session of EYP Romania
Where? Tallinn, Estonia When? 17th - 21st October 2015 Wanted:1 Editorial Assistant, 1 Video-Editor, 8 Journalists and 3 Jury Members Visa: required How to apply? Send your applications to 16enf@ten.ee Deadline: 19th of July
Where? Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Armenia When? 22 August - 25 August 2015 How to apply? Check this link Deadline: July 8, 23:59 CET
Application Form
Where? Oradea, Bihor County When? from 23rd to 26th of October 2015. Wanted: Chairpersons Visa: Required How to apply? Check the details Deadline: 01 October