SinCosTan “Trigonometry for the three nations”
Weimar 2011 EYP
Weimar Triangle
COMMITTEE WORK
French Vocab
HOTTIES
EUROPEAN PROBLEMS
Pieper talk
Weimar city The Teacher
Weimar the orthocentre of the triangle Have you ever regretted not having the chance to actually learn more about the city where an EYP session takes place? If so just carry on reading and find out more about the beautiful city of Weimar. Location Weimar is a town in central Germany in the federal state of Thurungia lying along the river Ilm. Its current population is approximately 65,000. Weimar has an incredibly long history. The oldest record of the city is from 899. However it took another 411 years before Weimar received its city rights. History The time period between 1919 and 1933 is called the Weimar republic. In the beginning of this era the Republic´s constitution was drafted in Weimar, as the capital Berlin was considered too dangerous for the National Assembly. In 1937 the Nazis decided to build a concentration camp called Buchenwald only 8 kilometres from Weimar city centre. Buchenwald provided work force for local industry such as arms factories. Between July 1938 and April 1945 around 240,000 people died in the camp. After the US surrender of Weimar on April 12, 1945 all citizens were ordered to walk through the camp and witness the outcomes of the tragedy happening in their neighbourhood. At that point the Buchenwald slogan which says Jedem das Seine (literally, “to each his own”, but figuratively “everyone gets what they deserve”) became true one last time. After a five-year-long occupation of this area by the Soviets the camp was handed over to the East German Ministry of Internal Affairs. Cultural Starting from the 18th century and through the heritage 19th up until present time Weimar has been an important cultural centre of Europe. Many important artists spent majority of their lives or were even born here. Probably the most important one would be the famous writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. You can find Goethe’s tomb and archive in the city centre. Between 1919 and 1925 the Bauhaus movement founded by Walter Gropius influenced Weimar citizens by its modernist style. The only Bauhaus building built in that era is the Haus am Horn (now being used for events connected to Bauhaus culture). Another where place people can admire
the beauty of Bauhaus is the Bauhaus Museum on Theaterplatz. Many different places in the city centre are part Entertainment of the UNESCO World Heritage, for example the Duchess’ Anna Amalia Library built in 1691. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and contains treasures such as an authentic Lutheran Bible from 1534 or Goethe´s masterpiece Faust. Weimar has also a lot to offer to those who are not so keen on history. Several small theatres together with the Deutches National Theater provide a large number of different plays. Besides, there is an annual festival held every October called the Onion market (Weimarer Zwiebelmarkt). It is Thurungia´s largest and oldest festival, established in 1653. Around 300,000 visitors come every year to enjoy numerous onion-based meals, beer gardens and live music. No matter if you are just visiting or you willing Conclusion to attend one of the universities, Weimar could always be easily reached by either a high-speed railway or a motorway. Enjoy!
A ll abo ut the triangle
The Weimar Triangle celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a multilingual event in the beautiful national Deutsches Nationaltheater. Professors, politicians and other guests honoured this occasion with speeches and live debating in all of the three official languages: French, Polish and German. Since I am not French, Polish nor German I need to ask myself the obvious question: What is the Weimar Triangle? It even got its own session so it has to be important. I decided to do my research and report on it. The date and birthplace of the Weimar Triangle are quite symbolic. It was formed on the 28th day of August which is the same day when the famous German writer Goethe was born in the city of Weimar as well as in Weimar Germany had its first experience in democracy through the short lived Weimar republic. The city of Weimar was chosen for this purpose because it lies half way between France and Poland and it is calmer than Berlin. The Weimar Triangle was formed originally to increase the level of co-operation between the countries involved (Germany, France and Poland) and to help Poland rise from the crumbled totalitarian reign. Poland was also given a better light in negotiations with the EU and NATO member countries. After few years of forming it became clear that one of the main goals of the Weimar Triangle was to introduce Poland to join the European Union and to prepare the Polish government and economy for it. To reach their goals they started to hold annual meetings between the politicians and ministers and the heads of the states reassured the public that actions were taken. Finally on the 1st of May 2005 Poland joined the European Union; this however did not mean the end of the Weimar Triangle. With all of the three countries now part of the EU, the member countries of the Weimar Triangle started to exchange their views on the process about for example internal policies or European integration. The Triangle has now become a framework of dialogue for the related countries to utilise. In addition the Weimar Triangle is a big player on the economical field as well, since it contains the EU’s both economical giants France and Germany. Most of the EU was surprised when the Polish officials had invited the president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev to join the triangle’s leaders to the next summit; this move was nevertheless praised a lot by the French president Sarkozy. Russia has not yet expressed its willingness but it has not turned it down either. If this ought to happen Europe and the Weimar Triangle would definitely benefit from it. The Weimar Triangle wishes to be more active and have a more significant role on both finding solutions and proposing actions concerning current issues within the EU. Problem is that in the 21st century the Weimar Triangle has started to lose some of its former importance. This will be partly dealt with by forming a Weimar Combat group that will be ready to be deployed in critical zones in 2013 giving the Weimar Triangle a steadier foothold within European matters. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the Weimar Triangle is the safeguarding and strengthening of our European cultural identity. It gives the youth better chances to study abroad thanks to the cooperation between universities and youth offices. There are for sure still many topics that the Triangle can deal with in the 21st century Europe.
YOUTH TALKING TO THE POLICY MAKERS Enno (AFET 1): It was a pity we did not have enough time, more questions could have been answered. Nevertheless I still appreciate having the chance to talk to such a successful politician.
Pari (AFET 1): I was surprised how well she answered all the questions; it is not so common for politicians to talk straight to the point. It was an honour to speak to herthat is for sure.
On the 29th of August thirty five lucky (those who could speak German) delegates were given the opportunity to participate in a discussion round with Cornelia Pieper - a German politician from the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), currently serving as Minister of State at the Foreign Office. Although the discussion lasted for less than an hour Mrs Cornelia Pieper still managed to answer quite a few questions from our curious delegates. First two questions concerned rather cultural issues such as the promotion of German culture in foreign countries. We learnt that the foreign ministry spends about 25% of its annual budget on educational and cultural programmes abroad, however it is also the German universities´ task to take part in activities such as student exchanges. When asked about the eastern relation with Belarus Mrs Pieper emphasized the need to support the opposition, free press as well as the civil society in such dictatorship-like regimes. It is rather interesting that the German foreign ministry provided finances to EYP Germany in order for them to support EYP Belarus. This way many young Belarusians could attend sessions abroad which they would otherwise have only been dreaming about. Towards the end of the discussion few points about political issues were raised. One delegate was concerned about citizens lacking the human rights they deserve in countries trading with Germany. It was made clear that it is almost impossible to find balance between economic stability and the promotion of European values. Overall Mrs Pieper proved what matters the most – communication. Even after the official programme finished she was willing to chat with the delegates informally outside of the venue so that they could ask questions they didn’t ask during the debate.
Committee Work
Getting behind the Committee Work The games are over. You have tasted different dishes from different countries at the Euro-Village. You already know everyone in your committee; you have already moved from the initial shyness stage to a comfortable, open atmosphere with other members of your committee and bonded together by now. It is now time to get into the serious part of the session which is the committee work.
How is Committee Work carried out? Brainstorming
First, the chairperson leads the committee in a round of brainstorming where the delegates have to write down main points that are related to the topics.
Grouping
Once the committee is done with brainstorming, they group the points in order to make it easier for them to be discussed. They sort the points in the order of problems, aims, solutions and facts. This is to make the discussion orderly and also to have a good resolution.
Discussions
When the grouping is done, the committee goes into discussions so as to share their ideas and opinions on the committee topic. This is when the committee shows their team spirit by cooperating with each other and respecting each others ideas and opinions.
Typing
At this point, the committee puts down their results in an orderly way by introducing some clauses to the points that were raised during the discussions. They are divided into two parts: Introductory clauses which are the problems and Operative clauses which are the solutions to the topics.
Committee Work is the central part of any session. The delegates of the committee come together, now working well as a team after teambuilding, and they sit down to discuss their particular topic which were assigned to them prior to the session. Uche says: “Having attended other youth events which also had activities like committee work such as Model United Nations before I joined the European Youth Parliament, I thought it would be very formal like the way it is done in the real European Parliament where every member of the committee has to make sure that there points are heard and are included in the resolution; but I found out that it is very different at the European Youth Parliament sessions. The committee has to write a resolution of theirs on which they can all agree. This is not an easy task due to the fact that they all come from different perspectives, and will almost certainly have to reach compromises and agree to every point which is to be included in the resolution. This is done with the aid of a chairperson, an older EYP alumnus, who ensures that everybody’s ideas are heard and that the resolution reflects the ideas of the group – that every member of the committee can feel proud of it. This discussion is always very heated, but the end result is that each of the delegates has learnt an incredible amount about the issue, and really thought about the implications, and has developed and redeveloped his or her own views, with a flexible approach paramount. The skills they learn here, in discussing, debating, persuading and negotiating, will stand them in good stead for the future. Sometimes during the committee work, an expert or even a member of the European Parliament will visit the committees to answer questions and quickly discuss the topic with the relevant committee.
In our final words, try your best to always listen to your fellow delegates and also air your views. This is the opportunity to express yourself. We also recommend that you always have good sleep and start out with a healthy breakfast because Committee Work can be exhausting sometimes.
Committee Work as it really was Konrad, Christophe, Dominique, Jens (EMPL) »» What is your opinion on your committee topic? It is really wide and hard for most of people to understand, so it is difficult to predict how people will react to it. But it is really interesting »» What are your fears about the committee work? That people do not participate that much due to lack of energy or because they do not want to. That language barrier would cause problems. »» Your hopes for committee work? That there would be many interesting and wide debates and having an “I like you; you like me” styled team spirit where everyone is equal. »» General opinion about the committee work? The most important part of the session and you will learn how to help your comrades and learn how to accept help as well. »» Can you come up with a guideline for delegates to follow? Be aware what is happening and try not to speak off topic.
Bart, Marta, Pawel, Kate (LIBE2) »» What is your opinion on your committee topic? It is one of the most important ones. Interesting but it depends a lot what people like. »» What are your fears about committee work? None… Well there is one. That there won’t be any good jokes »» Your hopes for committee work? To be able to present and defend your opinions but at the same time working together to reach compromises and not having to argue. »» General opinion about the committee work? The task is always hard but the outcome is worth it. »» Can you come up with a guideline for delegates to follow? Chill out, be positive and don’t panic if things look difficult.
EMPL
CULT
EMPL had fun during their committee work hours. They started off by playing training, ninja game and when CULT arrived to play with them, they entertained themselves with Big Fat Pony and the shouting game. Extremely quickly, EMPL started brainstorming but it was about how to use a shoe in hundred different ways. They were again entertained by the idea of drinking from the shoe, making a shoe perfume and selling the shoe to alcoholics so that if they fall they can crawl with it. We are just so glad that after that activity, they started brainstorming, made a mind map and started discussing problems, aims and solutions.
Their play-mate committee CULT appeared that they won the shouting game. When they arrived to their committee room, they played the brainstorming game: 50 things to do with a pen. They burst into laughter when the answers were presented: eating the pen, plunging it into the ear and killing someone with it. After the games, the meticulous CULT read their researches for the second time in order to have consistent points. They prepared and presented speeches about their researches; each 60 seconds long. Subsequently, they did a dream journey. After creating a Utopia, they finally started debating. There are many first-time delegates in CULT, but they seem to be handling the committee work pretty well.
ITRE ITRE had a quick start because the delegates were tremendously eager to discuss their topic. They were the quickest committee, thus they were the first committee that had a treat - the coffee break. Before the break, they were done with talking about researches, brainstorming, grouping and already diving into the discussion. That is why their chair Dario paced them and let the delegates have a coffee break. After the break, again to reduce the pace, ITRE started playing the ninja game. Girls did surprisingly well; there was a girl delegate in each final. Finally after being ninjas, they started discussing their topic again.
AFET Just like the previous committees, AFET started by brainstorming. After that, they grouped the similar post-its into groups and named them all, so that they would not forget the main idea. Some delegates were uncomfortable with the presence of camera in the room and they said they could not focus on the committee work. As being a considerate press team, we left the committee room just as they were on the verge of entering the debate. However, the delegates of AFET are very lucky because they have two chairs who can guide them in every step.
LIBE I
LIBE II
LIBE I know how to have fun during committee work. Before facing the problems, they played Honey tell me that you love me and the Mexican chair. Speaking of problems, LIBE I’s chair Lucas Göttemann (NOT Lukas Götermann) was spotted spilling one glass of Club-Mate on the floor. Moreover, there is another problem: one delegate is disagreeing with an important part of the things done so far. Other than that, everything is going well for the committee; they are right on the track. Lucas says: “LIBE I are the best committee I have ever experienced.”
Extra terrestrially decorated LIBE II does not lose any time during their committee work. After an interesting a game that included two chairs home-towns, the committee dived into the brainstorming. With a hasty brainstorming, they started talking about the problems. They wrote down seven problems very quickly, but the tempo of the progress slowed down when first problem took 1h40min to discuss and the second 1h.Yet, LIBE II’s unique style can adjust to any time problem. Also, everyone seems to be happy with the work done.
AFCO
AFET II
“AFCO will make Weimar Triangle shine brightly,” said Ulrich, who is the chair of the committee AFCO (not IMCO). This basically summarizes their committee work but we are going to tell you anyway. They are done with brainstorming, they grouped their ideas and they were able to discuss introductory clauses before lunch. Their success comes from their powerful team spirit which was proven one more time while playing one of the loudest games: the street fighter. They balance fun with being solemn, by having very specific ground rules which were signed by all of the delegates.
“When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I’ll like it or not. Disagreement, at this stage, stimulates me. But once a decision has been made, the debate ends. From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.” If you wonder why we had this quote of Colin Powell in the committee work section, you can visit the committee room of AFCO II. In the middle of the room, they have a flip chart called ‘Committee Work Opening Ceremony’ and they are sticking to the quote so far. They brainstormed and grouped their ideas just like other committees, but one thing is different. To make it even more visual than flip charts, AFCO II put their ideas on both flip charts and world-wide maps. By being an extremely punctual committee, they are going just in the right pace.
INTRODUCING THE ONE AND ONLY: Jens Eifert SINCONTAN gets close to a unique personality in our midst.
tions before the session were fulfilled, he happily replied:�Of course they were.� He made further comments on how well the session was organized and executed. Even though he just started his job as a teacher in Westphalia two weeks ago, it did not deter him from attending the session. This is due to his love for youth engagement in decision making and youth interest in public affairs. In spite of the fact that he did not have the chance to participate in organizations such as the European Youth Parliament before he did not stop from attending to the session as a teacher.
Just before lunch when the light was perfect we had a little chat with the one and only supportive teacher attending this session. We decided to do an interview with him since we wanted to know why he attended this session with his delegates. Having heard about him from some of the organizers, we could not wait to meet with him. We finally caught up with him when he returned from a tour around Weimar. Looking sharp and well dressed-up, the gentleman introduced himself as Mr Jens Eifert from North Westphalia. Although Mr Jens speaks English fluently, he did not want to share his skills, and he preferred to have the interview in German with the help of an amazing organizer, Judith as the interpreter. Having introduced himself, Mr Jens who also studied Politics and History, told us that this is his first time to attend an EYP session- likewise his delegates. He went on telling us that he likes the concept of EYP and that he was already fascinated by the session. When we asked him how the session had been so far, he did not hesitate to say that it was really interesting and fun. He also added that he is looking forward to meet different cultures and cannot wait for more days to come. So we wanted to know if his expecta-
Mr Jens - who is also a lover of tennis and football - further went on to encourage young people to take part in such activities so that they can develop themselves both as individuals and as a team. His optimistic ideas about EYP were inspired by his students who are delegates at this session. He told us that his students were having a blast and further advised the delegates to have lots of fun and look forward to the next days which will be exciting and hard at the same time. After chatting about the session for quite a long time, we wanted to know his first impressions about Weimar. He again described Weimar as an interesting city; what he liked the most was the rich history of it.
In his final words, he encouraged the new delegates to stay in touch with the people they meet at the conference which may be of a huge importance in future.
spain has got a problem “In my country there is a problem. And that problem is that it is not yet a country”, says Lluis, the session vice–president. As Europe struggles to get itself together, today I met Lluis Solervicens. Having greeted him with a Portuguese “Olá” with Spanish accent, he replied in perfect English. This Catalonian born EYPer has lived in England for 11 years but that did not diminish his support for the cause of Catalonian independence. Self–described as an European instead of anything else, he considers that the only thing missing in the cause is indeed a strong leadership of the region—the region has got everything else: “A place, a language, a culture, its own history, and even a football club”. “Més que un club” is FC Barcelona’s motto and even though the Argentinean footballer Leonel Messi is the most well–known leader of “Barça”, he does not seem to care a lot. Fortunately for the club, the region which apparently is not so respected by the central government in Madrid, will—in Lluis’ eyes—eventually get its independence: “In 10… 15 years top. They are just waiting for the right moment so that everyone is on board.” But can Spain do anything about it? “No,” he replies. “Kosovo separated from Serbia based on a referendum. They didn’t agree on it and they still don’t, but the EU intervened and made it viable.” At his point, the Catalonian independence is the only one that is conceivable, as the other regions are not as rich, don’t have such a strong culture either and even affirm that they are more comfortable being a part of Spain. So, even if it causes problems for Spain as a whole, the result for other provinces might not be the same. But will this be the same for other European independenceseeking regions or will this be more like a ‘European spring’ similar to the Arab one? My worries have been confirmed but the convinced Europeans who consider the survival of Europe as it is essential. But sometimes it’s just not all about wanting. The country without a government, at least the longest not running one, Belgium, faces a similar problem more of the like of Czechoslovakia which separated in 1993 due to both parts agreeing upon it; see Slovakia and the Czech Republic today. Czech delegates say that it just had to happen at some point—but is it not the view of most separatist? This time as well, both the Walloons and Flanders want to separate. But is not as simple because both parts have problem getting along. One side speaks Dutch, the other one speaks French, and some smaller cities even speak German. They can’t really decide which side is to look after Belgian affairs and even the capital, Brussels—situated in the Flanders region—cannot be separated as it has people from both sides. Nevertheless, some people suggest one solution: Make it the first truly European city! This is quite an interesting proposal, but it gets much more complicated when we realize that the citizens depend upon three governments—local, regional and federal. Despite their differences they all agree on one point: chips as the national dish. This is the main common point and even if they cannot live together, they cannot live apart either. This situation is probably the only possible for the technocracyadvanced Belgians who hold the capital of the European Union. Maybe Belgium is truly an example for the upcoming times as the future of Europe seems to be more and more uncertain. Maybe, connecting Europe economically as it is now happening is the best way to maintain peace in a land of rivalries and disdain, but as the Catalonian example shows, it will need to be a very well balanced union or the cultural rope will be broken. But as far as the future goes, even if we can’t live together, and we can’t live apart, all my hope goes to living in peace. Disdain the past and prospect the future. That will be the challenge of the European Union.
Vive la francophonie! Tips on How to Survive in France without Knowing the French Language.
Pouvez-vous m’aider? Je suis perdu(e).
Tu es mignon(ne). You are cute (m/f).
Could you help me? I’m lost (m/f).
Excusez-moi, je n’ai pas compris.
J’ai faim d’un loup.
Excuse me, I didn’t understand.
I’m really hungry.
Vous pouvez me donner une bouteille du vin? Can I have one bottle of wine?
Comment on peut se rendre à Disneyland?
Tu viens d’où? Where do you come from?
What is the way to Disneyland?
Où peux-je louer un vélo? Where can I rent a bicycle?
J’ai vous prie, pouriezvous parler en anglais? I’m begging you, could you speak English?
HoTties of
the day
Martin Vokálek (LIBE 1, Czech Republic)
Marta Stefanowicz (ITRE, Poland)
Maciej Kruk (LIBE 1, Poland)
Marta Chelstowska (LIBE 2, Poland)
Agnieszka Wróblewska (LIBE 1, Poland)
Katarzyna Sokolowska (LIBE 2, Poland)
Harm van Leeuwen (EMPL, the Netherlands)
Jan Janouch (AFET 1, Czech Republic)
Congratulations to Poland for dominating today’s edition of the Hotties. We are curious whether the other nations will be able to strike back!
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