ThessaLeaks 2nd Issue by Sandra Stojanovic

2nd issue

Thessaloniki, Greece, 19th Dec 2010

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Editorial Dear, all! The second day of the 22nd National Selection of EYP Greece, even though very long, ended in a satisfying manner; all the Committees completed their resolutions. The work is however not over yet! Today’s General Assembly is the peak of the Session, as the Committees attempt to defend the resolutions which they crafted with much devotion. The heated debates had proven the Committee Work to be success and, moreover, the team spirit is running high. As this, the third day is slowly coming to an end, hopefully in the days to come the newspapers will keep the memories alive. Speaking of which, this issue is filled with articles inspired by the discussions delegates had

during the previous day, both directly and indirectly. BOTTOMS UP, WHO CARES ABOUT THE EU? and SOCIAL EXCLUSION are discussing some of the most critical social issues that concern us all, and the Journalists provided not only with the introduction to the problem but also shared their own observations and thoughts. Further, ARRR…GUING and EUROPEAN VISIONARIES give us an insight into the slightly different and generally important aspects of everyday life. The THESSALEAKS TIMES is filled with reports and photographs about the Committee Work and other activities. Through reading these articles, even to us who do not have direct contact with committees, it is very much clear that everyone of them has developed a distinct

identity. GA ALGORITHM, HOW TO TIE A TIE A TIE… and YOU ARE RECOGNIZED deal with the General Assembly related issues. There are also such entertaining articles as EUROPOLL and DADSON. This, 2nd Issue is however not the last issue you will have the chance to read! There will be one more Issue online, gathering some of the most interesting articles we had the privilege to edit and it will be available for download at eypgreece.org. Gathered pictures from the session will be uploaded on www.flickr.com/ photos/eypgr. That is it! We sincerely hope you enjoyed the session and that we will be seeing some of you around. Have a safe trip home! ■

Sandra&Tom

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Content 3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 23

EXPERT TALKS WHO CARES ABOUT EUROPEAN UNION ANYWAY? GA ALGORITHM YOU ARE RECOGNIZED! DAD-SON HOW TO TIE A TIE A TIE... ARRR....GUING BOTTOMS UP? EUROPOLL (WE ARE) EUROPEAN VISIONARIES SOCIAL EXCLUSION TESSALEAKS TIMES THE WEATHER

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Expert Talks in vision for the better future

by Maria Sakellaridi&Despina Papadopoulou At the afternoon of the Committee Work day of the session, the delegates had the opportunity to attend a workshop concerning three crucial topics that occupy every single EUmember state. Thanks to the three experienced speakers the delegates were informed about freedom of expression on the Internet, smoking bans and alcohol restrictions and the unemployment of vulnerable groups aged 16-24. The first speaker, Miss Anastasia Papadopoulou, as a lawyer emphasized on the meaning of Internet security and the fundamental principle of freedom of expression, despite the fact that there is a very obvious governmental control of cyberspace. She underlined that the main goal of the Internet is to promote research and provision of information. Then, she added that protection of private infor-

mation included on the Internet cannot be achieved due to computers’ feature of storing records of every program uploaded. She supported that the only solution was the activation of citizens through the initiative of «Digital Greece». Moreover, she stressed out the obvious need for both reinforcement and revision of e-laws. The next impressively interactive speaker who took the floor was Miss Sophia Chrysopoulou, the head of Brussels office of MEP Theodoros Skylakakis. She initially provided a deep insight in tobacco’s tradition and history. Furthermore, urged by the Lisbon Treaty, she encouraged that all EU-member states be responsible for public health (particularly alcohol and tobacco policies). There should be a compromise between smokers and non-smokers, however, without undermining the right

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to smoke, she added in the end. After the conclusion of her speech, the delegates had an opportunity to pose questions to the speaker. Specifically, a delegate asked about whether smoking should or should not be banned, since it is a matter of lifestyle. The expertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s answer was that if smoking is a matter of personal choice and does not have a direct impact on social level, then it does not represent a violation of human rights. The third speaker, Mister Anargiros Dimopoulos, physiotherapist with specialty in Rehabilitation, Secretary General of Klimax, though, due to multiple obligations, could not be present at the workshop. He kindly sent us the copy of his recorded speech. In his speech, he insisted on the fact that vulnerable groups cannot actually enter the labor market. His statements were followed and

proved by statistical research indicated by himself. He created a link between unemployment and poverty concerning regular needs. As a final point, he presented the basic principles that should illustrate the nature of human behavior. Before the closing of the workshop, Dimitris Hapizanis, the president of EYP Greece, thanked the three experts for their vital contribution to that part of the session and then the former president of EYP Greece, Lina Selanikli, for taking up the organisation of this successful and memorable event..â&#x2013;

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Who cares about the European Union anyway? by

Almost one year ago the Greek economy started rapidly deteriorating â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or at least that is when it hit the news. The International Monetary Fund in co-operation with the European Union came up with a very controversial plan to rescue the Greek economy. Some analysts suggest that the mechanism has worked and that Greece is slowly exiting the recession, while others insist that the worst part of the crisis and the aftermath of the austerity measures are yet to be seen. I am no economist; I am actually not even interested in economics, therefore I will leave the predictions to the experts who know how and why to perform them. The topic that I would like

Stavros Pagonidis

to address is a side effect of the economic crisis in Greece, Ireland, Portugal and who knows where else. It is Euroscepticism and I will try to explain how it has been dramatically enhanced by the turn of events in Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic scene. We can see people recalling the good old times when a country could play the trick of currency devaluation and temporarily fix its economy, as if these monetarist patches would last forever. Economy is not the only reason why Europeans came together in the first place. There is more to the Union than just Schengen and the Eurogroup. There are 27 flags and 23 different languages. There is Bavarian folk dances and Italian

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Italian the Baltic and wine from the Mediterranean, Scandinavian public transportation and Balkan celebrations. There are thousands of young Europeans who gather up every four months and spend nine days together with their fellows, becoming aware of European matters and enjoy cultural exchange. Who are they? ‘They’ don’t criticize their Greek friends because their economy got messed up, but because they talk loudly in quiet British restaurants. They can say “I love you” in a dozen of languages and insult some-

one in even more! They get thrilled by the idea of a truly united Europe and really appreciate the fact that the powers who could once spark a World War now work towards the prosperity of Europe, and that after an eternity of conflicts, Europe is finally enjoying peace throughout the entire continent. If you disagree with my point of view, talking about it over the internet or while having a cup of coffee would be more than a pleasure for me. If on the contrary you agree with what you read, if you do believe in

a united Europe and if you enjoy this magnificent mosaic of cultures under the common tag of “Europe”, then I require your assistance to fight for this idea. Let us prove to the Euroscepticists that we deserve better than a shattered and competitive Europe. Let us say, and mean every word of it, that we want “Unity through Diversity”. So, next time you hear someone wondering “Who cares about the Union, anyway?” find the courage to stand up and say “I do!”■

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{The GA algorithm} by Dionysis Theodoropoulos “procedure GA” write “Set your alarm.” read alarm for(hours=0; hours<alarm; hours=hours+1) {write “Sleep again!”} write “Wake up!” coffee=0; while (coffee==0) { write “Did you have coffee? (type 1 for yes or 0 for no) read coffee} write “Get ready (dressed formally). Go to the Hellenic College.” arrival=0 While (arrival==0) {write “Did you arrive to the school? (type 1 for yes or 0 for no)” read arrival} write “Meet your committee. Do your last preparations with your committee. Go to the GA venue because it is starting!!! Take it seriously and give it your best! Opening ceremony of the GA.” for (committee=1; committee<=10; committee = committee +1) { write “A member of the proposing committee is reading the resolution’s operative clauses.” write “The other committees will now be able to ask for points of information. (questions)” write “The proposing committee now is given the floor to answer the questions. (answers)” write “We now call a member of the pro-

posing committee to defend the resolution. (defense speech).” write “Let the committees that want to attack the resolution raise their placards. (attack speeches)” write “We will now continue with the first round of open debate, the committees who would like to ask a question can now raise their placards. (questions)” write “We will now return to the proposing committee to answer the questions.” write “(…more rounds open debate…)” write “Now the proposing committee has three minutes to answer the last round of questions and do the summation speech.” write “Now we will continue to the voting procedures.” write “Coffee break.” } write “Closing ceremony. End of the session! Go back to your places have a rest and from now on live according to the EYP spirit!”■

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You are recognized! Useful tips for delivering a speech

by Viktor Sanca

Have you delivered a speech in front of bunch of people you might or not necessarily know? If not, don’t panic - just remember the SPEECH rule – the one to stick to: S – speak SLOWLY enough P – PEOPLE in audience are important – they are your audience E – do it with EMOTION – you certainly want to leave an impression E – EMPHASIZE certain parts of speech C – choose your words, be CREATIVE H – HOLD your thought, don’t drift away from the topic! Don’t forget the FAIL rule, the one y o u want to avoid: F – speak too FAST A – forget about your AUDIENCE I – IGNORE the appropriate length L – speak at inappropriate

On the topic I had a brief chat with VP of this session Sofia Zafirou. TL: Do you remember your first speech? Sofia: Yes. TL: When was it? Sofia: It was some time ago, in 2008. TL: How did you feel during it? Sofia: Tired and anxious, it was a weird experience. TL: At the end, do you

have

advice

EYP-ers? Sofia: Write your speech on your own, so you can manage to read it.■ for

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Dad-Son

A man is sitting in his armchair, relaxing after a tiring day at work, reading the newspapers. His 5-year-old son approaches him and says,“-Daddy, would you like to play with me? -Not right now, son, I feel very tired.” After a few minutes the boy returns with the same request: “-Please dad, it’s raining and I can’t go outside, come and play with me. -I told you not now! Do not bother me again!” The kid did not feel like giving up so he tried for a third time: “-I just want to spend some time with you, dad…” Clearly annoyed the father took a page from the news-

papers, depicting a world map, tore it into pieces and told his son: “You see, this world is broken. Why don’t you try and fix it, and then I’ll play with you”, replied the father figuring that a 5-year-old had no idea what the world map looks like. To his father’s great surprise, the kid returned only a few minutes later, with the map pieces in the correct place. The father asked his son how he had managed to build the puzzle in such a short time and the kid replied: “On the back side of the page with the world there was a picture of a man. Since I was able to fix the man, I was able fix the world…” ■ by Stavros Pagoninis

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How to tie a tie a tie a tie… Ever had your manhood challenged for not knowing how to master the art of “The Tie”? Save your honour by going through our little guide!

Save your honour by going through our little guide! 1. Place the tie accordingly 2. Bring the wide end over the narrow end 3. Swing the wide end behind the narrow and back to the left 4. Swing it over in front to the right, 5. Then up through the back 6. Loosen the front knot and get the wide side trough it 7. Tighten the knot 8. Enjoy being a man by Ivan Stojanovic&Viktor Sanca

In every aspect of our lives we find something to argue. We can argue with our family, friends, partners, associates and so on. However the core of arguing doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change much. We have something we believe in, the other side, similarly. We explain that we are right, them, likewise. We generally put significant amount of work in finding who is to blame. But is that really necessary? Do we really enjoy it? Lets try to find out how these conversations are structured. Deep down, 3 main steps lead us into these generally heart-breaking and unresolvable discussions: Gathering information, interpreting them and having a conclusion. Each step is unique and has the same importance in an argument. Gathering information is the first ring of the chain. We have limited sources and what we gather is generally different from what the others gather. The key vari-

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able in this is our attentiveness and the environment that surrounds us. Imagine a plane moves in the sky with a banner attached to the back that says â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I love you Sandraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Sandra, with her 6-year-old brother Tom sees this plane. They are both fascinated by it. But, Sandra is fascinated by how romantic her boyfriend is where Tom has seen a plane for the first time. The event is the same, but their perceptions are focused on different things. Interpreting this information varies more than we expect, since our past effects our interpretations. Even if the issue of Cyprus is slightly delicate, it is a perfect example. From the point of view of an outsider, the issue of Cyprus can be easily solved if it is just discussed. However, since Greece and Turkey have a hostile background, these countries cannot easily make sure that both sides adopt a friendly approach.

ARRR 11

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And conclusion is the final part of this journey. We make statements that actually say something on the issue, originating from our interpretations. This part is strongly self-sided even if we don’t realize it. This is also related to the high value of ownership (most psychologists agree that we overvalue what we have). Simply, we are selfish. This tendency is clearly seen in the bad working second hand market. People negotiate the price but the seller asks more because he has discovered all uses of the object and knows exactly what he is giving up, and also pricing the things that actually don’t have an economic value. On the other hand, the buyer doesn’t want to pay much because it has already been used in many ways, smells strange, and seems hard to personalize since somebody else has already done it. So how is this related to arguing? Firstly, we should learn that we should change our stance from certainty to curios-

ity. When there is an argument, most probably one knows something that the other doesn’t. So instead of being arrogant and assuming we know everything, we should try to find out what others know that we don’t. It is never about who is right and who is wrong. If there is a problem, instead of rolling the dice of blame and giving full responsibility to someone, we should share the load of guilt since 99% we are also wrong. In this way, the problems are solved a lot quicker; less people are hurt including us. That is actually why we have EYP as a working body, that’s why we have teambuilding and why we set ground rules, golden rules or some other rules to respect during the committee work. Because, even if we think we already know most of this, we need to be reminded since excitement, tension, enthusiasm sometimes makes us forget about these. Keep up the smile!■

by Cem Kocabasa

guing... 12

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Bottoms up? by Veronica Moitus

Stin ygia, cheers, santé… there are many well known names for raising a glass of alcoholic beverage. There are also many different opinions within the EU about when and how citizens should be able to consume the liquid. The chairs of the ENVI committee Johan Wallin and Maral Simonian are citizens in two of the most extreme ends of the “alcoholic restrictions” spectrum, Sweden and Greece. Sweden is the only EU member with a State monopoly for all alcoholic beverages over 3, 5%. Furthermore, the prices are kept high with taxes, opening hours are restricted and the age limit is 20. With all these restrictions, is Sweden the poster child for sobriety? It is commonly known that Swedes have a liberal approach to life. So is it as simple as the attraction of the “forbidden fruit”? In some ways there probably is some truth to it, especially for the age group of 16-20. However, the drinking culture in Sweden is far from the one in Greece. In general the Greeks have a tradition of drinking alco-

holic beverages like ouzo and wine with their food while Swedes mostly have kept the two separate in their everyday life. The past two decades different European cultures have gotten closer to one another and countries like Sweden have been influenced by the Mediterranean ways. Feta cheese and olive oil are given products in the food stores and with that change so has the concept of alcohol. Unfortunately, the State does not follow the change of the Swedish people concerning alcohol and for the time being Swedes have to swallow their pride and buy wine for half of the months rent. But as much as it would please the people if Sweden to liberate the alcohol market there would be a good possibility for some very unpleasant implications. One of these implications would be a high increase of alcohol during the first period which could put people’s lives in risk. In addition, the idea of lowering the age limit would most certainly have that effect since it would be every 18-year olds dream to be able

to buy alcohol from the store. Another point is that Greece is not even close to the idyllic situation for alcohol consumption. We should not forget that it was here that the first god, Dionysus, was worshiped for alcohol and celebrated with a yearly feast where the goal was to become completely intoxicated. Today Greece has one of the highest numbers of traffic accidents in the world per capita which could directly be linked to the danger of drunk driving. To conclude, the current restrictions of alcohol in Sweden seem almost ridicules compared to other EU members and it seems in many ways unfair for the Swedish State to still keep the alcohol monopoly. On the other hand, freeing the market has to happen in careful stages so that the State ensures safety and health of their citizens. ■

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EUROPOLL Yesterday, we had the pleasure of asking few trivial questions to some of the delegates and some chairs. So, if you haven’t seen the questions, now is the time to test yourself. Please try to answer them on your own, then check your answers and view the result. Good luck!

by Teresa Stadler&Cem Kocabasa

1. How many official EU languages are there? 2. What is the average life expectancy in EU member states? 3. Which country has the highest mountain in EU? 4. What is the unemployment rate in the union? 5. What is the number of Internet users? 6. When was the EU, with its current concept established? 7. What is the name of the European Anthem? 8. What is the name of the president of the European Commission?

Answers: 23 78 France 9% 2 4 7 M i l l i o n 07.02.1992 Ode to Joy Jose Manuel Barroso -If you have 6 or more correct answers, you are granted the title of ‘Euro Geek’. -If you have 4 or 5 correct answers, you’re half way there. So keep up the good work! -If you have less than 4 correct answers, we suggest you listen to Voltaire and ‘Cultivate your garden’. -If you have 0 correct answers and still no clue… do you even speak English? Now lets clarify the hardest questions. Most of the participants knew that the highest mountain belongs to the Alps, but the geography tricked most of them. Austria and Switzerland were among the most popular answers, since they are at the roughest part of the Alps. However Mont Blanc, with the height of 4,807 meters is the highest point in the Union. The number of Internet users was also a delicate question. In order to estimate this quantity, the population of Europe (492 Million) also had to be approximated. Some of us would argue that with simple Math it could easily be determined. There were however some of us with lesser logical skills, who by guessing randomly impressed us with their far more accurate estimations. A true bonus was the question on the name of the European anthem. In contrast to the name of the anthem itself, the results were rather depressing. In case you still don’t know, it’s Ode to Joy, also called 9th Symphony. However, we appreciate the fact that most of you could at least hum the melody and also more than half of you appeared to know the lyrics of the first verse. Surprisingly the 4th question was no challenge. It turns out

Before you check your answers, here’s how well the others did. that the national unemployment rates don’t have the abil-

ity to deceive the participants. To prove our good intentions we should mention that some of the subjects were left out completely since their achievement rate was simply devastating. Questions on the GDP per capita and the number of airports, after receiving too many wrong answers in a row, had to be cut.

Don’t feel crushed, if you scored lower than you expected. Admittedly we checked up every second answer online ourselves and are not judging anyone here. As you mıght have guessed correctly, the purpose of this quiz was to direct your attention to European issues and trigger some interesting discussions. Enough pelting you with questions… For now. ■

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(We are)

Olof Palme

Henry Dunant

Henry Dunant, Olof Palme, Robert Schumann. What did these people have in common? Of course they were individuals with innovative solutions to societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most pressing social problems. They were ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-scale change. Rather than leaving societal needs to the government or business sectors, they found what was not working and solved the problem by changing

the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to take new leaps. They were possessed by their ideas, committing their lives to changing the direction of their field. They were both visionaries and ultimate realists, concerned with the practical implementation of their vision above all else. For the most of the EYPers we are visionaries ourselves. We dream of a better world where all the humans will have equal opportunities and nobody

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European visionaries by Dionysis Theodoropoulos

will be excluded due to his ethnicity, gender, religion, political beliefs or economic status. In this new world nobody is going to be uneducated, poor or sick even if there is a cure for his sickness. This has to be one of the most tragic things that humanity has ever done to itself. People keep dying of sicknesses that are curable because they cannot afford the cureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cost. This happens when people do not use money just as a currency and fail to see that their contribution to the community should

be based on their abilities. Sciences will care for the humanity and not just for knowledge or maximization of the profit. Arts will be at their best and all works of it will be accessible to the public and people will have the education to understand it and be expressed by it. What we have to do is just to inspire other people to follow our visions and make them dream with us.â&#x2013;

Social exclusion by Viktor Sanca For many of us living an ordinary life is just a part of the everyday routine. For some it is a constant struggle. The year of 2010 marks the year of combating poverty and social exclusion, but how to fight the issue without knowing what its burning points are? Social exclusion is a wide term that covers a variety of aspects considering the limitation or deliberate impairment to certain group of people to have same rights in society as other, dominant group. It is ruthlessly present in every part of the world no matter of the region or its economic or cultural development. That is the reason why it exists on various levels and it is present at any period. Everything from not tolerating the people of dif-

ferent race, over to the national and politically-based hatred covering every aspect of personal opinions, whenever each is breached in a manner of limiting the participation in normal society structure, it is called social exclusion. The question arises: how to prevent it? For every prevention it is crucial to know the problem. But the even greater issue is overseeing when are rights of certain group jeopardized or already violated. It should be the basic motivation of all people to achieve as it can be simply said: equal conditions for everyone. Keep your eyes open, it can be you who will make a wrong move. It is even more painful realizing that you are being the victim.â&#x2013;

Special Edition!

ThessaLeaksTimes Committee articles

ThessaLeaks Times

AFET by Maria Sekallaridi&Veronica Moitus

Many might feel discouraged to tackle a topic such as the «Middle East» conflict which had always been considered as a tough challenge to discuss. Nevertheless, the dynamic delegates of AFET seem brave enough to deal with such a controversial and complex issue. Approaching its basic aspects was definitely a challenge. Though, throughout brainstorming in pairs and categorizing their priorities, this committee was indeed ready to distinct the difficulties of the topic and come to a conclusion about all possible solutions. Although there were a lot of different opinions they have managed - with respect and collaboration- to balance the outcome

of their discussion. After a very interesting and fruitful conversation, their chairs Ingrid and Aspa thought that it was high time the AFET committee had some real fun. As a result they decided to call their journalist to play a game with the committee. The game chosen was «Pass the pulse» in which the AFET committee though tired showed great concentration and interest. The debate following the game was without doubt one of a kind! After a lot of effort, controversies and disagreements, the committee members accomplished reaching a consensus upon their subject, finally forming a really alternative resolution!.■

AGRI by Ivan Stojanovic

Battling hunger early in the morning is not an easy thing to do. According to statistical information, food requirements of the whole human race will double in the next forty years due to constant growth of population. Bearing in mind how many people already live on the verge of starvation, this is a piece of information that should be taken into serious consideration. And so AGRI did. Since the first moment of committee work the atmosphere in the room was professional to some extent, but still carried

the signature of young minds that established it. It is not a small achievement for a group that had only for hours to get to know each other. Well prepared Chairs’ Team consisting of Gio and Sini managed to moderate the discussions, the exchange of ideas and still keep track of an abundance of post-its that kept coming from all sides with upmost grace. With all aforementioned elements incorporated in the making of the resolution, I have no doubt that the final product will leave little to be wished for.■.■

ThessaLeaks Times

CULT by Maria Sekallaridi&Veronica Moitus

What would describe the committee of CULT? Well, according to our sources CULT has best of both worlds, Greek eloquence and Swedish willingness to cooperate. After having a fruitful evening of team building, they were more than prepared to start the discussion about educational strategies and solutions for the EU in order to secure a competitive and knowledge based economy. In addition, we found CULT’s co-operative skills remarkably impressive; we even dare to say that it would put many of today’s politicians to shame. Furthermore, CULT kept being confident and goal-oriented as hours

DEVE by Maria Sekallaridi&Veronica Moitus

The dawn of the new day found the delegates of the DEVE committee running to catch their bus to the Hellenic College of Thessaloniki and their dedication followed them in their committee work. Guidelines for their committee were presented with a board of seven golden rules. The only thing that at times needed to be resorted was for the delegates to keep their focus, but fortunately the chairs were on it at all times. Besides being successful in teambuilding, DEVE shows that great co-operation can happen even when there is an uneven distribution of boys and girls. As a

result, every guy should count Nikos as a lucky man, since he has the privilege of being an only male delegate in this committee. DEVE discussed disaster preparations following the Haitian earthquake and floods to avoid as much after-damage as possible. Not even half way through committee work, DEVE showed their brilliance when they were only a step away from finalizing their suggestions for solutions. Let me tell you, this committee is a force to be reckon with when GA comes ■■

passed. When we approached their chair he was more than delighted to say that his delegates were even more than he hoped for. We suggest giving your chair a big hug as soon as possible! When it came to finalising and forming the resolution, the CULT committee appeared to be extremely effective. Although there were moments of expressing opposite points of view, they never gave up trying to reach compromise and adopt a common committee policy. As journalists, we will not reveal confidential information but we can promise some proper topic presentations on GA.■

ThessaLeaks Times

ECON by Teresa Stadler After having their memories refreshed by their ambitious chairs, the team cleared the room of uncertainties and misunderstandings. In the following World Cup of Ideas, delegates revealed their true talents, leaving no doubt that the problem can and will be solved. Soon, some ideas were discarded to leave them with the crème de la crème of points and providing a perfect basis for the upcoming debate. Something that was noted with great admiration was the way that the team members co-operate and interact proofing that yesterday’s

fooling around had the aspired outcome. Furthermore, silence seems to be a foreign word for them and forces their chairs to raise their voices every once in a while (putting everyone in the room at increased risk of suffering a heart attack). Their heads are full of brilliant ideas and if they succeed in putting them on paper, this team of junior financial experts might be some real competition for leading economists (given that they recover from all the laughing that was going on). Now it is all about investing into GA!■

EMPL by Stavros Pagonidis All committee topics of this National Selection Conference are up to date and deal with issues that affect each and every one of us. However, there is one committee in particular whose topic directly concerns the delegates. It is the Committee on Employment, which addresses the matter of unemployment rates, which figure at 20% in the 16-24 age group of the workforce. This means that as soon as they finish high school, one out of five of this session’s delegates will be confronted with the topic under discussion. At the beginning of Committee Work the delegates were

slightly sleepy and hesitant to express their opinion. They soon got over that stage but afterwards they had to deal with some communication issues. There were moments when more than three delegates were talking at the same time, either to the committee as a whole or to one other person. Fortunately, under the guidance of Sofia and Larissa, their lovely, yet serious chairs, the members of EMPL managed to control the flow of their discussion and Committee Work continued in a less hectic manner. The conversation had a melancholic flavour as the del-

egates agreed that the youth are being raised in an overprotected environment and are lacking personal and communal goals. The educational system was discussed as well, described as too specialized and not suitable to the needs of society. Eventually, the Committee was able to put together a resolution in an attempt to tackle all of the aforementioned matters, and even more, and will passionately defend this resolution at the exciting General Assembly.■

ThessaLeaks Times

ENVI non-smoking and non-alcoholic delegates by Despina Papadopoulou

Our environmental committee showed us once again their ambition to make the world go around in the best way possible. Our delegates tried really hard to tackle several problems concerning the laws’ enforcement. However, the motto of this committee (which was actually the opinion of a delegate) is that the non-smoking lifestyle should be a personal choice. Moreover, they emphasized to the lack of proper education which derives both from school and family. However, with the vital help of the chairs, the delegates deeply understood the impact of ad-

FEMM by Viktor Sanca

Time goes fast in the corridors of Hellenic College. As GA is getting even closer, the working atmosphere is constantly heating up for girls and boys from the FEMM committee. Ice was already broken yesterday in the Teambuilding, and they were ready for serious part of this session! The factor of time didn’t bother delegates much since they unleashed all their potential in a fruitful creative process. Ideas just started pouring on post-its and soon main flow of the discussion was presented on the board. What is a better preparation for tomorrow’s General Assembly than a discussion? Conversation developed steadily

while each point was elaborated. Firstly without any apparent group self-esteem, you could see in the each delegate face the pleasure and relief as they came to the conclusion that they can really do it tomorrow! Finding a balanced solution for gender issues is not an easy task, but it was really interesting to observe what happened. While doing preparations for writing of the resolution, it was interesting to observe that girls were absolutely leading the discussion. Is that an early sign of complete success? We’ll find out tomorrow as we progress to the culmination of this session. ■

vertising alcohol which results in an increase in severe health problems having actually also an impact in social life, as it is scientifically proved the main reason of car accidents. Finally, after a heated debate over our crucial issue, the delegates had a relaxing game, and came up with the final resolution which they will certainly defend due to their willingness to solve that social problem. Good luck ENVI delegates, tomorrow is going to be the day of your triumph..■

ThessaLeaks Times

LIBE 1 by Ivan Stojanovic

Upon first arriving to the committee room I was amazed. I must be careful not to make them conceited but it was really a great first impression. You see them divided in two groups working on the assignment their chair Mareja has given them, completely disciplined and speaking only English even though there was no one around to control them. To be honest, the topic they are discussing - a topic of

successful integration and just treatment of minorities in the member states - is a one of great importance and not an easy nut to crack. While reading the info pack about the topic, I started thinking of all the different approaches I could have when covering this committee, imagining all possible difficulties on the way. But when I entered the room with the LIBE I banner I saw

them overcoming all of those problems with such a refined approach. After seeing such a great performance today, exchange of ideas, creative debates and good teamwork I guarantee a great show at the GA. Hope they meet their match, only to get the chance to live up to their full potential.â&#x2013;

LIBE 2 by Cem Kocabasa content: in a state of peaceful happiness Raise your right hand if you think that your personal information must be kept private. Now raise your left hand if you have a Facebook account. The photo I took basically describes the current situation. They try to eliminate this concept of trade-off and provide an environment where secure and rich Internet content flourish. The delegates were excited to put ideas together and form a resolution starting from early in the morning. One of the main concerns was that the time was insufficient to cover the entire topic, but the delegates were convinced that they will cover most of it and the atmosphere

was optimistic. Ogulcan stated that optimism is exactly the approach they need since they need to focus rather than worry. The main focus of the discussions is whether harmful content should be banned or not. The freedom of expression and free flow of information would be deeply harmed in case ministers have full control on the content. On the other hand, people agree that some content favors crime, such as child pornography and drugs. There is also a huge amount of personal information stored online that has to be defended. Economic limitations and variety of content is yet another obstacle in front of the delegates.â&#x2013;

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