EYP Switzerland 20th Anniversary Brochure

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

20

th Ann覺versary brochure of EYP SwITZERLAND 1

Introduction

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

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Promoting active citizenship and intercultural understanding in Europe - that is the mission statement of the European Youth Parliament (EYP). Since 1996, volunteers have been organising debating and socialising events in Switzerland to pursue this aim. For two decades, EYP Switzerland has provide a platform for young swiss people to exchange their thoughts and ideas about the most presse issues our countries and continent are currently facing.

And in twenty years, we’ve come a long way. EYP has changed a lot over the past two decades, and so has EYP Switzerland.

We have steadily become a more professional organisation, successfully reaching out to an ever-growing network of young people all across Europe.

we do and how we became what we are today.

Read about how the team that organised our first International Session, Bern 2000, were absolute visionaries (p.12). Find out more about how teachers benefit from the EYP (p.16). Read why it is so important for EYP Switzerland to stay politically neutral (p.24). Discover the highlights of media coverage about our sessions throughout the years (p.31). Get a glimpse what is still to come by reading about the development of a long-term strategy for the organisation (p.34).

Looking back, we learn that the members of EYP Switzerland have been pioneers since the foundation of the organisation in 1996, driving innovation and quality Celebrating twenty years of existence is within the EYP community. Nowadays, an excellent opportunity to reflect, look- our organisation is an excellent National ing back and ahead.

Committee that stands Therefore, we’d like to for organisational and invite you on a journey. academic quality, poA journey from the first litical neutrality and into the 19th NSC, from clusivity. With a grow1996 to 2016, a jouring member base and ney through highs and new initiatives, EYP lows, different perspecSwitzerland will withtives and times. With out a doubt continue this anniversary broto serve the commuchure we are offering nity, contribute to the our alumni, participatinformal education of ing schools, partners young swiss people and and the interested pubinspire the people it lic a broad insight in reaches for many more our organisation, what decades to come.

Nora Wilhelm

Ich gratuliere dem Europäischen Jugend- itätsprodukten – wir verdanken sie zu parlament herzlich zu seinem 20. Geburt- einem grossen Teil auch unserer Offenstag. heit und der internationalen Vernetzung unseres Landes.

In den vergangenen Jahren durfte ich an verschiedenen Veranstaltungen des EYP Ich danke dem EYP Switzerland für seinSwitzerland auftreten und war ob der en wichtigen Beitrag zur Offenheit und professionell organisierten Parlaments- Vernetzung der Schweiz und für das konsimulationen dieser motivierten jungen tinuierliche Engagement während der Menschen immer wieder beeindruckt. letzten 20 Jahre.

Gerade in der heutigen innenpolitisch herausfordernden und aussenpolitisch Je vous remercie tous de votre engageturbulenten Zeit ist es zentral, dass sich ment important. And I wish the Europedie Jugend engagiert und sich für ihre an Youth Parliament plenty of success for Wertvorstellungen einsetzt. In der Sch- even more than the next 20 years! Grazie weiz bieten wir der jungen Generation e grazia fich! gute Perspektiven mit unserer partizipativen Demokratie, unserem dualen Bildungssystem und einem offenen Arbeitsmarkt. Unseren Wohlstand und die Truly yours, hohe Lebensqualität der Schweiz ver- Christa Markwalder danken wir nicht nur unserer Leistungs- Nationalratspräsidentin 2015/16 and bereitschaft und den Schweizer Qual- Supporter of the EYP Switzerland

Christa Markwalder

greetıngs

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

European Youth Parliament Switzerland, info@eyp.ch, www.eyp.ch Concept: Board of EYP Switzerland Editor: Delia Berner Layout: Tamer Özgen & Onur Can Uçarer Language check: Philip Aiolfi Photography: all rights by EYP Switzerland

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© 2016 EYP Switzerland, Bern

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

CONTENTS 6 8 10 12 14 16 17 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 31 32 34 36

Who are we, what do we do?

Non-formal education in Switzerland: The added value of EYP Founding EYP SwITZERLAND Bern 2000 - a mavericks’ legend Politics is a Serious Matter Teachers and EYP Soft Skills in EYP Evolution of the NSC as the core event of EYP Switzerland Where has EYP Switzerland BEEN? SWISS INTERNATIONAL SESSION: BASEL 2005 Neutrality in EYP Looking back at the IS Zurich 2013 Reaching Out: Regional Sessions of EYP Switzerland Wer hat’s erfunden? Qui l’a inventé? Chi le ha inventate?

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS Laax 2016: Welcome to the mountaıns Our Roadmap to Success:Creating a long-term Strategy for EYP Switzerland Call For Donatıons

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

European Youth Parliament Switzerland: Who we are and what we do 6

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

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YP Switzerland is a National Committee of the European Youth Parliament (EYP), a political education organisation with 29 years of success throughout Europe. We promote active citizenship and cultural exchange amongst European youngsters, while being politically neutral and a platform for young people to express and form their opinions. Based entirely on voluntary commitment, the European Youth Parliament is organised by the young people for the young people.

Our goals are an intense exchange of ideas between young people from all over Europe and the promotion of international cooperation and intercultural understanding. We are an opportunity for young people to discuss current issues and to develop new, visionary ideas and solutions to current problems.

In order to achieve these goals we organise parliamentary simulations, EYP sessions, for young Europeans on a regional, national and international level. EYP Switzerland annually organises four Regional Sessions of two-days each and a National Selection Conference (NSC) of five days, in total we involve over 300 Swiss students every year. After attending an NSC the students can further develop their skills by applying to International Sessions as well as National and Regional Sessions abroad.

The programme of every EYP session is composed of three central elements.

TEAMBUILDING The session delegates are divided into Committees. Most of their time at the session is spent in these Committees, where they first formulate and then defend their solutions to current problems. To prepare the delegates for the subsequent debates, they are first confronted with a series of different tasks to increase the Committee’s cohesion. This Teambuilding includes problem-solving exercises, creative tasks or activities that help participants

overcome their initial contact inhibitions and get to know one another. Throughout Teambuilding, the Committee is led by an experienced alumnus of the EYP, the Chairperson.

COMMITTEE WORK During this central phase of the session the delegates discuss the current problem assigned to their committee. Under the guidance of their Chairperson, the delegates first try to grasp the dimensions of the problem before developing their suggested solutions - often in lively debates - and finally formalising these in a resolution.

By the end of Committee Work, each participant has become well acquainted with the topic and agreed on a solution with the other delegates. This session element strengthens the delegates’ ability to understand and discuss a political topic as well as work in a group.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY Towards the end of the session, each committee presents its resolution during the General Assembly. Delegates not only have to know their own resolutions well but also acquaint themselves with the work of the other committees in order to debate and challenge their solutions. Each committee defends its own resolution whilst the others have the chance to attack them or question controversial clauses. At the end of each debate, the resolution is voted on by the entire assembly. After the session, the successful resolutions are passed on to interested authorities.

The sessions also offer various social activities and evening events that allow participants to share their culture with each other or just blow off steam after a long day of debating. Usually the highlights include Eurovillage where each delegation prepares a table with food and drinks from their country. Another event is also the Euroconcert during which participants perform on stage and provide the entertainment for one evening.

Why they do EYP? “I do EYP because it makes me feel connected to people that I would usually not get to know, be it from my region, from Switzerland or from all over Europe.” Allegra Margelisch (19) “EYP makes me see our generation differently, it makes me believe that if we really want to change things we can.”

Mallorie Dominé (17) “EYP challenged me in so many ways. Looking back now, I feel lucky to have been presented with such a lot of opportunities!”

Matthieu Loup (24)

“EYP made me a better person - I became more open-minded and especially more confident. Also, it is crazy how quickly many strangers become close friends.”

Jan Ruflin (17)

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

THE T OU B A or h t au

Name & Age Ueli Staeger, 26

Profession/current job: PhD student and teaching assistant, Graduate Institute of Interna-tional and Development Studies, Geneva

Active in EYP from 2007 to 2014 Role in EYP Switzerland: President of EYP Switzerland 2011-2014

The furthest you travelled for EYP: Lviv, Ukraine

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NON-FORMAL EDUCATION IN SWITZERLAND:

THE ADDED VALUE OF EYP

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utsiders sometimes view the EYP’s methods sceptically. The combination of energetic teambuilding games and the strictly formal parliamentary setting of General Assembly seem contradictory. But the point of EYP’s approach is precisely this refreshing, structured combination. EYP is thus neither formal, nor informal: EYP uses a non-formal methodology.

that make sense of the world.

Why do we care about education policy?

Could EYP not just ‘do its thing’ without caring about the problems of formal education? Not if it wants to realise its full potential.

Government education policy matters for EYP: The recognition of non-formal education as an important educational methodology is key for EYP’s methods to be appreciated by schools, parents, students but also fundraising partners. An appreciation of non-formal education also helps to network between different actors of the field. Most importantly, recognising the strategic importance of non-formal But what is the state of non-formal edu- education helps to create stronger, stracation in Switzerland? This piece argues tegic links between formal educational EYP makes a unique contribution to the institutions and the non-formal activities Swiss education landscape, whereas more of EYP. progress at recog-nising and validating non-formal education is needed.

What the EU can teach Switzerland What is non-formal education?

Official recognition and support of non-formal education is arguably too Put simply, non-formal education is an weak in European national education innovative way to structure learning strategies. This problem is not just a processes. It is tailor-made for its partic- Swiss one. With the exception of perhaps ipants and for the goals of an organisa- the Netherlands, many of European countion. Non-formal education can focus on tries are only slowly embracing non-foralmost anything. Its structured nature is mal education. what matters, as it recombines for-mal and informal elements among its meth- Switzerland is currently overhauling ods. its further education laws (Weiterbildungsgesetz). The draft bill is promisBroadly speaking, non-formal education ing in acknowledging the importance of focuses on skills such as organisational non-formal education, but it does so only manage-ment, teamwork, intercultural in the context of adult life-long learning. awareness and leadership. But beyond Non-formal learning hence only mat-ters such marketable human capital, it is also for employability. about creating social capital – for young people to become active, caring citizens The Council of the European Union takes EYP’s non-formality brings together the best of two worlds: informality and formality join their forces. Broadened awareness of group dynamics, a versatile toolkit of group work methods, and the interplay of formal and informal elements make for a unique non-formal educational approach.

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland a bolder stance. In 2012, it recommended for its member states to implement arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning without a direct link to employability. The EU’s Youth in Action programme, through which EYP Switzerland implements many of its projects, reflects this strategic ori-entation: Non-formal education should be supported on its own merits.

cation. In the report Zukunft Bildung Schweiz, the Swiss Academy of Arts and Sciences argues that by 2030, non-formal and collaborative learning complete each other, and that non-formal learning is a significant methodology in lifelong learning.

What are implications for EYP’s strategy? Doubtlessly, further qualitative and quantitative growth of EYP Switzerland will depend crucially on the What EYP can teach Switzerland Swiss political and educational scene appreciating the EYP’s unique approach to non-formal education.

The Swiss education scene distinguishes itself EYP is not a simple simu-lation of the EU; it uses through a dual system of university and ap-prentice- non-formal methods to teach young people about ship education. But beyond this, EYP Switzerland the EU and oth-er international politics. This disshows how non-formal educa-tion is not just about tinction will be pivotal in positioning EYP Switzeremployability or soft skills. land as the leading youth organisation for political education.

EYP chairpersons regularly ask a simple why? in their work. EYP teaches its officials about the stages of group development, on giving feedback and how to debrief a group, on spur-ring creativity in the committee work phase. EYP also develops its delegates’ ability to de-liver for captivating public presentations. In short, EYP supports employability – but it does more than that too.

By focusing on European politics, the EYP uses non-formal methodology for political educa-tion.

This is unique in Switzerland. EYP therefore reminds us that non-formal methods can be used in many ways, not least to sharpen young people’s political minds. Non-formal education is thus not just about employment-relevant lifelong education, but political edu-cation.

The ultimate frontier for EYP Switzerland still is the classroom. Today’s digital natives have high demands towards pedagogues. Here, non-formal education can complement tradi-tional and monotonous teaching formats. Through closer cooperation with schools, EYP Switzerland will make a lasting change not just outside, but also inside Swiss classrooms.

Conclusion

Far-sighted foresights of Switzerland’s education landscape recognise the need for non-formal edu-

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

Founding European Youth Parliament Switzerland 10

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

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UT THE aut ho r

B

efore 1996 the participation of Swiss students at the EYP sessions was a privilege to the students of the high schools of Thun and Interlaken. The teachers from both schools alternated in leading the classes from both high schools to the sessions.

But it wasn’t always easy for the teachers to organise these delegations, so after the Helsinki session in 1996 some students from Interlaken founded EYP Switzerland. We were infected by the virus of EYP and some students also dreamed of an International Session in Switzerland, in particular Martin Camenisch and Niklaus Berger.

At a dinner at Niklaus’ home, EYP Switzerland was founded. But the question of who would be the president remained., Neither Martin nor Niklaus wanted to take on that role, so I held up my hand as I did not want this idea to stop. Furthermore I knew that everybody would help to keep the spirit of EYP going and maybe I was a daredevil.

As the board had a flat hierarchy, it provided me with great support and together we managed the groundwork of establishing EYP Switzerland as a National Committee of the EYP. We also successfully extended the opportunity of participating in EYP to other schools in Switzerland. First, we contact-

Name & Age

ed as many high school classes as possible to become future delegations. They didn’t come to a session, but they got a visit from us! The delegation had to solve tasks, which we evaluated, and in the end we picked the best delegation to go to the International Session. Later delegations were invited to Bern for the same selection procedure, before we started with National Sessions in 1998 in La-Chauxde-Fonds.

But the greatest task was to set up the first International Session in Bern 2000.

I guess all members agree that all our dreams came true with this session in the Federal Palace in Bern. The team building weekend took place in Thun and a cold boat trip on the Aare river brought the delegates to Bern. The week was perfectly organised and the icing on the cake was Martin Camenisch as the president of the session.

Already before the International Session in Bern my time as EYP Switzerland’s president had ended. EYP was and is a great idea from young people for young people. So after a successful start the board members one by one passed on the responsibility to the next generation. It’s exciting to see how EYP Switzerland has grown and still lives the spirit.

I’d like to thank all the Swiss members of the first board and the organising team of the International Session in Bern 2000.

Stefan Bürki, 39 Profession & Current Job

Gym and geography teacher OS Progymatte Thun, Co-Coordinator of the Arts and Sports classes Role in EYP Switzerland

President EYP Switzerland 19961999 The furthest you travelled for EYP Helsinki, Finland

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

THE T OU B A or h t au

Name & Age: Martin Camenisch 38 Profession/current job: Head of Human Resources at a Swiss Post Real Estate Ltd.

Active in the EYP from 1995 to 2000/2003

Role in EYP Switzerland: Session President and Co-Head Organiser of Bern2000. First National Co-ordinator and founding member of EYP Switzerland.

The furthest you travelled for EYP: Riga, Latvia

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BERN 2000

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e founded EYP Switzerland in 1996 as Europe’s first alumni-only national committee; that was back in the days when EYP was mostly managed by teachers, many of whom rather frowned upon the idea of young people in charge.

We were mavericks, and we were proud of it. Thus, when we introduced our new national conference mode, we deviated from received wisdom and created a real EYP experience for the delegates. We abolished the idea that selection should be done merely on the basis of debating in GA. We introduced committee work as part of the selection process, we introduced Swiss Village, we hosted a concert, and we invited international EYPers to come and act as chairs, board members and jury members. The whole idea of the Swiss National Conference was a novelty, which was later adopted by many other countries. Imagine going to a selection conference and there’s only GA. That’s largely what it was like before we began to change it.

Now when it came to organising our first

international session, just hosting a good event wasn’t enough, hosting a great one wasn’t either. We were mavericks and we were going to show the EYP establishment what alumni could do. In other words, we wanted nothing less than a legend.

We chose the iconic year 2000, the millennium year, which back then conveyed a sense of new horizons to come. Now, I don’t know what the organisation of EYP sessions is like today, but back in the 90s, many international sessions were rather badly organised, some of them bordering on the catastrophic (I was once involved in managing to avert all the participants of an international session being chucked out of a youth hostel, for instance).

In Bern, things were smooth and seamless, like Swiss clockwork. We did two days’ teambuilding in Gwatt on Lake Thun and river-rafted with 250 people down the Aare to Bern – a rather novel way of transporting EYPers. When delegates arrived in our newly built four-star hotel in the city, they were given their room keys and found their luggage waiting for them

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

A Maverick’s Tale in their rooms, a feat that gave our organisers back-aches for shifting over five tons of luggage, but also an enormous sense of pride. Every day, delegates returning from committee work or GA would find a present from one of our sponsors or from EYP Switzerland on their beds. We installed a large work of art in Bern’s city centre to signal the presence of EYP to the people of the city. We did GA in the Swiss Parliament and the farewell party on the Gurten, Bern’s local mountain. And we got so much press coverage that the President of the Federal Council, who had originally refused our invitation, called us one day during the session to ask whether we would still have him. Naturally we did.

For a few years after Bern, those who had attended the session still considered it legendary,

which is why we were called upon to go and consult organisers of future sessions around Europe. Naturally, we wanted EYP Switzerland to continue as an alumni organisation, which is why none of the founders have been involved in the organisation of the international sessions in Basel or Zurich; we considered ourselves too old to stay involved. And I for one am proud to see that EYP Switzerland still flourishes, many EYP generations after the original maver-

ick years, not knowing perhaps about its proud beginnings, not knowing that in the old days, we returned from international sessions with typed address lists and started to write not emails, but letters.

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

THE T OU B A or h t au

POLITICS Is a Serıous matter

Name & age: Florian Schlittler, 34 Profession & Current Job Teacher at Gymnasium Kirchenfeld, Berne Active in the EYP since 2011 The furthest I traveled for EYP: Braga, Portugal

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“Politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians”, stated the former French general and president, Charles de Gaulle. Politics is also too serious a matter to be left to adults. Youth have to become interested in politics, take an active part in reviewing and amending policies, seize the mantle and participate in social change. EYP offers a platform for young people and promotes youth and participatory politics. There are (at least) three reasons why teachers support EYP: First of all, EYP helps students improve their English skills in an immersive situation. According to the linguist and educational researcher Stephen Krashen, good language learning takes place in a low anxiety atmosphere and the language input should always be more advanced than a student’s current level in the target language. EYP fulfils both criteria. On the one hand, teambuilding activities and the commitment of the organisers guarantee a relaxed environment, in which the students are allowed to make mistakes. On the other hand, the chairs make sure that the delegates understand complex and demanding issues and help the students shape their speeches and improve their debating skills. In other words, EYP is an opportunity

for the students to use their English in a stress-free but proficiency-oriented and academic context.

Secondly, EYP is applied civic education in a non-formal context. It is the duty of every history and civic education teacher to make sure that the students are capable of participating in democratic processes as critical citizens.

However, it is often difficult to achieve this goal in a classroom context. EYP adds to that and, as a parliamentary simulation, gives the students a realistic taste of a politician’s functions and work within the legislation process. Discussing, writing, defending and passing resolutions provide a unique and authentic learning experience in a non-conventional setting. Thus, EYP is the perfect addition to education guided and organised by a formal curriculum and encourages active citizenship.

Thirdly, whereas school tends to lay the focus on hard skills, EYP also fosters important soft skills. Being a delegate requires a high degree of interpersonal skills, such as problem solving, negotiation, decision making, assertiveness or verbal and non-verbal communication. Critical thinking, team work, time management and flexibility are further soft skills that are crucial both at university

and in professional life. To put it another way, delegates are encouraged to leave their comfort zone, they learn not to lose their cool in heated debates and they should be good listeners but also make sure that their voice is heard. These individual qualities are constantly trained at regional and national EYP events but the ultimate goal is to raise global awareness and international understanding. For the most talented students, selected by the jury, the EYP experience does not stop at the national level. Networking, transnational dialogue and interna-

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

tional collaboration is best practised at international sessions. This is not only true for the students but also for the chaperoning teachers, who benefit from both national and international exchange with their colleagues. In a nutshell, EYP teaches key soft skills and broadens the students’ horizons.

In conclusion, it can be said that a teacher can mark historical thinking or the knowledge of the political institutions. A teacher can talk about living in the global village and describe other cultures and lifestyles. A teacher can repeat that “the government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are … the voters of this country”, as Franklin

D. Roosevelt once stated. However, a teacher cannot force the students to participate in political processes. A teacher cannot make decisions for the students or compel students to think globally.

A teacher cannot protect the students from alienation and disillusionment.

That is why teachers profit from the help of a non-formal, low-anxiety setting like EYP, which puts learning into context and takes a different approach towards politics. “Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics will not take an interest in you” is a quote attributed to the Athenian statesmen Pericles. Bearing his words in mind, the EYP teachers are grateful for what EYP Switzerland has

done for the last 20 years and they hope that EYP Switzerland will continue to help students take an interest in politics for at least another 20 years.

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

THE T OU B A or h t au

Name & Age Cyrill Engeli, 40 Profession & Current Job

Teacher at Alte Kantonsschule Aarau

Active in the EYP since 2009 The furthest you travelled for EYP: Locarno, Switzerland

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TEACHERS &EYP

“W

hat exactly is my role?” is probably the most frequently asked question by teachers new to EYP. And there are as many answers to this question as there are participating teachers. Above all, we are ‘enablers’, enthusiastic about bringing young people together and watching them learn, helping out with the odd handkerchief or USB cable during sessions and giving a hint or two while preparing for the sessions at school.

While students come, climb and finally fly, teachers are here to stay. We ourselves form some sort of ‘delegation’ forged by many hours of teambuilding – even in the absence of a bunker. And when the first information about session dates is released, we already look forward to seeing each other again – and again!

Learning in the real world for the real world – this is the promise for students participating in EYP. Although teachers quite often are convinced that school is part of the real world as well, students are not always that sure. EYP provides them with a credible field for real world training.

Moreover, it gives teachers insights how learning is achieved: together in teams, in fair competition, and with some help by those with more experience.

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

Softskills in EYP What alumni of EYP Switzerland learnt in EYP and now apply in their jobs

01

Andreas Juchli, 38, CEO JDMT Medical Services AG

“In the EYP I learnt to share personal views and to find solutions that work for all parties. Now I use this experience whenever working on intensive projects.”

Ulrich Gloor, 35, lawyer & police offıcer

02

“In the EYP I learnt to cross borders. Now I’m involved in four-nation cooperation.”

03

Britta Gruenig Castelli, 33, UBS Dialogue

“In EYP I learnt to chair working groups with participants from across Europe – today I design and facilitate dialogue platforms for next generation members from the wealthiest families across the globe.”

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

Evolution of the NSC as the core event of EYP Switzerland Much has changed since EYP was first introduced in Switzerland – not only for the organisation itself, but especially for its core event of the year, the National Selection Conference (NSC). Today, the NSC and its further events enable hundreds of students from Switzerland to get in touch with the political process.

Back in 1997, with two schools participating and a Swiss officials and organizing team, the first NSC resembled today’s mainly in the excitement – and the unknown – about European politics.

Over time the pillars of today’s NSCs were built to develop the NSC into the amazing platform and starting point for so many EYP careers and truly great friendships it is today.

GO BIGGER!

With the increasing popularity amongst schools the numbers of participants of the NSC has been steadily growing. This turned the NSC from a “pro forma” event to qualify for an IS into an actual competition amongst Swiss schools to participate in an international EYP event.

Being somewhat limited by the capacity of the traditional EYP-accommodation – the Swiss air-raid shelters (and of course the number of committees to fit into a one day General Assembly) – schools now have to qualify to attend a NSC. In 2012, Regional Sessions – two-days events in Berne, Basel, Zurich and Lausanne, were introduced to allow more students to experience

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the EYP-experience.

And also, in 2011, for the first time in EYP Switzerland history, two revolutionary head organisers invited the participants to stay at a luxurious youth hostel for an NSC. Nowadays, EYP Switzerland hosts almost 200 students per NSC from all over Switzerland.

GO GREATER!

Not only the locations and participants evolved over time, but also the format and quality of the NSC. The first NSC only being a GA held by two schools, EYP Switzerland in the early 2000s had become a leading example of how to organize a NSC. Team building, Committee work and General Assembly had become part of the official program. In 2007, committees were no longer made up of school classes but of students from different schools allowing experiencing the team building and friendship building already at an NSC.

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland GO GLOBAL! Last but not least, the NSC experience today lets its participants dive into the global spirit and perspective that can be found at any international EYP event from the first day. In the beginning, the officials team consisted of almost 99% Swiss or international EYP-friends from the organising team.

Today, officials make up the majority of the officials team and international schools mingle amongst Swiss students at NSC. Finally, not only are the participants selected for two International Sessions, but also for many other international forums, conferences and events, thus enabling even more

Swiss students the international experience of EYP.

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UT THE aut ho rs

Name, age: Kathrin Loppacher, 29 years (left) Profession/current job: PR-assistant at alea iacta pr & communications Active in EYP from 2003 to 2011 Role in EYP Switzerland: President 20092011

GENEVA 2016 20th National Selection Conference of EYP Switzerland •5 days, 120 delegates •Taking place in the city of Geneva, 6th -11th September 2016 •Head-Organised by Alexander

Apostolov and Tarik Lazouni, both 19 •A core team of 12 organisers •Partnered with the high schools André-Chavanne, Calvin and Rous seau

The furthest you travelled for EYP: Tampere, Finland Name, age: Kathrin Munz, 28 years Profession/current job: Project Manager at Genioo AG Active in EYP from 2004 to 2010 Role in EYP Switzerland: Board Member for Communications The furthest you travelled for EYP: Stavanger, Norway

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

WHERE HAs EYP Sw覺tzerland BEEN? Le-chaux de fonds

schaffhausen 2002 - 5th National Selection Conference

of EYP CH munchenste覺n 2003 - 6th National Selection Conference

of EYP CH 2007 - 11th National Selection Conference

of EYP CH

1998 - 1st National Selection Conference

of EYP CH

aarau

2012 - 16th NSC of EYP CH

basel

solothurn 2004 - 7th NSC of EYP CH

2005 - 49th International Session of EYP 2010 - 10th National Selection Conference

of EYP CH 2012 - GA Day 2014 - GA Day 2015 - Regional Session of EYP CH 2016 - Regional Session of EYP CH

Bern 2000 - 34th International Session of EYP 2012 - GA Day 2013 - GA Day 2014 - GA Day 2015 - Regional Session of EYP CH 2015 - 19th National Selection Conference of EYP Switzerland 2016 - Regional Session of EYP CH

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nyon 2006 - 9th NSC of EYP CH

lausanne 2016 - Regional Session of EYP CH

geneva

2012 - GA Day 2013 - GA Day 2014 - GA Day 2015 - Regional Session of EYP CH 2016 - 20th National Selection Con- ference of EYP CH

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

w覺nterthur 2000 - 3rd National Selection Conference

of EYP CH

Romanshorn 1999 - 2nd National Selection Conference of EYP CH 2005 - 8th National Selection Conference of EYP CH 2013 - 17th National Selection Conference of EYP CH

st. gallen 2012 - GA Day 2013 - GA Day

Sch覺ers

laax 2016 - 83rd International Session of EYP

2001 - 4th National Selection

Conference of EYP CH

zur覺ch 覺nterlaken 2009 - 13th National Selection Conference of EYP CH

2013 - 73rd International Session of EYP 2014 - GA Day 2015 - Regional Session of EYP CH 2016 - Regional Session of EYP CH

locarno

fribourg

2011 - 15th National Selection Conference of EYP CH

2008 - 12th National Selection Conference of EYP CH 2014 - 18th National Selection Conference of EYP CH

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

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Swiss International Session

B A S EL 2 005 T he famous and successful International Session in Bern 2000 did in many terms define the best practice example for any international session of the European Youth Parliament at the time. Evidently EYP Switzerland took its time before deciding that we were ready for another session in Switzerland. But finally a team of young and motivated EYPers came together to once again raise the bar for international sessions across Europe.

As the head organiser team, including CĂŠline Baumgartner, Melanie Raouzeos, Samuel Sieber and Men Keller, all university students at the time, we quickly decided that Basel would form the ideal city for the next International Session in Switzerland. But we were very conscious that to bring another memorable session to Switzerland meant to become innovative within the traditional framework of an EYP Session.

One of the main specialties of Basel 2005 was that we didn’t remain in Basel or in Switzerland, but that we brought all the 250 partic-

ipants to Feldberg in Germany for the Teambuilding.

Spending two days in the beautiful black forest, Basel 2005 became one of the first multi country sessions in EYP history. Additionally and for the first time, experts in the area of the committee topic supported the committee work and committees in their efforts and work. Spending almost half a day with the committee these experts represented not only departments of the national or cantonal government, NGOs and university professors but also foreign embassy officials and representatives from major companies.

As the head organisers we started almost two years prior to the Session with the organisation of the event but very early took other students and help on board to form a large team of 26 organisers. Joining from four different countries, we formed also one of the first multinational organising teams. From the beginning the team made an effort to build up a professional project management with clear responsibilities and struc-

ture. Also we paid special attention to the needs of the organisers and that it would also be fun and a learning experience for them.

One of the main challenges for any session and also for us was acquiring enough funds to run a smooth session. In the absence of one big sponsor we managed to bring together a large group of medium to small sponsors and donors from several federal institutions, foundations to cantonal and municipal bodies as well as three big pharmaceutical companies of Basel.

Learning how to build up a network and create useful connections through official and unofficial channels help us to acquire many services and sponsorship in kind that helped us control the spending.

The Session became a great success and the participants enjoyed the hot and beautiful Basel summer. But for us organisers the session became more than just a nice event, it became one of the biggest experiences for our future lives with many positive but also some tough and hard teachings.

UT THE aut ho r

Name & age: Men Fadri Keller, 35

Profession/current job: Commercial Cold Drink Equipment Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland

Active in the EYP from 1999 to 2007 Role in EYP Switzerland: Vice-President 2002-2003, CoHead Organiser Swiss International Session Basel 2005

The furthest you travelled for EYP: Tallinn, Estonia and Stavanger, Norway

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20th 20th Anniversary Anniversary Brochure Brochure of of European European Youth Youth Parliament Parliament Switzerland Switzerland

THE T OU B A or h t au

Name & age: Yannick Weber, 19 Profession/current job: law student

Active in the EYP since 2012 Role in EYP Switzerland: Board Member for External Affairs since 2014

The furthest you travelled for EYP: Joensuu, Finland

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Neutrality in EYP Since the rejection of an accession to the European Economic Area in a popular vote in 1992, the Swiss public has become increasingly sceptic towards pan-European projects.

What does this mean for the development of EYP in Switzerland?

When talking about the European Youth Parliament in Switzerland, probably the most frequently heard association is that the project is closely related to the European Union.

Much like the prominent confusion between the European Council and the Council of Europe, there is rarely a distinction between European and EU projects in the Swiss public perception. The EYP in Switzerland is often mistaken as an organisation promoting closer ties between Switzerland and the EU, or even an accession. But EYP aims to be as neutral as Switzerland does in international politics.

The organisation promotes dialogue between young people from all over Europe and creates a platform for personal development. The EYP is a parliamentary simulation sui generis, where young people discuss political issues of transnational relevance. We offer political education without political content, and exactly therein lies one of the EYP’s main strengths, namely that it enables young people to broaden their horizon and develop and voice their own – informed – opinion.

The European dimension of the EYP is key to what we do – where else could a Swiss teenager discuss the future of our continent with young people from Ukraine or Latvia? But the E in EYP can be somewhat of an obstacle.

Popular initiatives from the far right have led to increased scepticism towards any type of project on a pan-European scale and posed an unexpected obstacle in EYP Switzerland’s fundraising with the end of the Erasmus+ programme for Switzerland in February 2014, which used to provide grants to youth projects for political education.

In a neutral country, the neutrality of the EYP is rarely ever questioned. This strict commitment is essential to achieve the goals we set ourselves: participants in our sessions should find their own stance on policy issues, they should not be force-fed someone else’s world

20th 20th Anniversary Anniversary Brochure Brochure of European of European Youth Youth Parliament Parliament Switzerland Switzerland

view. It is especially important to allow room to be critical of supranational organisations such as the European Union – its existence might be a political reality influencing the way problems are addressed on a European level, but being educational rather than political, it is not the EYP’s role to provide any type of value judgements in national or international policy fields.

In 2015, the Board of National Committees (BNC) of the EYP, the forum where all the national EYPs convene to discuss the future of the organisation, decided on a new communications policy, standardising all the logos of the National Committees to only include a formation of stars, not the shape of the country however, as it was the case in our current logo.

The new logo’s aesthetic qualities are up for debate, but what concerned us in the decision was that it clearly references to the star formation also found on the EU flag and thereby can evoke the association that the EYP is, in fact, an EU Youth Parliament. The “special case” of Switzerland as a non-EU member makes it especially important for us not to be mistaken as promoters of European integration. Be it in fundraising or delegate recruitment, wrongfully viewing the EYP as a political organisation tends to prevent involvement and contact with the numerous possibilities it offers as an educational youth project.

However much the individuals involved in our association are political, EYP itself is not.

Working in an international team while learning about political processes first-hand is a unique experience regardless of one’s political stance. Fortunately, it is for this reason that the European Youth Parliament Switzerland will continue its story for at least another 20 years.

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

THE T OU B A or h t au

ABO

UT THE aut ho r

Name & age:

Name & age:

Philip Aiolfi, 23

Felix Kurer, 24

Profession & Current Job

Student of Arabic and Development Studies

Active in the EYP from 2010 to 2014 Role in EYP Switzerland: Co-Head Organiser IS Zurich 2013

The furthest he travelled for EYP: Lillehammer, Norway

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LOOK T A K ING BAC IS ZURICH 2013

F

elix and I were head organisers together in 2011 for the NSC, which forged a great working dynamic between us. We managed to assemble an excellent organising team we did not want to disband once the session had finished. The accumulated knowledge from the mistakes and successes of that NSC was our starting point. We wanted to keep the team as active members of EYP Switzerland and keep the momentum going for the next project. This and our own ambitions fuelled us to pursue the chance to host an international session again for the first time in eight years.

Both of us hoped to start changing the perception of organisers within EYP Switzerland, namely from struggling to get enough team members to having the luxury of select-

ing from a pool of organisers.

It was our understanding that while academic work and social connections in EYP remain key aspects of the whole organisation, the skills and reward in being part of an organising team were worth equal merit. During the 18 months leading up to the session we tried to keep as many organisers involved in the process so as make it a learning experience not just for us two head organisers but also for future EYPers.

Ultimately, the IS Zurich 2013 was a complete success and we are able to look back proudly.

Furthermore, we are extremely happy to see that the IS Zurich gave some of our team members the ambition and foundations to carry on into the future with the IS Laax 2016.

Profession & Current Job

Student of English, Business and Economics Active in the EYP from 2009 to 2013

Role in EYP Switzerland: Co-Head Organiser IS Zurich 2013

The furthest he travelled for EYP: Lillehammer, Norway

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

THE T OU B A or h t au

Reach覺ng out:

Reg覺onal Sess覺ons of EYP Sw覺tzerland

Name & age: Lukas Bock (22) Profession & Current Job:

Medical student Active in EYP since 2009

Role in EYP Switzerland: Board Member for National Events and Regional Structure 2012-2015 Furthest EYP destination:

Istanbul, Turkey

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hilst having grown in the number of members, EYP Switzerland until 2012 mainly consisted of a confined group of active schools that kept taking part in the annual National Selection Conference (NSC) on a regular basis.

In an attempt to reach out more inclusively to new schools in other regions (apart from the then-hot spot Basel), the idea of hosting regional one-day sessions in four Swiss cities came up. EYP Switzerland had never been fond of an overly competitive and selective system at its sessions. So instead of a concept which established regional sessions as pre-selective events for the National Selection Conference an alternative was chosen which promoted the four regional sessions in Basel, Bern, Geneva and St. Gallen as separate events from the NSC. School delegations were attributed a committee topic, alongside with two resolutions on the same topic which were diverging regarding the measures they suggested; the delegation was afterwards free to choose which resolution they would wanted to defend. At the session itself, the delegations took part in a short team building to familiarise themselves with the at times unconventional working methods of EYP whereas the rest of the day was dedicated to general assembly, where the delegations debated the resolutions they had chosen. A jury granted a wild card to one well-performing delegation, allowing it to attend the upcoming NSC without having to take part in the regular application process of the NSC.

Whilst the first two rounds of this concept in 2012 and 2013 were successful, the major downside of the concept was the lack of possibility for the delegates to fundamentally influence the resolutions they had to defend. Hence, in 2014, the concept of the regional sessions saw a gentle reform in the way that the school delegations were required to draft a resolution on the allocated topic on their own prior to the session. The sessions in Basel, Bern, Geneva and new Zurich were able to increase the number of delegates even further and were, amongst others, honoured by the patronages of Moritz Leuenberger and Christa Markwalder.

The more appealing concept might have contributed to the previously unknown problem EYP Switzerland was facing now, namely that it reached a limit in the number of delegates it could possibly accommodate at one NSC per year and had to turn down one third of all applicants to the NSC Fribourg 2014. As the regional sessions at the time were not perceived as an equivalent substitute for the experience of taking part in an NSC, the Board attempted to increase the value of the regional sessions by expanding them to two-day sessions con-

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

taining all classic session elements (team building, committee work, general assembly) and by making attending a regional session a prerequisite for applying to the NSC. On top of this, the regional sessions were attributed the unofficial role as self-selection events for the NSC: After experiencing a session to its full extent, the new concept postulated that only the more motivated and interested participants would continue within EYP by applying to the subsequent NSC. Pleasantly, the four sessions in 2015 led to a new record number of participants - and even more pleasantly, the numbers of applicants to the NSC also almost matched the number of actually available delegate spots, without the need to reject motivated delegates who had taken part in the regional sessions. In the end, the new concept managed to increase the number of delegates, resulted in more motivated delegates at the NSC - and on top of this worked completely without a jury.

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

HE T T

OU B A r o h t au

Wer hat’s erfunden?

Qui l’a inventé?

Chi le ha inventate?

T

he year was 2000, and as EYP Switzerland hosted the International Session in Bern, history was made: for the first time ever, the European Anthem was played in the Federal Palace.

Name & age: Sophie Debrunner Hall(24) Profession & Current Job:

Student of Politics and History Active in EYP since 2009 Role in EYP Switzerland: Vice President of EYP Switzerland 2011-2014 Furthest EYP destination:

Kvareli, Georgia

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EYP Switzerland’s history has been one of many firsts, many ideas and many changes which took hold not just in Switzerland, but had an impact on the network as a whole. Today, the National Session is a fixed point in the calendar of each of the 38 National Committees of the EYP. The three session elements of Teambuilding, Committee Work and General Assembly, an international chairs’ team, selection through a jury: all absolutely bog standard.

This staple is perhaps the very first of a series of Swiss quality exports to the EYP network: In 1997, National Committees selected their delegations to International Sessions in a discussion event, held in English, on the basis of which the board selected the delegation. It was in developing the 1998 selection process that the board of EYP Switzerland developed a “revolutionary concept [that] may be a big step forward towards a more EYPish selection mode...“. In their 1998 concept, they designed the National Session as a „miniIS“, complete with Ice-Breaking (todays Teambuilding), Committee Work and General Assembly, as well as SwissVillage and SwissConcert. „We have never done a National Selection like this before. No one ever has“, wrote the board of the day in their event concept.

not be underestimated. At the time, the EYP essentially was the three International Sessions, and the selection process just the gateway. But as national sessions began to crop up over Europe, there was an inevitable level shift, as the EYP experience became available to all those who went to National Sessions, not just those who went to the ISes. EYP began to spread, and its aim shifted, over time, from having an impact on select few winners to offering each and every person who reaches EYP an experience to inspire and empower them, regardless whether they attend one Regional or ten International Sessions. Today, the three International Sessions draw roughly 750 people each year. The EYP reaches 20.000.

Ever since, EYP Switzerland has continued to have an impact beyond its size in the network, questioning the status quo and pushing the organisation forward. In the Spring of 2015, the concept of summer sessions was changed radically: instead of an „alumni“ session, offering a second International Session experience to those who had already attended a Spring or Autumn IS, it was opened to new participants, whether a third school delegation or other engaged NC members. Moving from an exclusive experience for those who had already had the privilege of attending an IS to increasing the number of students given the opportunity by 50% - this was a change which well reflects and represents the greater inclusivity of the EYP today.

And the first National Committee to question the value of the long-standing „alumni session“? Die Schweizer! Les Suisses! I The impact of making the national selec- Svizzeri! tion process a session in its own right can-

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

EYP Switzerland in

Media headlines

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

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Name & age: Allegra Margelisch (19) Profession & Current Job: Student

Active in EYP since 2013 Role in EYP Switzerland: Member of the Organising Committee of Laax 2016 Regional Coordinator of Basel since 2015 Furthest EYP destination:

Larnaka, Cyprus

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Laax 2016: Welcome to the Mountains!

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n autumn 2016, EYP Switzerland will have the pleasure of hosting an International Session for the fourth time.

After organising three sessions in the larger cities of Switzerland (Bern, Basel, Zurich), we are taking European politics up to the mountains this time. “Laax 2016 – 83rd International Session of the European Youth Parliament” - a project that many people have been working on since 2014 will gather over 300 young people from all across Europe.

ly develop the idea behind the concept. For example, experts from different fields will gather together with the young participants, passing on their knowledge and informing them about ideas concerning the session theme. On their free day, delegates will have the possibility to discover the region, growing closer to nature. At the Ideas, Opportunities and Impact Fair (IOIF), the participants will get the opportunity to interact with our partners and draw inspiration for their own future projects.

When talking about sustainability and innovative solutions, it comes down to every individual contributing in order to fight issues such as climate change or food waste.

In Laax, we will strive to walk the talk and make our session as sustainable as possible. Our goal is to encourage delegates and officials to implement the acquired knowledge even after the session ends and upon their return home. Different elements have been added to the program in order to ful-

With currently 16 organisers involved in the Session, not one of them ever regretted joining the “House of the Insane”, a name for the project given by one of the organisers, Manfredi Danielis (IT). According to Nora, there are not many downsides to head organising an IS: “I would say the

Even though Laax 2016 is an International Session, its concept and the idea behind the theme differ a lot from a standard IS. Participants will not only be a part of Laax 2016, they are encouraged to actively shape the session. With the theme of the session being “Young and Innovative Ideas for a Sustainable Future”, measures will be taken in order to ameliorate our society.

Who, if not young Europeans, should be focusing on how we can make our world a better place?

With Head Organising an International Session being a challenging and time-consuming task, one question comes to mind: How did it all begin? Sometimes university exams can deliver great ideas. Nora Wilhelm, the Head Organiser of Laax 2016 tells us about the time when she had the idea for Laax: “I think we have all experienced how when you’re most supposed to focus on something, you suddenly get very inspired for pretty much anything else. So, as I was pondering over some law texts in June 2014, I suddenly thought about how Switzerland should host an International Session again in the upcoming years.”

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

ABO

UT THE aut ho r

© Gürkan Sengün

hardest part is probably the pressure and responsibility, since we have made a big commitment to the EYP community. After all, through organising Laax we’re shaping the experience and also the impression people will have of our organisation.” So what makes Nora get up all energised and excited for another day of organising? “It is so beautiful and inspiring to see it all come together, to see an idea grow into a real life project. The organising team is a bit like a family to me, all giving their best and contributing in their own way to making Laax 2016 the best possible experience for everyone.”

Laax 2016 will, indeed, be a very special session. Not only has an EYP session never been so high(ped) up, its participants will also take big and small actions to contribute to a more sustainable future. How? Amongst others with recycling, lots of walking and reducing the amount of CO2 emissions caused by the food we eat. We hope to create a truly special atmosphere of innovation and change-making that channels the energy of all participants and allows them to explore new ideas. Interested? All the alumni of EYP Switzerland will get the chance to have a look at the world of Laax 2016. The Gala Dinner held on the last night of the session will also be the EYP Switzerland’s 20th Anniversary Party.

With this being said, we would like to finish with another quote from our lovely Head Organiser: “Let us be the House of the Insane then, and let us see how many crazy ideas Laax 2016 can make come true!”

Name & age: Kate Gurevich (19) Profession & Current Job: Student

Facts&Figures Laax 2016 83rd International Session of the EYP

Dates: 7-16 October 2016 Number of Participants: 330 Number of Committees: 15 Meters above the Sea Level: up to 3028m Number of lakes in the region: 8 Length of ski pistes: 235 km

Active in EYP since 2014 Role in EYP Switzerland: Member of the Organising Committee of Laax 2016 Regional Coordinator of Basel since 2015 Furthest EYP destination: İzmir, Turkey

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

HE T T

OU B A r o h t au

Our Roadmap to Success: Creating a long-term Strategy for EYP Switzerland

Name & age: Nora Wilhelm (22) Profession & Current Job:

Student of International Affairs at the University of St. Gallen Active in EYP since 2011 Role in EYP Switzerland: President 2014-16 Head Organiser of Laax 2016 Furthest EYP destination:

Larnaka, Cyprus

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S

trategy is defined as “a detailed plan for achieving success” by Cambridge Dictionaries. It is a key word in almost every organisational context, yet it often is forgotten in youth organisations like the EYP. The main reason for this is that we are balancing limited resources with high aims, trying to achieve a lot on a day-to-day basis whilst working exclusively with volunteers. This leads us to mainly focus on what needs to be done in the right-now in order to make our annual key projects such as the Regional and National Sessions happen. Whilst this is understandable in our context, it’s also important to realise that leaving strategic thinking out of the picture will lead to incremental innovation, at best. If we focus on doing as good or ideally better than last year, we won’t fundamentally change anything, unless it happens by accident. If we keep going without knowing exactly what our long-term aim is, we won’t take the bold steps that are needed today to ever reach it. Hence, now that EYP Switzerland has reached a level of stability where it is possible to look beyond the day-to-day business and turn to the future outlook, it is time to start thinking in more strategic terms.

As the definition introduces, any strategy has two main parts, a plan and an objective (success). Hence, strategic work requires the leadership of the organisation to ask themselves the fundamental question of what the aim is, what success applied to this organisation means, and then to work out how to get there. However, any solid roadmap to success first requires a thorough analysis of the status quo. In order to see where there is room for improvement and what needs to be done in order to achieve any ambitious goal in the future, the current situation needs to be taken into consideration and built upon.

For the 2014 Board, this meant thinking about

what EYP is, what exactly we were trying to achieve and evaluating how well we’d been doing so far. At the first Board weekend that took place in Fribourg shortly after the AGM, we started by defining our vision for EYP Switzerland by asking ourselves where we would like to see the organisation in 20 years. We did this in a creative and abstract way first, by drawing an EYP Switzerland house that included symbolic elements defining it. We drew professionalism, fun, our impact.

From this, we deduced general goals and brainstormed measures that could be taken to reach them. We had in-depth discussions about important choices that would change EYP Switzerland as we know it. Although these first steps of strategic work were not translated into a formal strategy, they inspired a lot of changes, some of which have been fundamental to the progress and growth we made. One example is the introduction of EYP Switzerland drinking cups, an important step towards making our work more sustainable. Another notable change for instance is the two-day format of the Regional Sessions (RS) as well as the adapted selection procedure for our National Selection Conference (NSC). This was a crucial step to be able to involve more young people from all over Switzerland, fortify our alumni base and raise the standard at our NSC. As we prepared to make this major change, the Board did not act in isolation. Indeed, once our proposal and rationale was ready, we launched an open consultation procedure in order to receive input from our members and teachers. The proposal received a lot of support and we took into account the suggestions of improvement that were made and so this major change was ready to be implemented for the RS 2015. Of course, all changes need transition and adaptation times, and we have definitely learned a lot during this first year of the new format. How-

20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland ever, as it is beginning to show results we are more than ever convinced of its potential and the positive impact it will have on EYP Switzerland in the coming years.

In 2015, the Board again convened for a weekend at the start of the year. We re-evaluated the objectives and measures suggested by the previous board, endorsed them, added additional ideas and organised them differently, thereby laying the foundations of a formal strategy for EYP Switzerland. We defined eight aims, each containing a variety of sub-goals: 1. Engaging with our alumni Our organisation lives and breathes from our alumni network. One of our most central aims is to create and uphold an interactive, fun and educational environment for our alumni within EYP Switzerland. We aim to organise as many successful socialising and academic events as possible and to offer our alumni many different opportunities to get involved within our organisation.

2. Visible and well known Especially with Europe being such a current topic, one of our main aims is to become visible and well known as a youth organisation throughout Switzerland. Our aim is to reach more of our target audience every year, thus continuously welcoming a larger new generation of highly motivated members.

3. Professional in our working processes and outcomes Our Strategy focuses not only on the external aspect of our future but we have also very much focused on what we can improve internally. We are continuously working on implementing new and more professional working procedures, achieving higher standards at our events and thereby making a better general impression.

4. Resourceful The term resources, being as broad as it is, for us, stands for the many opportunities and possibilities we have yet to discover and make use of. Ranging from financial to networking, we aim to make better use of our broad alumni network in order to develop our organisation to its full potential.

5. Cooperating closely with teachers and schools There is no EYP without the never-ending support of our many schools and the teachers that are willing to contribute their efforts to our organisation year after year. In the future we

aim to not only continue to show our full appreciation of said efforts but also to involve the schools and especially the representing teachers more intensely in the further development of EYP Switzerland as a whole.

6. Governance and values As EYP Switzerland, it is important for us that we have a clear outline or idea of what exactly it is that we stand for and what we aim to be.

We, as an organisation aim to fully incorporate our values in all our work and output. We aim to be more inclusive, accessible to more students, and informative and transparent to our alumni. We aim to create a personal atmosphere amongst our members that is motivating and empowering to them. And, of course, we aim to continue to value the principle of democracy in every aspect of our organisational work.

7. Present and active on an international level We not only aim to have a strategic and practical impact on our own network but also to be a valuable player on an international level. We aim to contribute to the international activities of EYP as actively as possible, pushing EYP forward as a whole while staying true to our interests and values.

8. Sustainable and coherent And last but not least, we want to close the gap as much as possible between what we discuss in theory in committee work and how we as an organisation behave. We aim to keep the idea of sustainability in the back of our minds at all our events and other output and further aim to act coherently throughout all that we do.

The Board of 2016, as hopefully every board to come, will take the idea of working strategically to heart. EYP Switzerland is turning 20 this year and when looking back at the way we have come so far, the development is quite astounding. By committing ourselves to a strategic working method we are committing ourselves to the many successful years of EYP to come. We are committing ourselves to the idea of EYP, namely that we as young people can in fact make a difference and that our opinion does matter. To the idea that Europe is a concept worth discovering and that we as an organisation will continue to strive to do so.

So whilst we are fondly looking back on the last 20 years of EYP Switzerland, we are just as eagerly looking forward to seeing what the next 20 will bring. After all, we are just getting started.

ABO

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Name & age: Anna Zellweger (19) Profession & Current Job:

Student of Law at the University of St. Gallen Active in EYP since 2012 Role in EYP Switzerland: Board Member for National Coordination since 2014 Candidate for President 2016 Furthest EYP destination:

İstanbul, Turkey

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20th Anniversary Brochure of European Youth Parliament Switzerland

Support EYP Switzerland!

As an exclusively volunteer-based organisation run by young people for young people, EYP Switzerland is dependent on the generous support of its donors and sponsors.

As a donor of our association, you will receive regular updates on our activities. Contributions can be made to Europ채isches Jugendparlament Schweiz, 3000 Bern CH69 0900 0000 8947 8326 1 Should you want to present your company or product at one of our sessions and are interested in entering a sponsoring agreement, please contact the board of EYP Switzerland at info@eyp.ch.

Thank you for your support!

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