EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT

ANNUAL REPORT2015

Published byEuropean Youth Parliamentc/o Schwarzkopf-Stiftung Junges EuropaSophienstraße 28/2910178 Berlin, Germanyinfo@schwarzkopf-stiftung.deinfo@eyp.org

Responsible according to the press lawKrista Simberg, Mandy Buschina

Editorial OfficeMandy Buschina, Brian Buhrke, Kerstin Eckart, Anna Saraste,Krista Simberg, Monika Seidel, Stefan Vandenhende

Layoutracken GmbH, Berlin

PicturesAdrian Jankowski, Leo Kaindl, Steffi Loos, Boaz Manger Aleksej Prylipka, Valentin Solimeo, Oliver Stenbom, Janne Vanhemmens, Lily Voge, Tom Wolfskämpf

The Schwarzkopf Foundation is the international umbrella organisation of the European Youth Parliament.

PARLIAMENTEUROPEAN YOUTH

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The European Youth Parliament (EYP) is a unique edu cational programme which brings young people from all over Europe together, to discuss current topics in a parliamentary setting. Its mission is to inspire and empower young Europeans to become open-minded, tolerant and active citizens by involving them in European political thinking and intercultural exchange.

10 Sessions 18 Projects 26 Capacity Building 30 The EYP Network

CONTENTS

The EYP is a non-partisan and inde-pendent programme. Its methods are based on non-formal education and peer-to-peer learning. The EYP creates experiences that are unique and memorable, giving young people the opportunity to work with exciting people and tackle new challenges. The programme facilitates the learn-ing of crucial social and professional skills; and encourages independent thinking and socio-political initiative. The EYP strives to be a welcoming environment for all young Europeans. It provides equal opportunities to all its participants, regardless of gender, ethnicity and nationality.

The EYP is a pan-European organi-sation which does not limit itself to the current political borders of the European Union. As a network of independent associations, the EYP is currently present in 40 European countries, enabling contacts across borders. The EYP thus offers a platform for intercultural meetings, fosters mutual understanding, and makes a vital contribution to uniting Europe.

4 Annual Report 2015

3020

1578

ActiveVolunteers

Schools involved

1402Teachers

1387

34.428 592

1456 215

Events

International Training Events

20

Days of EYPDays of Training

Committees/Resolutions

128Decision Makersattended events

Participants

79.000Facebook

Likes

40Countries

132Training Events

The Year 2015 in Numbers 4 Annual Report 2015

3020

1578

ActiveVolunteers

Schools involved

1402Teachers

1387

34.428 592

1456 215

Events

International Training Events

20

Days of EYPDays of Training

Committees/Resolutions

128Decision Makersattended events

Participants

79.000Facebook

Likes

40Countries

132Training Events

The Year 2015 in Numbers 5Annual Report 2015

6 Annual Report 2015

Dear friends of Europe,

Given the current political situation in Europe, educa-tional work from and for young people all over Europe is increasingly important. At the Schwarzkopf Founda-tion and in the European Youth Parliament programme, we are fostering dialogue, intercultural cooperation, overcoming barriers and enabling international friend - ships, to help young people understand and value Europe’s diversity. One of our most important aims is to offer young people from all parts of Europe the possi bility to learn and experience what it means to be European, something we believe is crucial and needed today.

In 2015, we were able to increasingly focus on activities in the Baltic countries and in the Eastern partnership countries, helping our network to strengthen the civil society sector and develop regionally in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine. Through our projects, we could bring to these young people positive learning experiences and opportunities to explore the rest of Europe.

Additionally, through focusing on energy-related topics in the Power Shifts project, we have been able to develop content on one of Europe’s pressing topics and bring it to the attention of our participants so they can better grasp issues around energy in an interesting and interactive way. This is also our way of contributing to the personal skills development of youth, offering them the opportunity to pick up skills needed in the current employment market.

As always in our work, we rely on our volunteers, who are the core of the European Youth Parliament and are experiencing the international exchanges we offer. Having had the possibility to gather 35.000 participants from 40 European countries during the year, I also want to sincerely thank all our partners for their encourage-ment and financial support in the past year, which makes our work possible.

Yours,

Andrè Schmitz-SchwarzkopfChairman of the Board, Schwarzkopf Foundation

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Dear fellow Europeans,

One of our main strengths as the European Youth Parliament is having a wide and strong network of youth organisations and volunteers involved in our work. The result of a bottom-up approach, leaving room for our volunteers and members to come forward with their ideas and initiatives, enables us to create a learning environment with innovation and new concepts as a natural part. Young people are given a lot of responsibil-ity through our activities, making it possible for them to learn and develop on several levels.

While we are an organisation by young people for young people, we still believe we can have a professional approach to the work we do. In the past year, we have thus focused on developing our work in terms of quality. Capacity building projects, training events, a strategic approach and introducing best practices became more important and tools for us to develop our organisation, next to discussing Europe.

Our work has also developed through the integration of the Understanding Europe project into the activities of the EYP network. The programme offers EU-intro-duction courses and interactive seminars with a peer-to-peer focus to high schools in a number of different countries, which complements the non-formal educa-tion we do through our already established formats.

Finally, I want to thank our volunteers and members, who act as multipliers and ensure our activities take place and that we can reach out to even more young Europeans. I’m continuously impressed by our young participants, who contribute with time, energy and ideas, and push our organisation further, contributing to the success of the organisation as a whole.

Yours,

Krista SimbergExecutive Director, International Office of the European Youth Parliament

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Participants at the Board of National Committees Meeting

During the Chairs academic training for the International Session in Izmir

Teambuilding activities to estab-lish principles of cooperation

Delegate at the International Session in Leipzig, Germany

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Understanding Europe Training

General Assembly

1 SESSIONSFacilitating intercultural learning in a parliamentary setting: The European Youth Parliament’s main events are parliamentary simulation sessions, ranging from one-day local events to 10-day international sessions.

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11Annual Report 2015Sessions

The committees come together to debate all of the resolutions during the General Assembly, following a standard parliamentary procedure.

Committee WorkTeambuilding

During Teambuilding, experience- based pedagogy is used by performing outdoor and indoor activities in order to form international teams and estab-lish principles of cooperation.

The established common ground then enables the young people to come up with their own suggestions and ideas for Europe’s most pressing challenges during the Committee Work. The results of the different committees are com - piled into the form of unanimous reso- lutions.

Cultural Programme

Throughout the whole session, a Cultural Programme gives the partici-pants the possibility to get acquainted with each other’s cultures and tradi-tions. This results in increased cultural awareness, self-confidence and mutual understanding, while at the same time tackling xenophobia and prejudices.

General Assembly

Alumni-Gathering & Planning MeetingOutreach & Short EventTraining EventInternational ForumNational Selection ProcessInternational Session

International Session İzmir17ᵗʰ to 26ᵗʰ of April 2015

International Session Tampere24ᵗʰ of July to 2ⁿᵈ of August 2015

International Session Leipzig6ᵗʰ to 15ᵗʰ of November 2015

Sessions Annual Report 201512

Alumni-Gathering & Planning MeetingOutreach & Short EventTraining EventInternational ForumNational Selection ProcessInternational Session

International Session İzmir17ᵗʰ to 26ᵗʰ of April 2015

International Session Tampere24ᵗʰ of July to 2ⁿᵈ of August 2015

International Session Leipzig6ᵗʰ to 15ᵗʰ of November 2015

13Annual Report 2015Sessions

14 Annual Report 2015 Sessions

THE INTERNATIONAL SESSIONS OF THE EYP

Since 1988, the European Youth Parliament’s largest events are three annual International Sessions. They are the flagship events of the network and gather each 300 young people from more than 30 countries.

Every International Session is hosted by one of the 40 National Committees of the European Youth Parliament. The preparations for an International Session start about two years in advance, when a National Committee is selected to host it and appoints a core team of young volunteers who start taking care of the organ-isation. Throughout the next two years, they pull together the necessary resources and logistics to make their 10-day-event a success, with the team growing to about 25 young volunteer organisers.

About six months before the events, two more teams of experienced EYP volunteers join the organisers. First, a team of chairpersons is selected; who further develop the content of the event and facilitate the work of the

15 committees before and during the event. They also go through an intense preparation process themselves, including an academic training weekend in Berlin. Secondly, a media team joins the event. Using innovative media approaches, they report on everything that happens at the event, adding to its atmosphere but also branching out and disseminating the results and output.

The participants of the International Sessions are all selected by their respective National Committees of the EYP in the year before the event at so-called National Selection Confer-ences. These involve thousands more young people from across Europe in the preparations of this events. These National Conferences follow a shortened version of our successful ses-sion concept, which is also used at our flagship events.

In 2015, the three International Session were held in Izmir (Turkey), Tampere (Finland) and Leipzig (Germany).

young participantsfrom

including

countriesparticipated in

teachers,

internationalsessions in 2015.

In total

female participants

and

male participants.

799

863

35

64

3

413

386

15Annual Report 2015Sessions

DEMOCRACY, A WORK IN PROGRESSInternational Session in İzmir

İzmir, Turkey’s third biggest city, successfully hosted 275 young people from 32 countries between the 17th and 26th of April 2015 for the 78th International Session of the European Youth Parliament.

Organising one of the flagship events in İzmir meant taking EYP to where it had never been before. This is of course always an exciting prospect, but this was even more significant in the case of İzmir. Under its ancient name of Smyrna, İzmir was an important centre of civilisation, and its rich history, multicultural environment and symbolic importance provided a great venue to discuss the European issues.

The young participants were confronted with diverse views and opinions on Europe and analysed current and future challenges with

a special focus on the different aspects of democracy. The delegates were to come up with solutions for current European challenges, taking into account social, environmental and economical factors as well as global perspec-tives. The 15 committees discussed diverse topics like tax avoidance, EU-Turkey relations, climate change, the continuing conflict in Ukraine and reproductive health.

Some of the highlights of the session included committee work beside the Anatolian coast, a visit of the ruins of ancient Ephesus and a EuroConcert at İzmir’s Elhamra Opera and Ballet House.

“I met great people and learned to put

prejudices, even though I have experi-enced them, behind me. I made friends who I still keep in

touch with. It was an experience I treasure

in my heart.”Dafni Maria Chorattidou,

Cyprus, 19

Gathered 275 people from 32 countries

(138 female and 137 male participants)

16 Annual Report 2015 Sessions

IDEAS CHANGE MINDS. PEOPLE THE WORLD. International Session in Tampere

Between the 24th of July and 2nd of August, 241 young Europeans from 30 countries had a chance to come up with new ideas, change minds and take their first steps towards changing our world. For the first time in the setting of an International Session, Tampere introduced EYP Projects – a tangible action plan of the international committees to solve the issues outlined in the committee topic.

During the Opening Ceremony of the 79th International Session of the EYP in Tampere City Hall, the delegates had a chance to discuss with two former Prime Ministers, who brought Finland into the EU exactly 20 years before, and two current Members of the Finnish and European Parliaments respectively. The com- bination of an island in the Viikinsaari lake and the Finnish midnight sun provided for an inspiring Finnish night focused on the ideas and projects of the participants.

The event presented the delegates with the challenge to come up with comprehensive resolutions on challenging topics like data protection, green mobility, the Millennium Development Goals, financial illiteracy and youth unemployment. The final two days of General Assembly at the University of Tampere provided for an inspiring background for the debates on the proposed resolutions.

“In Tampere I met the most inspiring and

diverse individuals, some of who became

the closest friends of mine.”

Vardges Shahmenendyan, Armenia, 20

Gathered 241 people from 30 countries

(134 female and 107 male participants)

17Annual Report 2015Sessions

FROM TEARING DOWN WALLS TO SETTING NEW STONES International Session in Leipzig

From the 6th to 15th of November 2015, Leipzig hosted the final flagship event of the year. This International Session of the EYP brought together 283 young people from 32 different countries to build a common vision for Funda-mental Rights in Europe. Leipzig, the starting point of the peaceful demonstrations that eventually ended with the German reunifica-tion, now 25 years ago, was the perfect place to discuss the fundamental rights on which Europe’s future should be based.

This was highlighted especially on the 9th of November, the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, when the Opening Ceremony was held at the Nikolaikirche, a central venue for the peaceful demonstrations, but also during a theme evening, with eyewitnesses of the Peaceful Revolution in 1989.

The 15 committee topics were centred on the five different aspects of fundamental rights: good governance, solidarity, dignity, identity, and justice. After committee work and expert talks and visits in venues across the city, the General Assembly brought all the participants together again for two exciting days of debating right next to the Zoo of Leipzig.

“The participation at the large and well

organised session in Leipzig inspired me

to further engage in activities of the EYP and develop my cultu-

ral understanding of other young Euro- peans. In terms of

educational develop-ment the session offered me great

knowledge on topics relevant for the future

of Europe and the world, which has pro-ven to be useful both during and after the

session.”Ine Johanne Bjerknes Møllegaard,

Norway, 18

Gathered 283 people from 32 countries

(141 female and 142 male participants)

EXPANDING OUR SCOPE

The European Youth Parliament is an educational programme driven by innovation and does not limit itself to its existing structures or formats. In order to constantly bring new ideas to the network and to expand its scope, the EYP runs several projects that focus on both the regional and the structural development of the network as a whole.

By running projects like Understanding Europe the EYP offers, with the EU Crash Courses, a complementary programme directly in schools in order to establish a basic understanding of European politics amongst pupils to enable them to have a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the EU and how they are further able to influence the political arena.

In addition, project partnerships with the Federal Foreign Office in Germany and the RWE Foundation allowed the EYP to both strengthen its network in Eastern countries and emphasis the political opinion of young Europeans towards the general public.

2 PROJECTS

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19Annual Report 2015Projects

20 Annual Report 2015 Projects

BUILDING A STRONG EUROPEAN SOCIETY

The ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the alienation of Europe and Russia drew, in 2015, renewed attention to the countries of the Eastern Partnership: Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and Azerbaijan. Through the project Building a Strong European Society (BASES) the European Youth Parliament brought young people from Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus, as well as from other European countries, together to discuss current European affairs and experience the challenges of a democratic decision-making process first hand.

Strengthening civil society in the countries of the Eastern Partnership

DEBATING EUROPE ON A BIGGER SCALE Within the framework of the BASES project in 2015, three International Forums with around 450 participants in total took place in Armenia and Georgia. In Dilijan, about 120 participants from 19 different countries discussed topics like human rights in the countries of the Eastern Partnership, sex selective abortion and the protection of intellectual property under the theme “Initiate. Debate. Empower. Advocate. Leverage”. The forum in Yerevan included an educational excursion to Etchmiadzin and the Armenian Genocide memorial complex. The inter national participants in particular ap-preciated the chance to get to know Armenia’s history and rich cultural heritage.

Due to the difficult political situations in Azer-baijan and Belarus, both National Committees organised smaller events with around 200 participants, mainly focusing on participants from their respective countries.

“The knowledge about the European Union I gained during the

BASES Project and the insights into decision-

making processes motivated me to apply

for an internship in the real-life European

Parliament.”Shukur Guliyev, Azerbaijan, 20

OUTREACH AND INCLUSION: EYP ON TOURAs an educational organisation, EYP aims at pro-viding equal opportunities to all its participants. Especially in the geographically remote areas of the countries of the Eastern Partnership, where young people rarely get in touch with interactive discussion formats or the subject of Europe. The National Committees in Georgia and Ukraine therefore organised several events targeted specifically towards this audience.

The National Committee in Ukraine organised an Interrail tour with four small teams trav-elling to eight cities. The international teams consisted of about 10 young Europeans and started in Kyiv from where they travelled to different directions. In every city they stopped, they organised a two-day discussion event with local students at a high school or university. After more than a week the four international teams met back in Kyiv to share and evaluate the outcome of the events.

The National Committee in Georgia decided to organise four two-day events in different regions in Georgia in order to move the focus from Tbilisi to rural areas of the country. In order to get the young people more engaged in the debate the organisers chose topics on education, gender equality and Georgian agriculture.

21Annual Report 2015Projects

TRAVEL IN EUROPEThe biggest limiting factor for young people to participate in various kinds of events across Europe is still money. The financial burden for participants from the Eastern Partnership countries is even higher than for participants from other countries, because of the geographic location and the high visa costs. Therefore, the project included travel grants for partici-pants and active volunteers from the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia, which allowed more than 160 young people to travel to events of the European Youth Parliament all over Europe.

22 Annual Report 2015 Projects

The EYP believes that it is not only important to discuss these issues on a European level but moreover to discuss it with young people as they will have to live with these transitions in our energy landscape. Throughout Europe the project “Power Shifts” enables young people to monitor, inform themselves on, and debate

POWER SHIFTSYoung perspectives on energy issues in Europe

European energy policy. It focuses on the diversity and interdependency of energy policy on the European level, while France, Poland and Germany will serve as national example cases. These three countries will each host an international youth forum in the project timeline from 2015 until 2017 involving over

Energy is possibly the most interdependent political issue of the 21st century. In recent years we have experienced decreasing stocks of fossil fuels, the nuclear catastrophy in Fukushima, alarming studies on climate change, and debates over social sustainability of rising costs for energy supply. While energy-related issues are still mainly being debated on a national level, it seems clear that their solutions will have to be European, if not global.

23Annual Report 2015Projects

100 young participants at each event from all over Europe. In 2015 the Academic Power Shifts Forum in Lyon, France, hosted participants from 26 European countries for seven days.

The forum participants are supported by eight young experts, the Steering Group. This is a small working group that focuses on five topic dimensions in order to break down the complex topic of energy for the forum participants. The group will accompany the academic forums until 2017 and provide the analytical preparation for the discussions.

THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF ENERGY The project’s Steering Group broke down the complex issue of energy into five dimensions in order to provide a framework for the project as a whole and for the participants’ work at the Academic Power Shifts Forum in Lyon in October 2015. The participants discussed ten topics related to the five topic dimensions.

FOREIGN POLICY AND SECURITY DIMENSIONEnergy has become an important political instrument. A key aspect of this dimension is energy security, which includes the security of energy supply and the security of a particular state’s integrity. During the forum in Lyon, the participants focused on the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the possible implications of the climate conference in Paris, and the role of human rights in multinational energy projects.

“It is a challenging task to bring young

people to the topic of energy. It is very

exciting to work on this topic within the

Steering Group and it is a great opportunity

for us and the EYP network to try out new

formats and rethink our methods!”

Sofia Zafeiriou, 25, Greece.

TECHNOLOGICAL DIMENSIONWe are yet to find a cost-effective way to trans-mit and store electrical energy at a large scale. Thus energy technology innovation is vital to meeting economic, climate and security objec-tives. The participants discussed the future of nuclear energy and the use of fracking in the European Union.

ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSIONEnergy use and production affect the sustain-ability of our resources and, in the long-term, the well-being of humankind. The project’s dis cussions on energy policies include environ-mental perspectives.

ECONOMIC DIMENSIONCompetitiveness and the functioning of society are dependent on reliable energy supply. The challenge is to ensure safe, secure, and sustainable energy which is both economically affordable and profitable. This dimension was discussed by the young participants under the aspects of balancing energy transition efforts with economic growth, as well as where the financial means of modernising energy systems can and should come from.

SOCIETAL DIMENSIONIn recent decades, price changes of fuel, general energy sustainability as well as environmental concerns have raised awareness in varying levels of society on the way energy is produced and used.

24 Annual Report 2015 Projects

Who leads the EU? Which rules and customs govern the common policies of the 28 Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament? What role do NGOs, media and over 500 million EU citizens play in all this?

The aim of the Understanding Europe project is to give young people a basic understanding of European politics. In four-hour EU Crash Courses, conducted by young peer seminar trainers, the project aims to engage pupils in an open discussion about current European topics and encourage them to partake in European politics. The course covers the milestones in the history of the EU, the important stakeholders in EU politics and the EU’s competences.

The project was initiated by the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe in cooperation with the Mercator Foundation. Since 2014 the pro-ject is implemented in 10 European countries in cooperation with the European Youth Parlia-ment and its respective national organisations. A young and successful project about Europe is thus spread by young people to young people.

Every year all international country coordina-tors meet in Berlin to be trained in the manage-ment of the project, as well as how to conduct the EU Crash Courses in schools. The seminar materials of the EU Crash Course are adapted for every country to meet country-specific needs. Some countries translate the material and offer the course both in their native lan-guage and in English.

UNDERSTANDING EUROPEThe EU Crash Course

ARMENIASince summer 2015 a young peer trainer team has conducted EU crash courses for pupils aged 14 to 17 in English. As the topic of EU is not widely covered in schools in Armenia, the EU Crash Course offers a special enrichment in the intercultural competences of young Armenians.

BELGIUMSince 2014, the peer trainers in Belgium have offered the EU Crash Course in English and Dutch for pupils aged 15 to 19 in various school forms.

FRANCE“This project helps high school students in various ways. It helps them to discover, find, exchange, engage and travel in Europe. I think this is really useful.” Laurence Causse, high school teacher, Marseille, France

In France, the EU Crash Course is offered in the region Île-de-France around Paris. The French team also adapted the EU Crash Course in 2015 specifically to three vocational schools in de-prived areas in order to transfer European values, historic developments and current debates in European politics with French seminar material.

AZERBAIJANIn Azerbaijan the peer trainer team has offered the EU Crash Course since summer 2015 to a wide range of interested youngsters aged 15 to 25 who aim to learn more about European history, its institutions and competences. With-in the course the trainers put a special focus on EU – Azerbaijani relations, the Ukraine conflict, and the financial and debt crisis.

“As a 12th grade high school student, I could

experience firsthand the lack of knowledge

and interest about the EU amongst my

peers which is being intensified by

its incom petence noticed in the current immigration crisis and

the growing public Euroscepticism in

Hungary. With Under-standing Europe I

want to make students aware of the work of the European Union

so that they can create their own opinions.”

Szidónia Merkwart, 19, Hungary

25Annual Report 2015Projects

UKRAINEThe implementation of the project in Ukraine is supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The EU Crash Course is offered to young people in secondary education as well as universities and could be conducted already in several Ukrainian regions, such as Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Izmail, Sumy, Dniprope-trovsk, Zaporizhia and Odessa.

CZECH REPUBLICWith the patronage of the Czech ministry of education, the Czech peer trainers are conducting the EU Crash Course in the Czech language especially in geographically remote regions. Participants aged 16 to 19 come from high schools and vocational schools.

ITALYThe European Youth Parliament in Italy achieved a particular success together with its Under-standing Europe team: For the first time, events could be offered to young pupils aged 15 to 17 in rural areas in Southern Italy as well as on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.

AUSTRIA15 to 18 year-old pupils in high schools and vocational schools in the areas of Graz, Villach, Baden and St. Veit have the possibility to join an EU Crash Course in Austria. The young team coordinating and implementing the project is cooperating with the University of Vienna and a centre for integration in order to meet course participants’ expectations to discuss the current asylum and migration topic in the EU.

EXPANDING OUR SKOPE

By taking part in the European Youth Parliament’s activities, young participants learn ways to participate and engage in their communities, from a local up to a European level. To support the personal deve lopment of these young volunteers, and further their skills deve lopment to take up various roles within the organisation, the EYP organises capacity-building training courses focused on a diverse set of skills, such as facilitation, leadership, communication, fundraising, organising, project management, inclusion, outreach, and intercultural dialogue.

EYP thereby prepares these young European citizens to not only take an active role in our network, but to also use these skills to the benefit of society as a whole. In 2015, the EYP organised 132 training events, involving almost 2200 participants. Four of them were the EYP Summer Academy, a Training for EYP Trainers, an Head Organisers Summit and a Chairs Academic Training.

3 CAPACITY BUILDING

26 Annual Report 2015

Capacity Building 27Annual Report 2015

28 Annual Report 2015 Capacity Building

EYP SUMMER ACADEMY The EYP Summer Academy, which took place between the 28th and the 31st of August 2015 in Berlin, was a pilot project to enable knowledge sharing between all National Committees of the European Youth Parliament and facilitate training courses for its active volunteers. The main aim of the event is to support the structures that are the basis for more than 600 events every year: Non-govern-mental EYP organisations run by volunteers.

The group of 77 trainees from 32 countries was split into four training courses on National Committee Management and Development, Fundraising, PR & Communication and Out-reach & Inclusion. Every participant was able to opt for an advanced and a basic training in one of the respective fields.

The larger number of participants in com-parison to traditional smaller scale trainings allowed for more knowledge sharing, but also enabled synergies between the different focus areas. The EYP Summer Academy will be held again in September 2016, building on the lessons of 2015.

CHAIRS ACADEMIC TRAININGS One of the crucial elements for preparing the EYP’s flagship events – the International Sessions – is the Chairs Academic Training. The main aim of the three day event is to academically prepare the facilitators of the different international committees. The training therefore mainly focuses on workshops on the EU and other European institutions and the development of the different committee topics. In addition, the facilitators also share best practices on how to prepare the delegates and learn new moderation techniques. The main outcome of the Chairs Academic Training is an Academic Preparation Booklet which includes comprehensive introductions on every committee topic for the delegates of the Inter national Sessions.

“The T4ET format is an excellent way for trainers to learn to

organise and execute trainings in a much

more structured fashion. I think it puts

trainers in the right position to run 10 to 15 hours of training, put their newfound

knowledge into practice and become impressive trainers.”

Oliver Stenbom, Sweden, 20

Capacity Building 29Annual Report 2015

TRAINING FOR EYP TRAINERS The EYP is organised by young people, for young people and it is build on the work of young volunteers all over Europe. During every event, more experienced volunteers provide training courses in order to support newcom-ers. The “Training for EYP Trainers” is a capacity building event designed for these experienced volunteers, focusing on training techniques.

In 2015, a Training for EYP Trainers was organ-ised by the Belgian National Committee in Nieuwpoort. The seven-day training event included workshops in group dynamics, the understanding of individual training needs, feedback, and the development of practical tools for upcoming training events the partici-pant would facilitate.

HEAD ORGANISERS SUMMITHead organisers are the project managers for individual EYP events. Like every young European within the EYP, they started as participants and at some point became in - volved in the activities of their National Com-mittee, helping to organise EYP events. A head organiser is responsible for every aspect of an event, including venues, accommodation, communication and participants manage-ment.

The work of a head organiser of an International Session begins two years in advance. In order to support these volunteers, an annual training event brings together the head organisers of the upcoming six International Sessions. They present their event concepts to each other, share successes and learn from one another. Head organisers of past International Ses-sions usually also join the training and share best practices.

“It is a constant exchange of infor-

mation and expertise between different

Euro pean countries and different individuals. Thus, I am sure that every training event is a great chance for

both trainers and trainees to learn about

those differences.”Tamta Tsveraidze, Georgia, 18,

Organised an NGO Management Training in Georgia

4 NETWORK

30 Annual Report 2015

SCHWARZKOPF FOUNDATION

EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT

§

Umbrella Organisation

EYP charter and policies

Active Members

National Committees

Councils

Co-decision

Coordination & Cooperation

Execution

Governing Body

Strategy

(GB)(BNC)

Board ofNational Committees

Assembly

apply towork in

mandate

elect electsendrepresentatives

Execution Resource Center

Regional Committees Regional Committees Regional Committees

International Office of the EYP

Network 31Annual Report 2015

32 Annual Report 2015 Network

VOLUNTEERS ALL OVER EUROPEMy Year in EYP 2015

Looking back at my EYP Year 2015, I see a year full of seeking and fulfilling challenges on both a national and international level. I served voluntarily as the Vice-President for Projects on the Board of EYP Czech Republic, where I mentored the Head- Organisers of our events to support them in their objectives. In addition, I had the opportunity to take part in events in different corners of our network and of various scopes – ranging from a Regional Session in Ireland to an International Forum in Georgia. That helped me realise the importance of setting yourself rather ambitious aims. All goals, even if they seem un-realistic at first, are reachable with enough determination and stamina. Subsequently, this was confirmed by me becoming one of the Head-Organisers of an International Session which will bring the EYP to my hometown – Brno.

Michal Koláček, 23, Czech Republic

2015 was for me the year of getting involved with EYP again. As a high school student, I have probably run through the typical EYP procedure with getting selected form regional level to na-tional and international level. Every single event was a fantastic experience. After my gap year in Latin America I got involved with the National Committee in Germany again and helped out with EYP events in schools. I enlarged my experience in chairing committees and also had the possibility to take part in my first International Session in Izmir. Since summer 2015 I’ve been supporting the Board of EYP Germany as Training & Evaluation Coordinator.

EYP is often called a family and I agree with that. I find it essential that every family member gets the chance to progress and try out his or her own talents. As a volunteer in EYP, I want to encourage other young people to see their potentials. No university course on “intercultural understanding” will be able to transmit what one can learn at the events of the EYP.

Bernadette Gruber, 21, Germany

33Annual Report 2015Network

In 2015 I helped to start a new project in EYP Sweden: Together with a small working group we launched Understanding Europe, an initiative of the Schwarzkopf Foundation already operating successfully in many European countries. It was exciting to break new ground and be part of something that my team and I really believed in.

Volunteering to me means to offer up your time for no material reward. You have faith in what you do, in the organisation, or in that gut instinct that tells you what is right to do. And then you give of your own time and effort to contribute towards some-thing that you believe is good and right.

Isabella Leanderson, 19, Sweden

2015 was full of new opportunities, experience and memories – and I participated in more than 10 EYP events. One of the best things about EYP is that no matter how many events you have attended or how experienced you are, you can always learn something new from every other participant. EYP is full of challenges and throughout four years of my involvement – also as a board member of EYP Georgia – I have always been trying to challenge myself. EYP is a volunteer-based organisation and everyone contributes his free time without any financial profit. What we gain instead is knowledge, experience and friends all over Europe.

Zurab Giorgobiani, 20, Georgia

34 Annual Report 2015 Network

The National Committees are at the heart of the EYP as they organise a tremendous number of events in schools, on the regional and national level. An important part of their work is to select the delegations that will represent their coun-try at the International Sessions of the EYP. To this end, most National Committees organise

NATIONAL COMMITTEES OF THE EYP

a selection process, often including regional and national conferences, a resolution/essay- writing competition, and an interview process, all judged by an independent jury. Twice a year, representatives from all countries gather for the Board of National Committees meeting – the general assembly of the EYP network.

35Annual Report 2015Network

AAustriainfo@eypaustria.orgwww.eypaustria.orgwww.facebook.com/eypaustria

Azerbaijaninfo.eypaze@gmail.com www.facebook.com/EYP.Azerbaijan

BBelaruseypbelarus@gmail.com

Belgiuminfo@eyp-europolis.bewww.eyp-europolis.bewww.facebook.com/eypeuropolisbe

Bosnia and Herzegovinainfo@eyp.bawww.eyp.bawww.facebook.com/eypbih

CCroatiainfo.eypcroatia@gmail.com www.eyp.hr

Cyprusinfo@eypcyprus.comwww.eypcyprus.comwww.facebook.com/EYP.Croatia

Czech Republiceyp@eyp.czwww.eyp.czwww.facebook.com/eyp.cyprus

DDenmarkeypdanmark@gmail.comwww.facebook.com/eypdenmark

EEstoniainfo@ten.eewww.ten.eewww.facebook.com/tegusad

FFinlandinfo@eypfinland.orgwww.eypfinland.orgwww.facebook.com/eypfinland

Franceinfo@pejfrance.orgwww.pejfrance.orgwww.facebook.com/pejfrance

FYROMeyp.macedonia@gmail.com www.facebook.com/eyp.macedonia

GGeorgiainfo@eyp.org.ge www.facebook.com/eypgeorgia

Germanyinfo@eyp.dewww.eyp.dewww.facebook.com/eypde

Greeceeyp.greece@gmail.comwww.eypgreece.orgwww.facebook.com/eypgr

HHungaryeyp@pillar-europe.euwww.eyphu.orgwww.facebook.com/eyp.hungary

IIrelandinfo@eyp.iewww.eyp.iewww.facebook.com/EYPIreland

Italypeg@eypitaly.orgwww.eypitaly.orgwww.facebook.com/eypitaly

KKosovosaranda.hajdari12@gmail.com www.facebook.com/eypkosovo

LLatviainfo@tellus.lvwww.tellus.lvwww.facebook.com/EYPLatvia

Lithuaniainfo@eyp.lt www.facebook.com/EJPLietuvoje

Luxembourginfo@eyp.luwww.eyp.luwww.facebook.com/eyplu

NNetherlandsinfo@eyp.nlwww.eyp.nlwww.facebook.com/EYPNL

Norwaync@eyp.nowww.eyp.nowww.facebook.com/pages/ EYP-Norway/396571547099929

PPolandinfo@eyppoland.comwww.eyppoland.comwww.facebook.com/EYPPoland

Portugalgeral@pejportugal.comwww.pejportugal.comwww.facebook.com/EYPPortugal

RRomaniaoffice@eypromania.euwww.eypromania.eu

Russiaeyp.russia@gmail.com www.facebook.com/EYP.Russia

SSerbiaeypsrbija@gmail.comwww.eyp.rswww.facebook.com/european.youth.parliament.serbia

Slovakiabnc@eyp.skwww.eyp.skwww.facebook.com/pages/ EYP-Slovakia/111135499001479

Sloveniainfo@eypslovenia.org www.facebook.com/eypslovenia

Spainboard@eype.eswww.eype.eswww.facebook.com/ EuropeanYouthParliamentEspana

Swedeninfo@eup.sewww.eup.sewww.facebook.com/eupsverige

Switzerlandinfo@eyp.chwww.eyp.chwww.facebook.com/eypswitzerland

TTurkeyinfo@eypturkey.orgwww.eyp.org.trwww.facebook.com/eyptr

UKinfo@eypuk.co.ukwww.eypuk.co.ukwww.facebook.com/eypuk

Ukraineinfo@eyp-ua.orgwww.eyp-ua.orgwww.facebook.com/eyp.ukraine

36 Annual Report 2015 Network

In 2015, the EYP reviewed and renewed the organisation’s mission and, for the first time, es- tablished its values. This understanding forms the foundation of the new International Strategy. Based on the newly established values – the ideals for the EYP – the Governing Body as the strategic body of the EYP has examined the or-

INSPIRE AND EMPOWER YOUNG EUROPEANSThe EYP’s International Strategy 2016 – 2020

Since 1987, the European Youth Parliament inspired and empowered hundreds of thousands of young people to become open-minded, tolerant and active citizens. Through the development of an Inter-national Strategy in 2015, the network reaches out to the European Youth Parliament of 2020.

ganisation critically and recognised three areas with particular room for development: inclu-sion, empowerment and contribution. They have also agreed on one other crucial area: the stability and continuity of the network. These four areas of development form the four pillars of the International Strategy.

“There is no better way to design youth- proof policies than by ensuring the engage-

ment and inclusion of young European

citizens in the policy proposals. Projects like

the European Youth Parliament do exactly

that: they empower European youth. Young

Europeans get the chance to exchange

views on current European affairs, learn

and understand the role Europe plays in

our daily life, there by being equipped with the instruments for

change.”Martin Schulz,

President of the European Parliament

CONTRIBUTION

COOPERATION

PLURALISM

INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

INDEPENDENCE

NON- PARTISANSHIP

DEMOCRACY

INCLUSION

EMPOWERMENT

VALUES

37Annual Report 2015Network

To raise awareness of European issues and encourage active Euro-pean citizenship, and to motivate students to get engaged in Euro-pean politics.

To promote interna-tional understanding, intercultural dialogue and diversity of ideas and practices.

To contribute to the personal skills devel-opment of European youth.

To provide a forum in which young people of Europe can express and debate their own opinions, without reverting to role play.

AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT

AIMS

INCLUSIONAs an educational organisation, the EYP aims to inspire and empower young Europeans, no matter their gender, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status and ability. Within the pillar of ‘inclusion’ the network therefore focuses on the areas of inclusion, outreach, mobility and regional representation, designed on the one hand to critically revise the existing structures of EYP, and on the other hand to identify target groups that have so far been difficult to reach.

CONTRIBUTIONThe EYP is organised by young people, for young people; it is built on the work of young volunteers all over Europe. Furthermore, the EYP not only simulates democratic processes during its events, but also applies them in the running of the organisation. It is more than 3000 volunteers who plan, prepare and carry out activities, so it should also be those young Europeans who make the decisions on how it is run. The EYP offers many oppor-tunities to volunteers – there is no shortage of work to be done – but there is progress to be made in rewarding volunteers. Running a non-governmental voluntary or-ganisation is not a simple task, and therefore rewarding volunteers and showing the added value of volunteering is both an ideological goal and a strategic necessity for the long-term development of the EYP.

EMPOWERMENTThrough their participation in the EYP, young Europeans gain valuable skills, knowledge and confidence and become empowered to have an impact in society. As an organisation targeted at civic education, the EYP seeks to equip its members with transversal skills that formal education often does not provide. In order to guarantee a high level of educational value, the EYP seeks to examine its work and its educational methodology on a regular basis. Finally, the opportunities for personal development offered for active volunteers should be considered just as important as those provided to first or second time participants; after all, the organisational strength of the EYP depends on the network being able to make continued commitment to it interesting and rewarding.

STABILITY AND CONTINUITYOver its history, the EYP has grown immensely, and it continues to do so at an extraordinary rate. However, most board members or active volunteers only work for their National Committee for around two years at most, and much knowledge and experience, as well as contacts outside the organisation, is lost in transition. Thus the areas focused on within this pillar – organisa-tional stability and continuity, professionalism, as well as administrative capacity and management skills – are designed to retain knowledge and to build structures which will form a solid foundation for the EYP to continue to build on, year by year.

38 Annual Report 2015 Network

The Governing Body (GB) represents the interests of the EYP as a whole. It is responsible for the strategic development of the EYP.

Sophie Hall (CH)Magnus Hall (SE)Hans Maes (BE)Jari Marjelund (FI)Zahra Runderkamp (NL)Anya Supranenko (UA)Anne Rolvering (DE)

The International Office of the European Youth Parliament is run by an Executive Director, who is supported by four Project Managers and two interns. It is part of the office of the Berlin- based Schwarzkopf Foundation, the international umbrella organisation of the European Youth Parliament.

Anne Rolvering (DE)Director of the Schwarzkopf Foundation

Krista Simberg (FI)Executive Director of the European Youth Parliament

Mandy Buschina (DE)Project Manager

Kerstin Eckart (DE)Project Manager

Monika Seidel (DE)Project Manager

Stefan Vandenhende (BE)Project Manager

Heiko Seiser (DE) Administration

Katrina Suvajeva (LV)HR Assistant

Martin SchulzPresident of the European Parliament

Jean-Claude JunckerPresident of the European Comission

Federica Mogherini High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy & Vice-President of the European Commission

COMITÉ D’HONNEUR

In 2014, the members of the Comité d'Honneur were:

PATRON OF THE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT

GOVERNING BODY

THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE OF THE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT

Thorbjørn Jagland Secretary-General of the Council of Europe

PARTNERS & SPONSORS

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

www.eyp.org