I WAS HERE by lauresteinville

SESSION MAGAZINE

Kieran M. Hugh W. Grainne S. Amber D. Aisling D. Ciaran S. Oisin O. Conor D. Joseph C. Caoimhe R. Tommy M. Michael K. Lucy F. Ultan O. Katherine L. Matthew B. Conall M. Diarmuid M. Cormac M. Eoghan R. Aoibh O. Claire D. Liam W. Áine F. Anna G. Kevin B. Roisin C. Cian H. Chris K. Kate K. Sean D. Daire D. Alan M. Daniel K. Osama S. David F. Kate O. Ciara M. Leanne B. Moira M. James K. Mark C. Fabian W. Cora M. Caolán M. Kirsty B. Condon Cathal O. Róise M. Daithí M. Conor C. Jack O. Daniel B. Laoise R. Conor L. Chloe H. John O. Debra D. Finian C. Caoimhe B. William O. Aoife O. Eoin B. Beth C. Meara T. Elaine J. Shona F. Anna M. David G. Emma Y. Marc A. Hannah R. Eva O. Joe F. Megan M. Gavin K. Sonia L. Killian B. Murray K. Orla K. Kate B. Ellie S. Niall M. Eimear M. Breen E. Eva K. Lucy S. Megan M. Elizabeth C. Mélanie C.

WAS

HERE Gavin S. Ellen S. Jenny O. Hugh F. Gavin D. Rachel C. Luis W. Ellen C. Lorcan B. Susan C. Oran D. Michael O. Matthew S. Ruth T. Eva G. Emma O. Conor G. Eoghan H. Amy C. Niamh D. Philippa R. Conor M. Daniel N. Adina Z. Cathal W. Patrick O. Laoise B. James M. Marco B. Jack C. Marc D. Nicole O. Olivia D. Mark C. Daire H. Ciaran H. Ross G. Orlaith C. Ruairi W. Rachel K. Caoímhe G. Megan L. Carla H. Ruth O. Allsun M. Grace P. Katrina Y. Claudio A. Finian C. Conor S. Lorcain O. Jane M. Reidin D. Hugh J. Niall M. Clemens R. Caoimhe H. Christine M. Morgan M. Gustaf W. Peter B. Eloise B. James B. Joana C. Patrick L. Ellen O. Nora W. Meadhbh C. Caley R. Lee M. Waltter R. Megan S. Ciara M. Brendan B. Cian R. Lucy B. Vlada M. Pascale W. Brooke N. Gillian D. Matthew G. Jack S. Ella B. Nicolas F. Tunç Ö. Jose F. William G. Laure S.

18th NATIONAL SESSION OF EYP IRELAND

Brought to you by William Goyet (FR) Laure Steinville (FR) Ella Blaxill (UK) Gillian Daly (IE) Nicolas Falzon (FR) Jose Feio (PT) Matthew Gibbons (IE) Vlada Mykhailova (UA) Brooke Nicholls (ES) Tunç Öztemir (TR) Jack Sargent (IE) Pascale Wehbé (DE)

CONTENTS 4

EDITORIAL

DREAM OR POSSIBLE REALITY?

VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF FEMINISM

SESSION MEMORIES #1

EUROPE’S NE/XT/W GENERATION

DIFFERENT EYES, ONE MINDSET

WHILE YOU WERE HERE

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

COMMITTEE QUIZZ

GLOBALISATION: SHOULD WE SUPPORT OR COUNTER IT?

SESSION MEMORIES #2

STRATEGIC BALANCE IN EUROPE

AGRICULTURE AND EUROPE

SHAPING TOMORROW’S EUROPE

#NS18EYPie 18th National Session of EYP Ireland

EDIT

RIAL

Dear participants, What you are holding right now is the 18th national ses-

sion of EYP Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magazine. Building this issue, we wished to create a piece which would remain your concrete link to this event. An event which aimed at shaping tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Europe, and which surely succeeded in that goal. An event which even more significantly shaped you, delegates. You have had the opportunity to meet a plethora of youngsters from all over Ireland -and Switzerland!- to debate on significant European topics, to share your ideas and opinions, to be led by inspiring officials from all over the continent, to construct a complex set of proposals in a resolution; yet you are all between 15 and 18.

ur media team aimed at bringing you activities and entertainment during coffee breaks. The pictures and videos we took of you and uploaded online were the result of dedication from your beloved journalists and editors. This newspaper contains a broad range of articles with diverse topics which our journalists chose and built from scratch. Without further ado, please enjoy the magazine of the mediateam of the 18th national session of EYP Ireland.

On the behalf of the Media Team,

Laure & William

Dream Or Po

Our Ukrainian journalist gives her perspective on t

By Vlada M

Ukraine

is comparatively a young country with an enormous potential to succeed, but what has happened last year turned things upside down. Civilians’ lives at stake, a new government, war actions in eastern Ukraine: this all has been happening in Ukraine since last year, when the people of Maidan took on the streets of Kiev to protest in favour of European integration. People gave up their most valuable things. Not even houses, not even big savings, people gave their lives. Mothers buried their darling sons; sisters had to hug their dead brothers for the very last time; small children were looking at their fathers, whose lives were sent to heaven, and thought they were just sleeping…

What

was the aim for such tremendous casualties? Ukrainians were standing for a mutual future with the European Union. Yet, do we have chances to implement our desires in reality? What prevents this country from archiving such a wanted dream?

There

are many talks about Ukraine’s poor economic situation, its wrong political steps. However, we should change our perspective on the matter: disagreements between western and eastern Ukraine are at the core of the issue. Although the West appears more open for changes towards the EU, the eastern population is indeed more sceptical about it.

If we go back in time, it is a fact

that Ukraine was divided into two parts. One of them was belonging to Russia and another one either to Poland or Austria. This situation created the divide in people’s mentalities. Different religions, authorities and cultures have built modern Ukraine. If we look closer at the eastern part, people out there feel nostalgic about the Soviet Union, claiming that they were overall better off back then. Actually, this is solely a result of the USSR’s well-planned propaganda, stating that communism was the only way to go. Thinking out of the box wasn’t an option, and the idea of individualism was entirely forgotten.

ossible

Reality?

the common future between the EU and Ukraine

Mykhailova What Coming back to my first argu-

ment, Ukraine has potential, resources and a talented people in it, who are more than ready for a change. This is why EU’s help is needed for Ukraine to stand out and step by step become one of the most prosperous countries in the world. Dear European neighbours, do you want to stop war? Ukraine needs help, what are you waiting for?

How

does it affect the acceptance of this country to EU? First of all, the key-role of a government is to improve people’s lives in the best way they possibly can. Yet, when citizens of a given country are divided into two groups and have completely opposite needs, how can such mission be fulfilled, especially in these times of harsh economic crisis?

should be done? With no doubt I believe that Ukrainians should decide the direction in which they should move: either towards Russia and ‘good old times’ of communism or go forward to meet success and share a bright future with the EU. Needless to mention that it will take some time to come up to a solution. I bet that you’ve all watched news about Ukraine, and according to them this dilemma seems impossible to be solved. According to one sociological research before the revolution only 48% of Ukrainian population were in favour of joining the EU, but after all events their amount increased up to 67%. Of course, such tremendous changes won’t happen in one day.

Unfortunately,

the reality in Ukraine is terrifying, where rivers of blood are constantly flowing. Yes, Ukraine is facing a difficult period of time, just like most prosperous countries did a long time ago, or just like Ireland did not so long ago. However now all of them are standing as the wealthiest and most democratic countries in the world.

Different Interpretat

The never-ending debat

By Pascal The topic of feminism has re-

cently erupted and taken the world by storm, and with that a lot of misconceptions regarding the actual word have been thrown around. The empowerment of women has become an imperative topic, whether it is in the form of Emma Watson’s UN speech, or Beyoncé’s lyrics. A few weeks ago, a general debate regarding current conflicts was occurring at my school, when my teacher abruptly laughed and said ‘’I don’t consider myself a feminist’’ in a joking manner. The class affronted by this proceeded to question her about her stated views; her response was ‘’I don’t hate men, I love my husband’’.

To some degree, feminism can

be categorized into two misconstrued interpretations of what it actually is. One of which being the hatred of men, where people are convinced that feminism is synonymous with misandry. The second one being what a large majority of people call a ‘’Tumblr feminist’’, where they ‘’bash’’ people for their personal opinion or appearance; using derogatory words to describe women who enjoy putting make-up on, insisting they are beautifying themselves up for men.

new party in Sweden has been established called FI ( Feminist Initiative) they are strong advocates of gender quotas; their vision for FI is giving women jobs, so that the female employment rate would increase, even though a man might have been better suited for the role. This can be quite hypocritical, considering there are still millions of women that are being refused jobs solely because of their gender. Equality is the prime definition of feminism, labeling yourself as a feminist means you want both men and women to have equal opportunities in life and receive the same respect.

Media has raised awareness

regarding the issues women face on a daily basis, but they’re primarily concentrated in Europe and the USA. It is important to take into consideration that women globally face similar issues, more often than not, their situations are worse. South American women in the US earn less than their northern counterparts. There are several issues feminist wish to eradicate such as the ongoing mistreatment of women in countries such as India, rape victims, slut shaming, the fight for women who are transgendered to be recognised as females and domestic abuse,

tions

Of Feminism

te of gender inequality

Wehbé What is the first word you think of when you hear ‘feminism’?

Debra FEMM ‘‘Truth‘‘

Oisin Organiser ‘‘Tumblr’’

Claudio FEMM ‘‘Full Employment’’

Beth Carolan AGRI ‘‘Equality’’

‘‘Nothing is ever black or white, feminism is wanting the world to become a place where gender bias does not exist, nothing more and nothing less.‘‘

Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ne/xt

Addressing youth

By Brooke There is, without a doubt, a worrying future ahead for today's youth, and we

as the new generation will have to face these challenges that we shall go on to inherit from those before us. As young EU citizens, we are all aware of the ever growing problem of youth unemployment and the severity of it. If you have not already many of you will be looking to begin climbing the slippery slope, that is the job market, in the near future.

Hugh, delegate of AGRI: "Youth unemployment must be addressed. We are the future."

The

term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;youth unemploymentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; refers to young people between the age ranges of 16 and 25 years old therefore, as well as school leavers, this also includes university graduates who are struggling to find positions to begin their graduate career. It is unacceptable that today more than one in five young people on the labour market cannot find a job. Despite being the generation with the highest education attainment ever, today's young have paid the highest price for the crisis. The pace of job creation has decreased as companies lack confidence in the business environment and access to the financial resources to hire new staff.

However, high levels of unem-

ployment co-exist with 2 million unfilled vacancies, an indicator that some people lack the right skills or the mobility to take up available jobs. Here in Ireland the current youth unemployment rate is at a staggering 22.10% which is far greater than the long term average of 18.44%. The high levels of youth unemployment and inactivity is unacceptable both economically and socially and is is preventing the EU from making full use of its growth potential. It is undermining the feeling of social justice that underpins our democracies. As the problem is increasingly coming out into the open, more ways of tackling the issue are arising.

Laoise, delegate of ECON: "we didn't inherit the world from our grandparents we borrow it from our children. "

t/w

Generation

h unemployment

Nicholls Rachel, delegate of DEVE: "There is a lot that the government could be doing They're not as dedicated as they should be. "

the highest level, leaders of the member countries of the European Union recently met to discuss the growing problem of youth unemployment and have pledged 6 billion Euros to try to tackle the issues. Because of the current economic climate, cuts and austerity measures have led to higher numbers of young people out of work across the continent and it is hoped this money will begin to reverse that trend by encouraging companies to employ more school leavers and also increasing lending to small businesses so they, in turn, can take on more staff. Furthermore, on a smaller scale government initiatives and being set up in order to prepare employers, colleges and young people, thus laying the foundations for the vital improvement.

the problem down to lack of young people's initiative, lack of government intervention or employers? What would the next step on the road to improvement be? How do we solve the youth unemployment problem of tomorrow, today?

TRAN - Jack- "youth unemployment is out of hand, shoutout to the youth guarantee in Finland. Implementing internships- thats our aim. The youth employment drive - our rise to fame. "

Different Eyes, One Mindset

By José Feio Different

eyes came together during these past days in Dublin. Eyes that arrive from different backgrounds, that have lived through different situations. Different people, different eyes. And while some of those differences are visible at a first sight, others not so much. But you did get to know also those didn’t you? Strangers become mates, people who seem crazy become people you are crazy with. And you laugh, discuss, hear others and ultimately, debate and vote on your peers proposals.

The EYP is often called a si-

mulation but did you really simulate what is being done in real politics? In real politics, different eyes also come together. But do they really look at one another? Do they really work together for the best solution or do they simply work for their solution? We did simulated lots of things during this past few days but we also did stuff in our own way. So often democracies fall in the believe that if everyone gives their opinion when voting, then we got ourselves a healthy democracy. But what about the rest? Our eyes did see so much else, didn’t they?

When

you looked at each others’ eyes in the end of Team Building, you didn’t saw strangers or enemies. You saw mates, friends, people who you felt comfortable with. During Committee Work your eyes looked at one another for ideas, opened to built the best solutions to solve some of the most important issues of today’s Europe and not only to push your own thoughts forward.

During

General Assembly your eyes were full of passion, debating, exchanging thoughts, giving your opinions on others’ proposals.

And then the end. Eyes sad

because it is time to leave, but to leave full of memories, new friends, new ideas, having experienced a new way of looking at one another. The EYP is not a school of politics, it is a school of citizens. The majority of politics do not look at each other like you - delegates - looked at each other during this session.

o I leave you with a challenge. Wherever you end up in. Don’t forget how it felt in the beginning. The way you got to know your peers.The passionate way with which you strongly debated your ideas and listened to others’. The incredible results that you as a team where able to achieve because you worked as a team.

And above all, don’t forget the

way you looked at one another. The mindset that you developed during this session. And more than remembering. Use it. Improve it and you will see the amazing positive effects that it will have in every single aspect of your life.

While You W

Four days, countless memories & a few c

By Gillia

The 18th National Session of

EYP Ireland was made up of lots of extrovert, opinionated delegates who had done extensive research on their respective topics. There was a genuine air of mutual respect among the committees and a clear interest in learning as well as sharing. This session means that tomorrow’s Europe looks incredibly promising today.

These delegates are an incre-

dibly intelligent bunch. Not just because they researched their topics so thoroughly, but because they also figured out pretty quickly who controlled what pictures of them went online.

Naturally,

“I found it really easy to get on with my chair and journo. My journo’s bun is always on point. She is so helpful and like the easiest person ever to get along with. Like yeah I really love my journo she’s really great.” –Meara

“I chose ITRE because there’s a lot of SPACE for discussion” – Amy “I chose LIBE because the internet is one scary place…” - Eoghan

All in all, they struck a perfect

the delegates had varying reasons as to why they chose their topics to begin with;

However, some chose their topic for reasons which proved untrue at a later point “I picked CLIM because I’m interested in it and it looked fairly straightforward at first, but it really, really, REALLY isn’t. Do not mention the t word… EVER.” –Cathal

balance between having the craic and getting stuff done. The delegates were all well able to have a laugh and enjoy this opportunity, but didn’t waste time when it came to dealing with the issue at hand and getting resolutions done.

Were Here

challenges prepared by the Media Team

Daly Do a handstand and have somebody take a photograph of it

Get a hug from the president

Wear your shoes on your hands

Tell your chair you are in love with him/her

By Ella

Blaxill

Globalisation: a Ch

Careful: Tunç will solely tell you

By Tunç Most of us hear the term globa-

lisation on a lot but we are often not sure what that means and what its effects are. We experience the results of globalisation each day; the t-shirt you wear, the computer you use, the fact that you are living a longer, healthier life compared to all the people in the human history without fearing a famine will happen are direct effects of globalisation. We feel like things have always been like this, however, they most certainly have not.

am not sure if it’s a good thing but globalism did lead to a celebration of individualism especially after the failures of the Marxist collectivist Utopias which often limited freedom. Individualism has had a profound impact on families and our perception of sex, especially thanks to contraceptive stuff. Divorce rates increased dramatically and not only in the Western countries. Globalism also changed our psychology, to quote Frederic Jameson: “We are so far removed from the realities of the production and work that we inhabit a dream world of artificial stimuli and televised experience.” This basically means that if I had to kill a chicken each time I eat one, I’d probably eat less chicken.

surely cannot decide whether globalisation is a good or a bad thing, at least for now, but it has pretty much been a net positive for most of the people. We all know the positive effects; rise of service economy, more people being richer, more countries turning into democracies, your iPhones, cool t-shirts for affordable prices, cheap plane tickets and travel opportunities and most importantly EYP itself.

Apart from these, the most se-

rious effect of globalisation is on the environment. We have put much more land under cultivation in the past half century and not just for food, also to grow the global economy. Production and consumption increases every year, the average person got richer and when you get richer, you tend to spend more and use more energy. Growth has been so dependent on unsustainable use of resources that our planet is suffering. For example our planet cannot sustain 7 billion cars. This is economy, in economy there is always a vicious cycle.

hance or a

Burden?

u the harsh truth in these lines

Öztemir After the industrial revolution we

started being quite efficient and that efficiency made things cheaper which made it easier for people to buy which increased demand, which in turn pushed companies or people to come up with ideas to increase the efficiency even more. This has created economic growth and prosperous lives for many, but every turn on that cycle took something, it meant more carbon dioxide emission, more land under cultivation, more extraction of resources. This clearly cannot go on like this forever but worryingly our current models of economic growth don't allow for any other way.

The

European Union does play a crucial role in this whole process. Globalisation is basically trade and Europe is one of the best places to trade. Europe has always supported globalisation, and actually was the reason behind it. It wasn’t something to be proud of but Europe’s colonial past did make trade extremely important and common. European nation states are more connected and mixed than ever and this trend will most likely to continue. Europe will remain as one of the most important trade partners for almost every country and it will have a huge impact when shaping future so it is always important to know what will be the upcoming policy of the union.

To sum up, we can now get a

t-shirt for 10 Euros and that is all thanks to globalism. Almost everyone on earth has or used something that was produced in another country, 1000 years ago that was unimaginable. There are always bad and good effects for everything but this thing is very new to us and this doesn’t necessarily have to stay the way it is. We are a part of this change and we will be the ones to benefit from these opportunities to create a better world or ruin the one we have.

Strategic Balan

EU-Russia Relations Tod

By Jack When we as EU citizens consi-

der the future of Europe presently, the linguistic imperialism of Russia in the past year is likely to come to the fore. This expansionist drive was not an unforeseen move by Vladimir Putin, the indications of expansion were and still are apparent. The Russian federation, an autocracy once predicated upon assuaging its citizens concerns about transperancy through net economic growth, has undergone a paradigm shift from economic gains, to the manipulation of nationalist sentiment. The overarching objective of this is to prevent the reality of Russia’s fundamentally corrupt political order from being removed by an increasingly wealthy and educated middle class. Thus the incumbent administration’s survivability hinges on fostering a narrative of nationalism and false unity in the face of non existent threats. Unnervingly these political undertones require substantiation, in the form of intervention in Abhkazia, South Ossetia, Crimea and now Eastern Ukraine.

Additionally

in our consideration of the future, we must understand the implications of this strategy for EU Russian relations on a macro scale. The contagion that is fear of annexation, a hangover from the second World War is now a relevant variable in the geopolitical calculus of Eastern European and Baltic Member States.

I Europe

nce n

day: Shaping Tomorrow

Sargent This rationale has resulted in a

disintegration of relations dramatically, with abrasive manoeuvring and posturing by both sides; namely in the form of sanctions levelled against Russia and in response, a return to cold war levels of flagrant displays by the Russian military apparatus. Even a cursory review of these avenues of communication reveals the detrimental and terminal decline in relations. This schism will likely reverberate throughout the coming years, defining how the EU interacts with the adjacent aggressive regional power that is Russia under Vladimir Putin.

For

a positive tomorrow, we must unlock the stalemate today. The evolution of the strategic toolbox of the EU is a necessary aspect of this. The nucleus of EU power projection is soft power; the ability to compel entities through positive and beneificial incentives. This has expanded to include sanctions targeting states and various people.

Thus

the pertinent question is how can we today shape the boundaries of power projection to secure relations with Russia tomorrow. Is further confrontational sanctions targeting key components of the Russian political structure a valid pursuit? Or is this diluted, in comparison to a comprehensive appraisal of EU security and defence? These are the questions posed today that we must answer to shape tomorrow.

‘‘Cap’’ On Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy What conclusions can we draw from the CAP today?

By Nicolas Falzon What

conclusions can we draw from the common agricultural policy today? The Common Agricultural Policy has been and still is an essential and central component of the European Union’s (EU) mutual measures. However, it is not today what it was yesterday. The many different actors (Farmers, the EU, the 28 Member States, Foreign Countries, Agribusiness Lobbies, & the Public Opinion) play an important role in the Policy making and enforcing in the sector but essentially shaping what the policy will be tomorrow!

Historically, the CAP that be-

gun in 1962 was based primarily on price control and subsidies; the measures included guaranteed prices but also customs barriers refraining imports from the agricultural competitors of the EU. This was a direct response to the shortage of food at the end of World War II resulting in Europe being on the way to a self-sufficient Europe.

However the critics were well deve-

loped considering that this intensification led to an overproduction of goods that had to be bought at a good price by the European Economic Community (EEC). After this period leading up to the 1980’s we saw a change in context for the European Union that was now an agricultural Europe facing issues of the surplus of goods produced.

This

phenomenon was additionally accentuated by the integration of Spain and Portugal in 1984 that already were very competitive producers. The CAP was considered and seen as a money pit that producers exploited and that governments/public opinion criticised. As a reaction different quotas were implemented such as the milk quotas limiting the production of the farmers to slow and refrain the growth of this money pit.

In 1992, internal critics were de-

veloping especially in the United Kingdom that paid more to the CAP than received from it, but external critics coming from the United States, Brazil and Thailand also appeared denouncing unfair competition from the CAP. A reform is announced where the European prices are set closer to market prices, the aids become direct and in proportion to the size of the cultivated land or livestock. In 2003, another reform is voted that promotes durable productions supported through sustainable agriculture.

We as Young Europeans have the fu-

ture in our hands, the agricultural sector is essential to the development of our society, of your society. So what does this historical background in the common agricultural policy allow us to understand? Taking the perspective of you being the future decision maker of the EU, how would you use this experience to build and strengthen our communal policies stressing that it is vital to continue to construct a well-thought, sustainable, and competitive agricultural sector?

Building Tomorrow’s Europe Three tools for creating Tomorrow’s Europe today

By Matthew Gibbons

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