Twas 8 days before Christmas, when all through the hotel
all the officials were stirring, getting to know each other well
The forms were signed by everyone with care,
in hopes that all the Officials would soon be there.
Day 0 was well and truly underway when the lobby of the A&O hostel Graz slowly filled up with the enthusiastic, lively and fabulous people we call Officials; so after a hearty lunch Teambuilding was to begin. It started off fairly basic, with name games and the Officials talking about themselves to the unofficial session mascot: Gosik the mouse. Then things got interesting as everyone put their music skills to work when challenged to make “Let it Go” a little bit more relevant to EYP. Later, the training process took place for a few hours and the day came to a close with a lovely dinner consisting mainly of, obviously, schnitzel.
On the cold and foggy morning of the 19th the Delegates were welcomed to beautiful Graz; and so began the process of turning strangers into friends through Teambuilding at Graz International Bilingual School (GIBS). Classic games such as “evolution” (with a Christmas twist of course) and “repeat after me” songs were played by all and it was then time to move to committee Teambuilding. Hours passed, smiles were shared and laughing was inevitable until the time had come to move to the town hall for the opening ceremony. The picturesque building inspired a sense of amazement and Christmas cheer all marvelled at the Christmas markets right outside and felt honoured to sit in the same places as leaders before them did. After moving speeches and even a video montage (courtesy of the “FotoGraz” media team) everyone moved into a separate room for dinner then were on the way back to the hostel for the Delegate party (organised by the media team), which was comprised mainly of “Just Dance” sessions.
Day 2 was started and one could sense the tone of excitement and focus as the Delegates moved back to GIBS to begin their resolution writing but not before a few short energisers of course. As the day progressed, the Delegates went from simply sharing their ideas and research on their topics to constructing detailed resolutions outlining how Europe should tackle the problems given. After a long day of thinking and writing, the Officials and Delegates treated themselves to a night of food from across Europe (EuroVillage) at the Greenbox. The evening ended with an impromptu karaoke session; so with bellies full and smiles on their faces, everyone went to bed and prepared for the bittersweet Day 3.
With everyone dressed in their EYP finest, the Delegates and Officials moved to the Augustinum for the much awaited General Assembly; with heated debates, powerful speeches and silly dance moves (courtesy of “Just Dance”) this was surely the highlight of the session for many as it was the first time many Delegates got a taste of the EYP experience and their excitement was evident. As the afternoon drew in, the tone became nostalgic as everyone remembered the brief yet highly enjoyable session through the Closing Ceremony and began to say their goodbyes.
All in all with over 50 participants from nine different countries, the session proved to be a massive success, resulting in fruitful debates, lasting friendships and of course, precious memories.
by Eleni-Maria Papachristodoulou
EYP Day Burgenland 2015
/in National UpdatesWith the EYP Day Burgenland, the European Youth Parliament Austria continued to expand its activities to wider audiences within the country with considerable success, as was already done in the Tyrol. The team of international officials arrived at the “Akademie der Wirtschaft” the session venue in Neusiedl am See, on December 21 to participate in a training event held by the Session President, Dennis Patriarcheas, hailing from Greece, supported by a motivated duo of Vice-Presidents. Apart from a few tiny delays on behalf of the Organising Team, the training went smoothly and everyone was finished in time to spend a relaxed evening at the Italian, chatting and getting stuffed on Pizza.
Sufficient nutrition would turn out to be essential for getting through the session day, which lasted more than twelve hours for the officials. By a stroke of luck, Billa, which had voluntarily agreed to provide all participants with lunch, prepared double the sandwiches the Organisers were expecting – in hindsight, something the participants had sorely needed: By the time of lunch, Delegates had not only gone through Teambuilding and gotten to know their committees through shared fun and awkwardness, they had already begun to tackle the intimidating task of creating a resolution paper on the incredibly tight schedule of less than half a day. But tackle it they did, every one of them: By half past three, all 44 Delegates and their Chairpersons came together in the General Assembly to discuss the proposed resolutions to problems as diverse as Gender Inequality at the Workplace, Turkey’s and Britain’s EU membership, the ongoing refugee crisis or the use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture. At first, Delegates seemed to shy away from the prospect of speaking in a foreign language in front of dozens of peers, but soon a heated debate evolved to form the culmination of this short but, hopefully, sweet day.
Not only did the event leave an impression on the participants, however: Additionally to a number of media representatives, we had the honour of welcoming Mag.a Astrid Eisenkopf, leader of, among other things, the regional governments’ Youth resort, as a session guest, where she expressed her interest in supporting the EYP in future events in Burgenland. We hope the opportunity will soon again arise.
by Robin Hietz
Call for Media Team and Jury Members for the NYS Salzburg 2016 open
/in National UpdatesWe are thrilled to announce that the Call for Officials (Media Team and Jury Members) for the National Youth Summit Salzburg 2016 is now open!
From 8 to 11 April 2016, EYP Austria is organising its annual National Selection Conference 2016. At this event, national as well as international Delegates will gather together with school delegations and individuals that apply individually to debate current European issues under the theme “Building our future – Bringing together technology and environment”.
Together with the Head-Organisers of the event, Johanna Ebner and Julia Haslauer, the session President, Giada Benfatto, the Editors, Manon Schürch and Tom Wolfskämpf, as well as the Head of Jury, Beáta Veisová, we are now looking for the second part of the Officials’ Team consisting of 8 Journalists, 1 Video Editor and 1 Photo Editor, as well as 3 Jury Members. Please note that Officials will be asked to arrive one day prior to the session for Teambuilding and Training (on 7 April 2016). You can find more information on the event itself on the session’s Facebook page facebook.com/salzburg2016.
The deadline for applications is Friday, 29 January 2016 23:59 CET. Late applications will not be accepted. Detailed information on how to apply and the selection process can be found in the call document.
We are looking forward to your applications!
Downloads
Selection Report for Editors, Vice-Presidents and Chairpersons of the NYS Salzburg 2016
/in National UpdatesThe Selection Panel has concluded the selection of two Editors, three Vice-Presidents and 13 Chairpersons for EYP Austria’s National Youth Summit Salzburg 2016:
Editors
Vice-Presidents
Chairpersons
We want to thank all applicants once more for the time and efforts invested in their applications. Details about the selection can be found in the selection report.
Downloads
Regional Session Styria 2015
/in National UpdatesTwas 8 days before Christmas, when all through the hotel
all the officials were stirring, getting to know each other well
The forms were signed by everyone with care,
in hopes that all the Officials would soon be there.
Day 0 was well and truly underway when the lobby of the A&O hostel Graz slowly filled up with the enthusiastic, lively and fabulous people we call Officials; so after a hearty lunch Teambuilding was to begin. It started off fairly basic, with name games and the Officials talking about themselves to the unofficial session mascot: Gosik the mouse. Then things got interesting as everyone put their music skills to work when challenged to make “Let it Go” a little bit more relevant to EYP. Later, the training process took place for a few hours and the day came to a close with a lovely dinner consisting mainly of, obviously, schnitzel.
On the cold and foggy morning of the 19th the Delegates were welcomed to beautiful Graz; and so began the process of turning strangers into friends through Teambuilding at Graz International Bilingual School (GIBS). Classic games such as “evolution” (with a Christmas twist of course) and “repeat after me” songs were played by all and it was then time to move to committee Teambuilding. Hours passed, smiles were shared and laughing was inevitable until the time had come to move to the town hall for the opening ceremony. The picturesque building inspired a sense of amazement and Christmas cheer all marvelled at the Christmas markets right outside and felt honoured to sit in the same places as leaders before them did. After moving speeches and even a video montage (courtesy of the “FotoGraz” media team) everyone moved into a separate room for dinner then were on the way back to the hostel for the Delegate party (organised by the media team), which was comprised mainly of “Just Dance” sessions.
Day 2 was started and one could sense the tone of excitement and focus as the Delegates moved back to GIBS to begin their resolution writing but not before a few short energisers of course. As the day progressed, the Delegates went from simply sharing their ideas and research on their topics to constructing detailed resolutions outlining how Europe should tackle the problems given. After a long day of thinking and writing, the Officials and Delegates treated themselves to a night of food from across Europe (EuroVillage) at the Greenbox. The evening ended with an impromptu karaoke session; so with bellies full and smiles on their faces, everyone went to bed and prepared for the bittersweet Day 3.
With everyone dressed in their EYP finest, the Delegates and Officials moved to the Augustinum for the much awaited General Assembly; with heated debates, powerful speeches and silly dance moves (courtesy of “Just Dance”) this was surely the highlight of the session for many as it was the first time many Delegates got a taste of the EYP experience and their excitement was evident. As the afternoon drew in, the tone became nostalgic as everyone remembered the brief yet highly enjoyable session through the Closing Ceremony and began to say their goodbyes.
All in all with over 50 participants from nine different countries, the session proved to be a massive success, resulting in fruitful debates, lasting friendships and of course, precious memories.
by Eleni-Maria Papachristodoulou
Call for Core Team Organisers for the International Forum Vienna 2016
/in National UpdatesWe are thrilled to announce that the Call for Core Team Organisers for the International Forum Vienna 2016 is now open.
It has been almost three years since EYP Austria’s last International Forum was held in Graz. Now we are excited to organise the next one, taking place in the beautiful Austrian capital Vienna from 18 to 23 May 2016. Aiming to create not only a session to remember, but a unique event that is incomparable to others, we are now looking for a core Team of Organ- isers who are eager and willing to work together with us on this goal, while putting their own ideas into reality.
Organisers will be expected to arrive two days prior to the session and should be available for the duration of the whole session. Furthermore, there will be two preparation weekends for Organisers, the first one taking place in February and the second taking place in April.
Being part of this team will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve yourself, to shape a truly international event and to experience a unique session atmosphere in the lovely city of Vienna. Join the team and apply by Sunday, 10 January 2016.
Downloads
Call for Chairpersons and Vice-Presidents for the NYS Salzburg 2016 extended
/in National UpdatesThe Call for Officials (Chairs and Vice-Presidents) for the National Youth Summit Salzburg 2016 has been extended until 30 December 2015 23:59 CET.
From 8 to 11 April 2016, EYP Austria is organising its annual National Selection Conference 2016. At this event, Delegates selected at EYP Austria’s Regional Sessions will gather to- gether with school delegations and individuals that apply individually to debate current European issues under the theme “Building our future – Bringing together technology and environment”.
Together with the Head-Organisers of the event, Johanna Ebner and Julia Haslauer, and the session President, Giada Benfatto, we are now looking for the first part of the Officials’ Team consisting of 3 Vice-Presidents and 13 Chairpersons. Please note that Officials will be asked to arrive one day prior to the session for Teambuilding and Training (on 7 April 2016). Detailed information on how to apply and the selection process can be found in the call document
We are looking forward to your applications!
Downloads
EYP Day Upper Austria 2015
/in National UpdatesOn 13 November 2015 the EYP Day Upper Austria took place in the city of Linz. It was the session that opened the new Academic Year of the European Youth Parliament Austria.
The officials team already met one day before, on Thursday for a day of training and preparation. The venues for that were the Jugendgästehaus Linz as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium Linz. The Officials team consisted of people from Austria, Belarus, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Sweden. After visiting a local restaurant for dinner, the day concluded when everybody returned to the hotel.
On Friday, after Delegates arrived, group Teambuilding happened and participants were split up into separate committees. After Teambuilding, the Delegates from Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Vienna began with the committee work by defining the problems of their topic.
Lunch was provided by the local restaurant Leberkas Pepi which is known as a culinary highlight in Linz and beyond. Refilled with energy by the delicious Leberkas, the Delegates came back to their committee rooms to now find the solutions to the corresponding problems.
EYP Day Linz came to close in General Assembly in which the phrased resolutions were attacked by other committees, defended and discussed. Resolutions were passed or not passed through the voting procedure and the session was closed. Before everybody headed home, the participants rose one more time for the European Anthem.