Contents
Pressing Issues
pg 3
Dangers of Social Media
pg 4
Who’s who of the Alumni
pg 6
Delegate Superheros pg 8
Meeting Mr. President
pg 10
G.A. expectations & playlist
pg 12
Which Villain are you?
pg 13
Real life heroes pg 14 AIDs Infograph pg 12
CU Media Team
Pressing Issues
Press Freedom: The News International Revolution On Thursday the 29th of November, a long-running public inquiry in the United Kingdom, the Leveson Inquiry, finally produced a report into its findings. Its purpose was to examine the British press and it’s ethics, in a wake of scandals that saw intrusion and libel on a shocking and hugely defamatory scale, including the phone hacking of innocent people. One example is the disgusting voicemail tampering in the Milly Dowler case by News of the World journalists, misleading family and friends that she, in fact, was still alive after her brutal murder in 2002. The inquiry concluded, with an extensive report that encompassed four volumes, that the UK’s Press Complaints Commission (PCC) should be completely reformed, and called for a new press regulatory body to be formed, backed by House of Commons legislation. After so much deliberation by the inquiry its solutions were met scathingly by the press, unsurprisingly, but also by the government itself; David Cameron emphasised his concern over possible ‘tougher’ press regulation, and the coalition is still in conflict over how to deal with the findings of the report. So, is press regulation a good idea, or does it scream an ominous ‘nanny state’ like media? The freedom of the press is a right that is upheld by many. However, it has been abused, especially by News International across a variety of its papers, involving several key phone hacking cases. It was clear from the outset that reformation was necessary to protect the press and its image, but regulation is a more tricky subject. Regulation of the press already puts a barrier between the public and the press, as it is another layer the press have to diverge through before actually publishing the story. It may appear to be a very thin veil between press and public, but it is a veil regardless. With this ‘middle man’ involved, it is easy for the truth to get ‘lost’. Of course, it should be acknowledged that the British press have indeed made many mistakes in the past, with crude, irrational and blatantly shoddy journalism that has affected the lives of many, and the Leveson Inquiry is the perfect platform in which to explore these mistakes and learn how to avoid making them in the future. However, the idea of turning to a more Orwell-esque press ‘in the public’s interest’ is a scary one. The press should be held accounted for its actions and should be punished for its mistakes that cannot be supported by the regular excuse of news being ‘in the public interest’. However, a balance must be sought out; the truth should never be masked in red tape set out by so-called ‘independent’ governing bodies. Lord Judge Leveson who headed the inquiry, deemed one question fitting to encapsulate the reason for the inquiry as a whole: “Who guards the guardians?” The problem is however, that sometimes it is the guardians themselves of the press who need to be guarded.
CU Media Team
CU Media Team
CU Media Team
Who’s Who of the Alumni
Champions of justice, journos Orgas are creatures of the shad- The team duo of Trisha and Sandra work to provide the most ‘accurate’ ows. They creep through the administer justice throughout the CU information to the delegates to save night, preserving criminal activ- Session with their expert editorial skills. them from the perilous mind-con- ity and providing coffee. Orgas Fighting crime by day and editing magtrol of the Chairs Team. A small are the elite servants of Head azines by night, Trisha and Sandra keep crew of vigilanties, journos work Orga and criminal mastermind, the CU Session and the EYP Universe from their secret ‘Press Team’ hide- Mikey Finn. Orgas work perpet- in order. Supported by a hard-wroking out to help fight the unending evils ually to prvent the the criminal team of Journos, Editors valiantly work of supervillain Eoin Rogers and his underworld of the EYP Universe to obstruct the evil activites of Chair band of villainous chairs. crumbiling against the efforts of Team and the nefarious endeavours of the heroic Journo Team. While the ORgas darkness is their ally, their main weakness is social interaction
CU Media Team
Eoin Rogers is the presiding evil ge- These psychopathic outlaws are the The Head Orga for the current nius of the current session, and leader most prevalent villains in the EYP CU Session is criminal lord Mikey of the malevolent Chairs Team. As a Universe. Their main asset is the Finn. Mikey Finn is the kingpin child, Eoin possessed an unhealthy ability build armies of hypnotised of the underworld, using his elite obsession with fantastical stories, ‘delegates’ through deceptively band of Orgas to administer the and thus developed a twisted view of named ‘team-building’ activities. criminal actibvities in society. reality. It is believed his powers of evil Once under their control, chairs Not much is known of Mikey are contained within his bowtie, but create plans of world domination Finn’s past, but it is reported he those who have seen him without his hrough delegate ‘resolutions’. An was reared as a child by a pack of bowtie have not lived to tell the tale. unending war of information en- wolves in the wild western lands of sues between the Chairs Team adn a small, isolated county known as their adversaries, the Journos. ‘Mayo’. This existence of this feral land has yet to be confermed.
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Super Delegates
You are a superhero. This session you have met one hundred superheroes. This session you have learnt to fly, to run faster than the speed of light, to metamorphose into someone more powerful than you ever believed you could be. This is what you are capable of, and this is what EYP allows you to achieve. An EYP session extends far beyond the politics, than the range of opinions, further than the debates, the disco and the proud stance as the European Anthem rings through our ears. Every EYP weekend is one of magic, of empowerment, of over a hundred young people coming together to find their inner superpowers and use them, as any great superhero does, to change the world. Steve Jobs once spoke about the idea of world changers. He stated that “those who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world; are the ones who do.” In EYP, we have a reputation for being that little bit crazy. The floor we stand on dissolves into lava with one command from an almighty chair. You, the delegates, transform yourselves into chicken pilots as swiftly as McGonagall becomes the cat or Eoin Rogers turns into Spiderman. And when the laughter and ninja wails of the games finally calms into the quiet hum of committee work debate, we carry that craziness with us, and use it as our power to believe in our ability to change the world. This is your moment to be a superhero, to change the world. This weekend you are fighting the evil villains even Superman couldn’t defeat. ENVI stand tall and proud as they protect our precious environment from the dragon’s fire of global warming, DROI are storming together to build an inclusive society for all humans, regardless of sexual orientation while DEVE take on the task which has beaten many generations before us; feeding the hungry, and by that I don’t mean the delegates yearning for a biscuit at coffee break. As a combined delegation of almost a hundred you are embodying real life heroes. There will be struggles along the way. You will no doubt be attacked by brutal speeches as Batman is by the Joker but you must persevere with the courage and determination Spiderman embodies in his pursuit to fight crime.
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Like any great superhero story, this session will come to a close. However, when the words of “Imagine” ring out to a tearful fair well, remember what you have achieved in the step towards saving the world. This weekend you will have created friendships as timeless and strong as Batman and Robin, you will have developed resolutions as air tight as Dr. X’s thought-out plans. This weekend is about wearing the superhero cape of formal clothing, screaming the superhero catch-phrase of committee chants. Every superhero has a super power, and this weekend you will have found yours. This may be the confidence you found in yourself that you were never aware existed or your skill at speech writing. It may be the humour you brought to your committee or the talent of creating a costume from the bare essentials found in a hotel bedroom. Whatever your power is, do not let it disappear as the doors clothes on Connaught Ulster 2012. Remember that even when he was forced to hide as Clark Kent, Superman knew his real identity and even in the summer holidays when magic was a banned temptation, Harry Potter remained sure of his Wizardry. Take what you have learned from this weekend and be the hero in your own life, whatever that means for you. Remember, a school uniform or a tracksuit worn on a lazy Saturday can be just as powerful as any cape or “manly” tights, it all depends and how you wear it.
CU Media Team
Meet the President
Eoin Rogers is our President of this Connaught Ulster Regional Session 2012. This means he was chosen by a group of European Youth Parliament alumni for the dedication and commitment he has shown to our organisation over the years. Our lovely journo Dee interviews him to find out what it’s all been like. Considering, as you said this morning, the politics didn’t interest you, what was your motivation to staying in EYP? My friends, if I’m brutally honest. The people are always what made EYP for me. I was sixteen meeting all these cool people and just decided “oh hey, I’ll stay hanging around with you.” The more time I spent in EYP the more I found myself, and it’s that opportunity; giving us the chance to speak and the space to do so. It was something I found extraordinary and really enjoyed when I was sixteen and that’s why I do it I suppose, to get people involved like that. Does EYP relate to what you want to do with your life? No, not at all. What DO you want to do with your life? I don’t know. I study English so I’ll probably end up being a teacher and maybe that’s how EYP will relate to my life. I could be a chaperone and go travelling with EYP, it’d be deadly! I don’t see myself going into politics or something similar though, no. I don’t know what I want to do, I want to be happy.
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Seeing as you want to be happy, what does happiness mean to you? There’s this story about a little boy in school. His teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he answered by saying “happy.” The teacher said the little boy didn’t understand the question. The little boy said the teacher didn’t understand life. I don’t know what happiness is. I know I want to be comfortable and I want to do work that I enjoy, rather than working just to survive. I finish college this year so I’ll probably go travelling, maybe to Japan or Cavan, you know, somewhere exotic. I’d be happy doing these things, but I don’t really know what happiness is yet.
What was your best EYP moment? It’s hard to choose one. I was thinking of that this morning when I was making my speech, actually. I made a speech in Istanbul last year and I nailed it, it was the best speech I ever made and it felt amazing. I realised making my speech this morning that I can’t recreate that moment and I was really disappointed that I couldn’t. That was a highlight definitely, but at the same time my entire experience has basically become an amalgamation of memories. I walked into the presidency thinking I was going to relive all those moments, but there’s too many. It’s the times like coffee breaks and chilling out that were all the best. Last night the alumni were just sitting around chatting, and I loved that. I can never say my best EYP moment was discussing foreign aid or making a point of debate. It’s always been about the people, primarily, so it’s that general moment, in every session, that’s my best moment. How do you imagine your story if EYP had never been a part of it? I don’t want to sound cheesy and say I can’t imagine my life without EYP, but I can’t. My best friends are from EYP and I’ve learned so much from them. We all think differently and have different interests and because of them, and EYP as a whole, I’m a more well-rounded person than I would have been without EYP. My social calendar would also be pretty empty. I’d be a bit of a loser without it to be honest! I’ve also got opportunities to travel all across Europe. I’d never have had that experience without EYP. How do you keep your hair so soft and shiny? I actually use this coconut oil extract to reach this level of perfection. It can be purchased in your local body shop, please form a queue. Sad story though, I actually forgot it this weekend. Like if you cried. And your favourite journo? Dee, obviously. Is there even a question?
CU Media Team
Laurance makes her predictions
Likely to happen in GA?
Someone will have Gangnam Style stuck in their head. Ten delegates will lose their resolution booklets. Eoin will lose his bow-tie. A chair will get cramps from holding up the placard. Seven delegates will tear up while singing “Imagine”. The Joker will interrupt G.A. A pigeon will fly in and Eoin will catch it with his spiderman web. The word “like” is going to be used at least once per speaker. Someone is going to trip on the way to the podium. At least five delegates will fall asleep. A microphone won’t work. Someone will swear during the debate. Someone will wear an ugly suit. At least one girl won’t be able to walk in her high heels. Two people will spill coffee on themselves. Four delegates will make comic book and/or hero references in their speeches.
Hero Playlist Good Morning, Good Morning by The Beatles Breakfast in America by Gym Class Heroes S.O.S by Rihanna The World Needs a Hero by Megadeth Heroes and Villains by the Beach Boys Hero and Friends by Randy Travis Gonna Fly Now The Rocky Theme Song Home Tonight by Aerosmith Everyday Superhero by Smash Mouth
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CU Media Team
Real Life Heroes Henri Dunant had always been involved in social action and charity. During Solferino war in 1859, he arrived near the battlefield and discovered the horror of war. He noticed the lack of facilities, medical equipment and food. He built up a temporary hospital in one of the church nearby and gathered volunteering people. Tortured by the memories of sufferance, the cries and all the awful injuries, he wrote a book Un souvenir de SolfÊrino in 1862. In this book, he also gave advice and solutions to fix all the faults he witnessed in Solferino. One society based in Geneva read his book and found that his proposals could actually be feasible. A commission was set up and later transformed as a permanent commission under the name Geneva Committee. This is considered as the day of the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Based on the work of the committee, the 1st Geneva Convention, the beginning of International Humanitarian law. After this, the Red Cross has been at all the upcoming wars as the World Wars or the franco-prussian war during 1870 and 1871. After 1881, Henri Dunant sank into oblivion but, in 1901, he was awarded with the 1st Nobel Peace Prize in Human history, for all the Red Cross had provided and the work it handles. Even if the name Henri Dunant does not ring a bell for you, his research and achievements are still hugely important nowadays, the Red Cross committee is still the oldest humanitarian organisation ever created. Jean Monnet’s parents were Cognac producers and this is where he was educated, he had no leaving school certificate. He played a logistic role during the two World Wars but also got involved in French politics and International Relations. He was named Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nation in 1919. After the end of the World War II, in 1945, Monnet proposed a plan to rebuild Europe with industries especially the coal and steel industries. Beyond that, he had other ambitions. He wanted to federate the harmed countries and to create a space of freedom and peace. Hence, he contributed to a very important speech which was actually pronounced by another founding father of the E.U, Robert Schuman on the 9th May 1950. This speech marked the birth of Europe and the single market across the European Community. When the European Coal and Steel Community was established with the Treaty of Paris in 1951, Jean Monnet kept on trying to build Europe and the peaceful relationship between the Member States, notably with the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Jean Monnet was an insatiable man whose only goal was to contribute to Europe’s revival. I am sure that he would be very proud to see that his dream is still alive, as the EU received the Nobel Peace Prize this very year.
CU Media Team
Jean Monnet’s parents were Cognac producers and this is where he was educated, he had no leaving school certificate. He played a logistic role during the two World Wars but also got involved in French politics and International Relations. He was named Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nation in 1919. After the end of the World War II, in 1945, Monnet proposed a plan to rebuild Europe with industries especially the coal and steel industries. Beyond that, he had other ambitions. He wanted to federate the harmed countries and to create a space of freedom and peace. Hence, he contributed to a very important speech which was actually pronounced by another founding father of the E.U, Robert Schuman on the 9th May 1950. This speech marked the birth of Europe and the single market across the European Community. When the European Coal and Steel Community was established with the Treaty of Paris in 1951, Jean Monnet kept on trying to build Europe and the peaceful relationship between the Member States, notably with the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Jean Monnet was an insatiable man whose only goal was to contribute to Europe’s revival. I am sure that he would be very proud to see that his dream is still alive, as the EU received the Nobel Peace Prize this very year.
Children of two doctors, Mary Robinson grew up in County Mayo. After brilliant law studies in Trinity College and Harvard University, she became a barrister for a prestigious firm. Her political career started in 1979, when she served for the Dublin City Council until 1979. After that, she got elected as an independent candidate in 1969 to become a member of the Seanad. She brought the issues surrounding contraception and homosexuality and their legality to the fore, yesterday was the first of December which is the International Day of AIDS) or on Homosexuals rights. She ran for the presidency in 1990 and was elected the same year. As president of the Republic or Ireland, Mary Robinson has been the cause of many liberal reforms throughout the country, especially for individual’s rights and liberties. Even though she resigned from her position as president, she was still involved in politics and human rights. In 1997, she became the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and chaired many World Conferences, mainly dealing with racism and racial discrimination. She is still holds influence in the international legal world, as she serves as an Honorary co-chair for the World Justice Project. She received a presidential medal of freedom from Barrack Obama in 2009 and is still very committed to the Human Rights cause and even the future of the European Union.