EYP LUXEMBOURG NEWSLETTER November 2017
A LITTLE WALK THROUGH EYP LUXEMBOURG Who are we and what is this? Welcome to EYP Luxembourg, if you are reading this you are either an older member or a completely new one. EYP Luxembourg is a youth organisation offering people a platform to part-take in European Politics. We organise conferences you can participate in, throughout the year all across Luxembourg. The national committee of Luxembourg is part of a bigger organisation: EYP. Therefore, as a member of EYP Luxembourg, you can get involved in conferences all across Europe! How does it all work? In order for everyone to be able to attend these conferences, and get information and communications like this one, everything has to be internally coordinated. Who does this? The Board of the National Committee. The board of EYP Luxembourg communicates with EYP International and other boards but also works internally to organise events, publicize on our Facebook page, and so on. The 6 members on the board are: Leonore Zutter Alina Khan Noel Lessinger Yannick Mertens Edvin Ceman Celine Schaus
FROM ROMANS, TO MONKS AND NOW EYPERS The title of this article is a direct quotation from Carolina, one of our two lovely Head-Organisers along with Philip, of Echternach 2017, EYP Luxembourg’s 2nd National Forum. Personally, I believe it is the perfect way to summarise EYP Luxembourg’s introduction to Echternach. Choosing Echternach as the next destination for EYP Luxembourg seemed ambitious in my mind but it is only when I witnessed the actual fruition of all the hard work the organising team that I realised how perfect their idea was: Not only is it a picturesque and cultural location, Echternach enabled the session participants to contain themselves within a bubble. A bubble to finally be disconnected and escape from the rest of our daily ongoings, and just for a few days embrace Europe wholeheartedly. It is small but
that was advantageous to us as all the venues were easily accessible. Speaking of the venues, we were humbled to have received such generous support from the council of Echternach including their provision of stunning venues. The idea of a National Forum within the concept of EYP Luxembourg is a way for us to engage and involve new and curious members of our small community and give our existing alumni pool an opportunity to challenge themselves and take on bigger roles, carrying more responsibility. As we as EYPers now have also conquered Echternach, we hope this inspires you EYPers, old and new, to conquer other EYP sessions and leave your personal mark on not just the session but also on the people that you meet. For newcomers, I commend you for having taken this bold step in a world which believes that the sense of belonging surpasses our national borders. We hope that we could entertain you enough to remain curious to see what bigger sessions look like and what the work of officials looks like. For old and faithful alumni, I thank you for helping us to make EYP Luxembourg a true family. As we say in EYP, I hope to see you in Europe somewhere !
„ It truly let me understand how diverse EYP is as an organization and how no one can recreate a session for you once you’ve attended it. " – Celine Schaus HOW TO STAY INVOLVED Did you enjoy our 4th NSC? Did you enjoy Echternach 2017? Do you want to continue your EYP journey? If yes, these are simple steps to stay involved and climb up your EYP ladder! First of all, sign up on the EYP Members’ Platform under (https://www.members.eyp.org/). There you can create your profile, have an overview of all future events, apply to sessions and you can find all kind of important information and materials you may need, concerning future sessions or events, or concerning EYP in general. You will also soon discover that EYP also has a lot more to offer than just sessions. You can attend training weekends, social events, and much more! Secondly, in case you have Facebook, make sure to join the group ‘Sessions!’. This is a Facebook group where all they calls for sessions are hyped. Meaning the applications to become a team member of a certain session is posted on there. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/233076716771585/)
ALUMNI ABROAD Going abroad… Did you enjoy the last session you went to? Interested in traveling further than just within your own country for EYP? Well, let me introduce you to the idea of attending sessions abroad… Going abroad is one of the two ways to attend EYP conferences and they offer one-time chances to meet a certain group of EYPers uniting in a specific country at a specific time. Sessions are announced by the countries hosting them, and calls for applicants sent out in steps. One-by-one the officials team gets announced, so if you recognize someone
you know, chances are you should apply. The principals for all sessions are pretty similar: you can apply as either delegate or official, both of which require applications. The differences lie in the chance to travel to a new country, get immersed in a different culture and to meet a unique group of EYPers. Every single country has its own way of conducting sessions, a fact I only realized during my first session outside of Luxembourg. Food, venues, evening programs - they’re all specific to the host country, and the organizers ensure you’ll get introduced to their lifestyle. Facebook and the members platform offer insight into the sessions occurring in the future as well as an opportunity to apply to them. The international coordinator of your national committee is the board member in charge of sending you abroad, often within a delegation of your country. Members who’ve travelled internationally get announced monthly on EYP Luxembourg’s Facebook page, and informative emails are sent out to let you know of upcoming opportunities. Still not convinced? Here are a few remarks from EYP LU’s alumni about their experience in sessions abroad…. -
Celine Schaus (Journalist at Ljubljana 2017 - 3rd NSC of EYP Slovenia)
“I really enjoyed experiencing the Slovenian culture through the session’s Eurovillage and night excursions through the town. It truly let me understand how diverse EYP is as an organization and how no one can recreate a session for you once you’ve attended it.” -
Edvin Ceman (Jury Member at LINE - 5th NSC of EYP Lithuania & 7th NSC of EYP Belarus)
“I believe that having been given the opportunity to see this session with its different type of concept from a different point of view is what made every day some kind of a highlight. Through the variation of people, the different work styles of chairs, the amazing projects of the media team, the relentless work of the organisers team and the unbelievable support of the board for the jury team, this session was able to reflect exactly its theme “a border is just another line to cross”. I feel very happy and honored to have been given the privilege to participate in such an amazing event with extraordinary people and many people I hope to see again!” -
Olivier Mousel (Journalist at Innovation, Collaboration, Entrepreneurship - 11th NSC of EYP Cyprus)
"The highlight of my experience was getting a huge, traditional Cypriot breakfast, including grilled halloumi-cheese prepared by the lovely grandparents of one of the HOs, after spending the previous day at the beach and going to an open air beach club. Did I mention that there was a giant, yellow, 3 meter rubber duck in the middle of the club and that you could walk 5 meters from the entrance and jump into the clear 22°C warm water at 1 in the morning? What I took from the session is a huge sunburn, amazing memories and some surprising tricks regarding photography (how much placing a plastic cup over the flash of your camera will increase the quality of your pictures is unbelievable). Last but definitely not least, I had the invaluable opportunity to experience a breathtaking landscape, meet some of the most open and accepting people I have ever had the honor to work with, as well as become aware of the Cypriot history and REAL culture (something you do not experience to the same degree as a normal tourist).” -
Olivier Cano (Chairperson at Belgrade 2017 - 10th NSC of EYP Serbia)
“The highlight of my experience was everything from the first second to the last. I discovered a completely new country and realised how beautiful it can be when you feel at home even though you are far away from it.” -
Leonore Zutter (Editor at Innovation, Collaboration, Entrepreneurship - 11th NSC of EYP Cyprus)
“In the summer of 2017, I had the chance to edit one of EYP Cyprus' sessions. What did I do as an editor? I basically managed the entire media output of the event. So I made sure we had pictures, videos, articles... you name it! This required an IMMENSE amount of creative imagination, and taught me not only how to implement my ideas in an attractive way, but lead an entire team to do the same. Not only do I take with me the memories of warm and sunny Cyprus, but also the crazy bond me and my team had and the amount of work we put into this event.”
FUTURE LUXEMBOURGISH EVENTS With Echternach 2017 coming to an end a few weeks ago,, you might wonder what other adventures lay ahead of the Luxembourgish EYP year. There are 2 major events and some smaller events coming up for EYP Luxembourg members; •
Esch 2018 - 5th National Selection Conference of EYP Luxembourg
With Esch-sur-Alzette being titled the Cultural Capital of Europe 2022, the 5th National Selection Conference of EYP Luxembourg gains even more reasons to be something special. ‘The Heart of The South’ will be the place to gather over 100 people from all over Europe to share personal experiences, develop various skills and make friendships which may even last for a lifetime. The Head-Organisers Blanaid O’Hara and Edvin Ceman are already working with their little wildcats to make this session perfectly fitting to its theme which is ‘Breaking Free’.
And with Hannes Ahlvin from Sweden being the president of the session, the vision of the session as a whole is; “Together with the entirety of the Officials’ team, we will give shape to a project that is built with purpose, pleasure, and passion. Embracing the unique skills of each member working on the team, Esch will revolve around personal responsibility, personal ownership, and personal development.” So go like the the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Esch2018/) and be up to date whenever there is something new happening concerning the Flagship event of EYP Luxembourg, we encourage you to apply as a delegate or official! •
Luxembourg 2018 - 1st International Forum of EYP Luxembourg
5 years of EYP Luxembourg - What better way to celebrate this anniversary than an International Forum in the capital of our beautiful little country? That is right! EYP Luxembourg is looking forward to present you the 1st International Forum of this young National Committee. Head-Organised by our wonderful president Leonore Zutter and our very eager and creative Olivier Cano this session will gather over 200 young people from around Europe to debate and discuss European issues under the theme ‘Cooperation as a Catalyst for Change’. The event will take place during the summer of 2018, from the 24th of August until the 4th of September. If the project itself is not enough to convince you to participate there maybe is something which might be just enough; During the session there will be a Gala Dinner to celebrate the 5th anniversary of EYP Luxembourg! Now if this is not a reason to join in on this huge session, I do not know what is. So go ahead and like the session page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lux2018/) and do not miss out any information considering the biggest event of EYP Luxembourg to happen yet! •
Alumni Event of EYP Luxembourg
You want to meet friends you have made at luxembourgish sessions and make new ones at the same time? Then the ‘Alumni Event’ on the 25th of November at 8 PM at Downtown. Follow the Facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/167205157198318/) and do not miss out on this beautiful socialising opportunity!
SUMMARY OF THE BNC The Board of National Committees (BNC) is a knowledge sharing platform and a decision-making body, consisting of National Committee representatives. The BNC meets twice a year in Berlin for a bi- annual meeting, and is otherwise active through a mailing list, various working groups and online discussions and votes. In co-decision with the Governing Body, the BNC decides on the EYP Charter and policies, and other major decisions, such as the recognition of a new National Committee. The BNC is facilitated and its meetings are chaired by a yearly elected BNC Board, consisting of up to three people. What is the role of the BNC in the Network? According to the Charter of the EYP, the BNC acts as the voice for the NCs’ interests. The BNC has co-decision power together with the Governing Body (GB) regarding policy-making. Decisions must be made with an absolute majority (or sometimes two-thirds majority) of National Committees voting. The BNC can also put forward proposals and recommendations to the GB on their own initiative. Besides decision making, the BNC acts as a platform for the National Committees to share knowledge, best practices and know-how.
When was the last BNC Meeting and what happened? Between the 3rd and 5th November, our BNC Representative Yannick joined the BNC Meeting accompanied by Leonore. The main topics discussed at this three-day meeting were the importance of International Sessions in our Network and the increase of participant numbers as well as the definition of membership of EYP which triggered a discussion in the Board of EYP Luxembourg so that we will decide on an official definition of our members.
EYP LUXEMBOURG A.S.B.L Leonore Zutter Alina Khan Celine Schaus Yannick Mertens Edvin Ceman Noel Lessinger