Call for
Editor/s and Vice-Presidents
of Lviv Development Forum 2019
DEAR APPLICANT, If you are reading this, that probably means you are interested in embarking on this beautiful journey with us. Wow, I couldn’t possibly be more excited right now -- I was longing for this moment to reach out to you finally. There are so many things to talk about, to prepare, to create, to envision! This session will be whatever you want it to be, and we will collectively shape it so that it meets your personal goals. Together with lovely, unique Bilenko sisters, we will be working on the session that will gather around 200 participants, for almost ten days, in the beautiful gem of Ukraine - Lviv! Best of luck! Sincerely Yours,
Maciej Kryński President of the Lviv Development Forum 2019 - International Forum of EYP Ukraine
CONCEPT FOR THE FORUM The phenomenon of EYP spirit inspires to the extent of wanting to share it with others. Lviv Development Forum would be a session we can take advantage of in order to grow as individuals and, what is more, to help and inspire others. I believe that high standards of this session will make it possible to contribute to the personal development of our eager participants. We intend to build a session where all the participants can discover not only Lviv but also something about themselves and learn from others at the session. Knowing that organisers are willing to make the city of Lviv an integral part of the session, I am convinced that this particular event is the best place to discover and to immerse in. BUILDING BLOCKS OF VISION FOR THE FORUM: • • • •
happiness engagement advancement transformation
HAPPINESS Lviv Development Forum will pay close attention to not only the well-being of all participants but also to their happiness. The Officials’ Team will ensure that the participants’ welfare is looked after, so everyone is able to support each other throughout the whole session. Consequently, I would like to translate my professional knowledge into pieces of training regarding behaviourism and body language that would help to ensure participants’ well-being by also equipping Officials with tools on how to handle stress and work on patience. I see my role as President in instilling confidence and stability in the Officials’ Team, which, in turn, will trickle down to the rest of the participants. In the simplest way, it is all about making people happy and appreciated.
ENGAGEMENT EYP defines inclusion as an organisational practice and a goal, that creates equal opportunities for all members within the network and ensures that all young participants are equally welcome and able to participate. The idea of making the ownership of the event a collective one rather than an individual one as well as engaging the participants in various ways are key factors to the forum’s success. ADVANCEMENT EYP is essentially about seeking ways to grow and develop a variety of skills. The freedom of the forum will allow participants to individually define and work on their objectives and interactions, providing the opportunity to shape their own personal development strategy and work on it. EYP, as an initiative, is a twofold experience. On the one hand, it is about collaboration, but on the other – about self-development. I think that the condition sine qua non of successful self-growth is a constant giving back and I believe that everyone brings their unique experiences to the table and shapes the experiences of others. TRANSFORMATION The past has been there all along, reminding us that this time -- maybe, hopefully, against all the odds -- we will get it right. There are times in our lives when we have to realise our past is precisely what it is, and we cannot change it. Yet what we can change are the narratives we tell ourselves, and by doing that, we can change the future. With the session’s motto being “Old city, new traditions,” the concept of innovation and transformation comes to mind. The freedom of experimenting with new concepts is one of the most valuable qualities in EYP, and I always encourage myself and my team to use it for the benefit of one another in order to bring something new to each event we are a part of. In my opinion, this approach is what allows to succeed in creating a safe space for the exchange of ideas.
GLIMPSE AT THE ACADEMICS My academic vision for Lviv Development Forum is mostly about learning and exploring both within and outside of EYP context. To make it happen, the Board of the Forum will empower and inspire the Chairpersons to foster growth. Proper academic debate and discussion involve deep commitment, where the people involved engage with ideas and each other, critically looking at, defending, and amending the former in the spirit of collective ownership. What is more, Chairpersons will be allowed to craft their topics, within fixed academic clusters resembling the session theme to achieve a deeper understanding of the issues’ complexities. The extensive pre-forum preparation time will aim to go beyond the standard topic overview writing we use in EYP. Even though I appreciate a somewhat traditional approach when it comes to writing topic overviews, I observed that shifting the way of presenting information brings outstanding outcomes. Creating topic overviews that are more interactive makes them more approachable for delegates and more enjoyable to make for Chairpersons. It might be an exciting and innovative addition to the Academic Preparation Kit. VISION FOR THE BOARD As I mentioned before, my aim for the Forum is to make it as collective of experience as possible. When it comes to the Forum’s Board, I can say I am looking for individuals who will take up the role more of a co-President rather than a Vice President. This structure allows for the Board to not be overwhelmed with the unbearable amount of work, as the experience must also be educative and stimulating for them. This workflow fosters the environment where all members are equal and work on the same level, within their subgroups and specific portfolios, in the spirit of the collective ownership. The main focus of the Board will be planning the pre-session preparation, Chairs Academic Training, and constant observation and evaluation of the Chairpersons’ performance. This will include interactive video modules and skype meetings tailored to one’s expectations. Everyone is different, and the main aim should be to meet needs and embrace potential. The Board will focus on individual mentoring and supporting of the Chairs’ Team during periodical Mentoring Group meetings. Each member of the Board will be responsible for a part of the Chairs’ Team, aiming to develop one-to-one relations to improve the work of the whole team through an individual scheme of corrections and strategy of personal development, formulating topics and working on topic overviews.
VISION FOR THE EDITOR/S The Media Team will be given absolute freedom in conveying their ideas. As the President of the session, I hereby invite them to pursue and embrace the theme of the session alongside with the building blocks of my vision while being free to choose their means and ways of expression. Media team members are more than welcome to take part in academic aspects of the forum and to be involved in creating interactive/expanded topic overviews. Media Team Members and the Chairpersons can work together to maximise their committees’ session experience. The work of the Media Team is mostly based on results. It is about affecting the session community in the most progressive way. However, we encourage Editor/s alongside with their team members to challenge themselves in finding new and innovative ways of doing so. Diversity is a good thing, and fresh points of view articulated by people who are committed to excellence is a beneficial change in the modern landscape. Moreover, the Editor/s will play a crucial role in the leadership of the session, being invited to take part in the meetings with Head-Organisers and the President. We want them to be fully involved in shaping the whole session. This means that we will need the Editor/s to think about shaping this session on a higher level. The interplay and communication between the three teams of officials will need to be high on the agenda, and the vision should reflect this. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION We are looking for 3 Vice Presidents who will not be chairing committees, and 1/2 Editor/s to join our leadership team. All Officials are expected to arrive in Lviv on the 8th of February for the CMO Training. Departures might be scheduled from evening hours on the 17th of February. Organising Team is working on Leadership Weekend and Chairs’ Academic Training with possible travel reimbursement. It is to be determined and discussed in the later stage of the pre-session preparation.
LVIV DEVELOPMENT FORUM ‘19