proximity

• 2

Dear participants of Salzburg 2016

When we drew up our vision of this session and how we would like to implement our media concept together with the Media Team, it was clear from the beginning on that each of our output would be focusing solemnly on you, dear delegates. And with us, our wonderful Media Team was to be responsible to implement our vision that we had carried around in our minds for such a long time.

You are holding in your hand the only physical production of the PROXIMITY Team: a book for you, the participants of Salzburg 2016, to take with you wherever you go next. Here we compile a selection of the full spectrum of content that we have produced, always with you in mind as either our inspiration or our audience. We offer you back what we gathered from you, to aid you as you continue on in EYP or perhaps simply to reflect on what you gained here: why we return, time and time again, to EYP; why we bother with Teambuilding and how we learn from EYP.

Supported by our talented Media team who has been with you throughout your time in Salzburg, we aimed to show you your time at the session from another perspective. We have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this session and hope you enjoyed our media coverage.

Your Editors, Tom Wolfskämpf (DE) & Manon Lynn Schürch (CH)

Editorial

Editors

Tom Wolfskämpf (DE) Manon Lynn Schürch (CH)

Photo Editor

Aino Röyskö (FI)

Video Editor

Jannis Betschki (AT)

Journalists

Caspar Spillmann (CH) Eike Plhak (DE)

Eylül Yalçınkaya (TR) Kate Gurevich (CH)

Lydia Purschke (DE) Mikaella Christodoulidi (CY)

Özgür Gencer (TR) Tarik Lazouni (CH)

3 •

Salzburg 2016 — A FairytaleIf Mozart were in EYP

Waltz, Mozart, Schnitzel and EYPInternational Structure of EYPInterview with Giada Benfatto

Interview with Julia and JohannaDelegate’s Expectations

#majorfailalert7 Deadly Sins of EYP

A Map of EuropeThe Class of Salzburg 2016

ENVIAGRI

ECONTRANLIBEITRECULTDEVE

456781012131415162425262728293031

• 4

Once upon a time, the Committee finished its resolution. It tasked the Nameless Delegate with getting the points to the Chair, the Committee’s former mentor. The Chair had once been human, but had been turned into a chair, after handing in a Topic Overview too late. To get the points to the Chair, the Nameless Delegate had to go through the Dark Forest, cross the Stream of Cuteness and deliver the resolu-tion-points to the Chair’s Castle.

Before the Nameless Delegate started her adventure, she asked her good friend MC Mozart to accompany her. For moral support and so she wouldn’t get bored.

Unfortunately, as they made their way through the forest, they heard the soft sound of the wind rustling branches and raindrops hitting the ground. Out of the shadows emerged several ninjas, not making a sound and moving in singular, abrupt motions.

“Give us the resolution-points and we’ll let you go”, whis-pered their leader.

The Nameless Delegate was about to give them the points, when MC Mozart held his hand in front of her.

“Yo, Deli. Don’t ya worry. Have a look, I’m pretty sure they can only move one at a time. So before anyone gets to you, just run!”

They ran from the ninjas, but soon MC Mozart, exhausted from spitting these ill rhymes, fell back. The Nameless Delegate, however, didn’t notice and kept on running until she was out of the Dark Forest, safe from the Ninjas.

Soon, she arrived at the Stream of Cuteness. There was a single bridge, guarded by a regiment of kittens. They looked menacing, yet adorable, and were well-known as deadly, unstoppable mercenaries. The Nameless Delegate, however, knew their secret weakness.

Vigilantly, the kittens stood by the bridge, which led over the torrential stream, and looked out into the dark forest. No one would be able to get past them, and they knew it. One of them noticed a rustling in the bushes nearby. As the kitten stepped closer, a ball of wool rolled out from under the bushes. The kitten looked around, making sure no one, especially not his superiors, could see him and gave the ball a little push. Then another, and another. Soon more balls of wool came flying toward the kitten regiment from behind the bushes.

“We’re under attack!” meowed one of the kittens, but it was too late. The entire regiment was playing with balls, too distracted to notice they were entangling themselves in the string, until none of them could move. Quickly, the Nameless Delegate ran over the bridge and left the Stream of Cuteness far behind her.

Finally, she made it to the Gates of the Chair’s Castle. Almost at her destination, there was now only one more obstacle to be overcome: the Giant Schnitzel. He was Viennese and sought to stop the resolutions from being written, which is why he sent the ninjas after the Nameless Delegate, and positioned the kitten regiment on the bridge. Now he took matters into his own hands.

He took a knife, cut off pieces of himself and threw them at the Nameless Delegate, who picked them up and ate them. More and more pieces of Schnitzel were thrown at the Nameless Delegate, who sunk into Gluttony. Meanwhile the Giant Schnitzel started to pick up the resolution-points.

But out of nowhere a Salty Unicorn came to the rescue. See, salty unicorns are just like regular unicorns, but they’re also salty. The Salty Unicorn galloped over the schnitzel, over salting them, effectively freeing the Nameless Delegate from her Gluttony.

Together they pushed the Giant Schnitzel into the Stream of Cuteness. Now, one might say that the Nameless Delegate failed because she didn’t deliver the resolution-points. But let’s instead just be thankful that she’s healthy and all right.’

My Chairperson looked at me, ‘So you didn’t the finish the resolution in time because you got distracted and ate a Wiener Schnitzel?’

Earnestly I nodded, ‘Exactly.’

Salzburg 2016 A Fairytalewritten by Caspar Spillmann (CH)

5 •

It is no doubt that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was simply a genius. However, people tend to concentrate on his musical career, leaving out his other hobbies.

Born on the 27th of January in the year 1756, already from very young age on it was clear that he was born as an immensely precocious child, a Wunderkind. At the age of 11, Mozart composed his first opera. Feeling accomplished in his artistic career already, and declaring “I pay no attention whatever to anybody’s praise or blame, I simply follow my own feelings”, he decides to look for something new, some-thing that would make him meet his fellow young Austrians and allow him to experience the life of a normal 14 year old. In 1772, aged 16, he attends his first EYP session, here in Salzburg.

Cabs towed by wonderful horses flock from every corner of Europe to attend this most prestigious event, giving young-sters the opportunity to voice their opinion. The young Wolfgang, however, is not very excited. All these people are so ordinary and boring, he thinks.

For this reason, during Teambuilding, Wolfgang, instead of joining the useless and stupid games and because he was bored, sits on the side and composes a symphony. It takes him a decent 4 hours for that, should be enough.

He is allocated to LIBE, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. His topic for the session was the popular uprising happening in France. While some of his ordinary fellow delegates think Royalty is going to fall and Paris will be liberated and engage Europe into a battle against Monarchy, he, on the other hand, thinks that this aspect is complete nonsense. Indeed, what could simple peasants know of high-ranked noblemen and divinely elected families? Especially, since he doesn’t care about France. After all, the French delegates weren’t even trying to make an effort to speak English.

When the day of General Assembly came, he puts on his most fabulous suit and shiniest moccasins, in an effort to remind others of his superiority. His eloquence, as well as his profound knowledge of European matters, but above all his presence on the stage, make him stand out from the crowd and direct all eyes at his powdered white hair, making him the best delegate of the session. That’s when he real-ises, no matter how much he tries to integrate with other people of his age, he is, and will always be a Wunderkind.

After this day, young Mozart decides to walk back home and go back to composing.

He never did EYP ever again.

If Mozart were in EYPwritten by Tarik Lazouni (CH)

• 6

Austria is known as the ”Sound of Europe” thanks to many famous composers having lived here, of course above all the most famous one of them; Mozart. The essence of clas-sical music made a great impact on Salzburg’s people by giving them its elegance and gracefulness. You can also see the obvious impact of their cuisine and traditions in their modern daily life, just as you can see how EYP Austria and its sessions work by analysing them.

What is the one of the first words that comes up to your mind when you think of Austria? Schnitzel! It is not only because they are super delicious and basically eaten in every possible Austrian meal but also the efficiency and minimalism of it reflects why Austrians prefer it that much. Remember the first time you had a taste of its crispiness, you might have felt like it is kind of rough and hard to chew at first but then you get to feel the moist of the chicken. Besides, instead of only listening to classical music all the time, they become a classical music piece on their own. Let

me explain to you whilst looking at the session, you see how well-structured and smooth it is right? Just like clas-sical music, they have the right amount of every component: deserts, biscuits, a salt castle, hospitality and care for every participant.

You would not want to leave without the session without learning waltz, right? The harmony in that dance fascinated you, didn’t it? The steps, how you sway with your partner… If you manage to coordinate well, you will have a wonderful view of people turning around the stage. Guess what? This is what Austrians succeed in perfectly by organising a session.

I could continue for a long time talking about how Austrian culture could be related to the session, but I will let you discover the rest of it by yourself by simply observing and enjoying it. I will be eating my Apfelstruder in the corner, watching the foggy weather and hoping for an organiser to come along and bring me some more Schnitzel.

Waltz, Mozart, Schnitzel and EYPwritten by Eylül Yalçınkaya (TR)

7 •

This incredible and unique debating platform called the European Youth Parliament actually consists of 39 National Committees (NC) try their best to organise as many sessions as possible every year. These sessions range from Short EYP Days to International Sessions; the bigger the session, the better and longer the EYP experience.

When it comes to the policy makers of EYP, the Governing Body (GB) is responsible for EYP on an international level and it consists of six members elected by the National Committees and International Sessions alumni. NCs are represented by the Board of National Committees that passes on feedback to the GB.

Have you ever wandered what is the difference between an International Session (IS) and an International Forum (IF)? An IS hosts around 300 participants and is considered the largest scale session, running 3 times a year (spring, summer and autumn) and lasting 10 days each. Members of an IS are selected by their NC after usually attending a regional and then a national session. An IF has around 120-220 participants and lasts between 5 to 9 days with the selection based on applications. There is no age limit for none of these events but most of the participants are usually between 16 and 25 years old.

Honestly, it cannot get any more fun than attending such large scale sessions; everyone is extremely motivated and any sign of shyness quickly dissolves.

Even if a delegate has not been selected through his National Session, they should still continue with EYP and then their NC could reward them with a wild card, which would allow them to attend an IS.

ISs and IFs have prestigious venues and tremendous effort goes into them organisationally, so that every single partic-ipant undergoes a life changing experience. Also, since the session is longer, one can enjoy and absorb the beauty of host cities to the fullest. Most importantly, there is more time to create those long lasting bonds with your fellow participants.

There are many obvious reasons why national events come second to international, but the most important is the chance to meet people from every corner of the world. A perk of that is that the people willing to host you all over Europe are multiplied! Overall, international events are something that everyone should experience at least once to fully appreciate the EYP experience.

The International Structure of EYPwritten by Mikaella Christodoulidi (CY)

• 8

9 •

InterviewwithGiada Benfatto President

of Salzburg 2016

written by Eylül Yalçınkaya (TR)

Proximity Media: What is your first impression of the Austrian delegates?

Giada Benfatto: I haven’t had much chance to interact with them yet, but from what the chairs have told me, they’re all very motivated and into the topic. All of the chairs were actually quite pleased that they didn’t have any delegates that were hard to connect with.

What is the best advice you can give to a delegate?

For the session, there is an obvious advice which is to have fun, to enjoy the session. I actually believe that this is the best advice one can take. Even if it sounds cheesy, it may be the first time you are coming to a session and you may find out that it is not something for you. It may take you a while to get used to it, seem weird at first. But in the end, the best advice would be to, for any tough situations, make the best out of it. Even though Teambuilding may not be your thing or you may not be that interested in politics, try to find an aspect you like.

What is the one thing you find fascinating about Austria?

I find it fascinating how it seems to be a mix of both German and Italian culture. You have the efficiency and being well-structured on the German side but at the same time the sympathy and the openness of the Italians. These are stereotypes, but still.

What is the highlight of your EYP career?

I think it was the first time I was presiding in a French-speaking session where I had pushed delegates to speake more in English. Everyone was thinking that it wouldn’t work out and nobody would participate in the debates but it actually worked out really well. Not only we got very good feedbacks from the teachers, but also it then turned out that it had a special impact on a delegate. She had a panic attack in the committee room because she wasn’t expecting to talk in English but by the end of the session she went up to her chairperson and told that she wanted to read the operative clauses which she managed to do. After the session she contacted her chair, thanks to this experi-ence she was going to go on a language trip to New York. Being supportive and understanding is very helpful in these kind of situations. As an organisation, having an impact on someone so profoundly was important to me.

What keeps you involved in EYP?

Not much anymore, I’m afraid to say. For a long time, it was the amazing people and the fact that EYP gives you so much room to evolve and to learn, offers you so many opportuni-ties. At some point I also wanted to give something back. The first time I had attended a session, I wasn’t able to speak at the GA, nor look at the people in the eyes. I’ve changed a lot since then. Right now, there is a good chance that I won’t be presiding again.

Is the session meeting up to your expectations so far?

Since this is probably the last time I’m presiding, rather than the session meeting up to my expectations, it’s more impor-tant that the session meets up to the expectations of the participants. Of course I have certain quality standards, but I want everyone to make their session. If I explain it more concretely, I really like the session so far, for example last night was tiring but also very satisfying. The panel debate went really well from the board’s perspective, I hope it went well for the delegates, too. On a more abstract level, my expectations won’t be met unless everyone’s enjoying the session.

• 10

Interviewwith

Julia and JohannaHead-Organisersof Salzburg 2016

written by Mikaella Christodoulidi (CY)

“It wasn’t surprising”

When this is the response you get from a head organiser (HO), concerning their reaction upon finding out they were going to be the HOs of Salzburg16, it goes without saying that they must be very capable. Both Johanna and Julia had shown an interest for head organising and it was fate that brought them together since they were both coincidently seeking for their other half to head organise together. Also, when you apply for a position and then you get a call requesting you to get in a skype call with the board and another applicant; it might be kind of obvious.

“I wouldn’t have done it alone”

Head organising is not much different from a marriage. It involved compromises and deep understanding between two equal partners. Appreciating each other’s weaknesses and strengths, knowing how to amplify your partner’s skills and support them where they are the weakest, is the perfect recipe for a dynamic duo. This is a recipe that our lovely HOs mastered and realized that walking down the aisle of head organising is a path full of life changing memories.

“We didn’t have communication for one month”

In the generation of Wi-Fi and smartphones one would think that it’s impossible for someone to end up without a “connection” for a whole month. Julia managed that because of her Red Cross involvement and then InterRailing with EYP; being able to trust that your co-HO will fill in for you when you are not available is irreplaceable. Trying to figure out the budget of the session when interrupted by your pager — probably because someone’s life could be hanging in the balance — were just routine phone calls for these two.

“I’ll definitely be happy when it’s over”

While this might be the current state of every single organ-iser, it won’t take more than 10 minutes after the Closing Ceremony for those PED feelings to kick in and wish they could do it all over again.

Sharing moments of frustration, desperation and excitement are a few of the things that bind together the whole organ-ising team. Head organising is an amazing journey and the connections created between the organisers are so strong that can turn strangers into families. We cannot thank them enough for all their hard work, spirit and soul they put into this session, it was truly an amazing experience.

11 •

• 12

„I will be at a session soon“ - those magic words put a smile on the face of every EYPer. The delegates of the NYS in Salzburg had the same feeling a few days ago.

But for what reason? Why are they here? This is what I asked some delegates at the beginning of the session. So what do they expect from the event?

Mike (ENVI) is attending his first ever EYP session. The law student came from Ukraine to Austria in order to improve his English. He recently decided that he wanted to specialise in International Law and therefore wants to build up inter-na-tional relations in Salzburg.

Johannes (ECON) stated that he does not really have specific expectations, only to have fun, as he already experienced a great time at the Viennese Regional Ses-sion earlier this year. He simply wants to meet people from all over Europe and en-joy his time while also explaining that Salzburg 2016 will be as awesome as his first EYP experience in Vienna.

Julius’ (ENVI) first session was last year in Germany. After one year of not partici-pating he figured it was time to attend a session again. „I loved EYP back then and I wanted to relive the experience. I think this NYS is the perfect place to do so“

Ani (AGRI) came all the way from Georgia to see the famous Unicorn of Salzburg. She simply wanted to use the oppor-tunity and visit a session in addition to this in-credibly life changing event.

Bernadette (ENVI) is a freshman at EYP but has already participated in a MUN (Model UN) event a few years ago. Back then she couldn’t really enjoy the time due to her insufficient English skills. But now she is prepared and wants to have a great time and learn „how the solution-finding process in a parliament works - at least in theory. I want to understand how certain decision are made, or not made and why these things happen“

Samuel (AGRI) also views the academic part as very valu-able. „I am looking for-ward to the time in General Assembly we get to really discuss the problems our committee is faced with. With all those wonderful committee members from all over Europe enriching this session in so many ways, this certainly will be great“

Nikolai (ENVI) has been to a session this year already. In the Regional Session in Vienna, he was selected to come to Salzburg. Here he, as all Austrian delegates, faces the opportunity to even further succeed and represent EYP Austria interna-tionally should he get selected. He loves the concept of EYP and „all those young inspiring people working together in order to find a solution to a problem”

David (LIBE) is attending his third EYP session. He started last year and loves EYP for the opportunities it gives him: „I am not only learning something about cur-rent European issues; I also get to know all these nice people. This is what EYP is about for me, to get to know other Member States and their inhabitants”

Hanna (ENVI) has attended the Regional Selection Conference in Vienna as well and now hopes to meet new people in Salzburg and have a lot of fun at the ses-sion. „I do like the academic part as well, but for me it is still the greatest thing to get to know all those nice people. EYP sessions are always so much fun. I will definitely continue participating no matter what the jury’s decision will be”

It is without hesitation to state that there are truly many different reasons to come to a session but all interviewees have something in common in their expectations from this session; the goal of gaining experience and having an awesome time to-gether with all the other delegates and create some unforgettable memories.

Delegate’s Expectationswritten by Eike Plhak (DE)

13 •

You know the feeling: It is your first time, you want to make a good impression, do everything perfectly - but nothing works. EYP sessions are not that different. Don’t worry, you are not alone. Even the best of us make mistakes. Rule of thumb: Never give up!

Manfredi (IT, VP, ECON): I didn’t have formal shoes so I had to borrow them from my teacher.

Lydia (DE, Journalist, TRAN): I was supposed to do the Defence Speech and ended up focusing too much on Germany. I let my more experienced Committee Members proofread it and they suggested I delete most of the Germany focused content. The speech ended up to be only 1,5 minutes long instead of 3.

Jakob (AT, Board Representative): I was supposed to answer a round of Open Debate in General Assembly and the chairperson didn’t explain how it works. So I thought I am supposed to pass the microphone after answering the first question and the rest of my committee would answer the other questions. Then the session board asked what exactly I am doing and told me to sit down.

Samuel (AT, Board Representative): I forgot my suit so I had to call my dad who brought it to the session. Also, we didn’t know that our chair spoke German since we were telling really dark jokes during Committee Dinner. We didn’t find out that she understood everything until after the session.

Julia (AT, Head-Organiser): I had to give a Defence Speech and didn’t have much time to prepare for it. Even though I have never had a problem with making speeches before, I went up o the stage, stood still for a minute and finally said I couldn’t do it. This was when I decided to stay in EYP until I am able to write a good speech.

Sarah (AT, DEVE): I didn’t know what to answer to the attack speech. So I just said some words and sat down again.

Eeve (FI, DEVE): I really didn’t know what to answer after one round of Open Debate so I just said “it is not our topic”

Nikolai (AT, ENVI): I wrote a speech and then decided not to say everything. I highlighted those things so I know I should not read them out loud. But then I got really nervous and said them anyways.

Hanna (AT, ENVI): I had to read the OCs but I was not wearing glasses. I could not really see some of the text so I invented some stuff.

Sophia (AT, ENVI): At my first session another guy started reading the OCs of the wrong resolution during GA.

#majorfailalertwritten by Kate Gurevich (CH)

• 14

EYP for some can be a religion or a philosophy of life. As it is quite an entity in itself, it differentiates from real life pretty peculiarly. EYP should not be taken into account with a correlation in mind. But if we were to approach EYP from a comparative perspective, we can assemble what EYP sins one should refrain from. Without further ado here come the seven deadly sins of EYP.

Memony (Greed): You probably know a delegate who is never content with any given situation. He/she wants to do both the defense and sum up speeches. Instead of trying to comprehend your ideas he/she rejects them impulsively. And of course he/she is never content with what he/she is working with.

Naught (Lust): This is the sin that the naughty bunch amongst you is inclined to attain. Breaking the golden rule for example gets one into such a situation. You end up with naught because you were naughty. Once you go there, it is hard to return. Don’t do it.

Photomania (Pride): This bunch feels as if they are the only ones at EYP sessions that are “decent” enough to be photo-graphed, meaning that such people in EYP would try to be the center of attention every time, be it during working hours or social gatherings. Such concerned individuals, most probably, will be posing for the camera more than they work during Committee Work. However, this can back-fire on you because the Media Team has its ways in taking people’s pictures without them noticing and such pictures end up to get published.

Loudia (Wrath): This breed of EYPers has a hard time controlling its anger which can ruin a constructive discus-sion. He/she may find the discussion irrelevant and deem it to be worthless to spend time on and therefore lash out. This is can be a personal opinion, yet, how one expresses one’s opinion to others can speak volumes about which of those 7 sins one is most affiliated with.

Coffeia Breakia (Gluttony): Coffee breaks are a relaxing alter-native to interrupt an intense Committee Work for everyone. Nevertheless, there are such things as good manners which amongst other things, states not to eat all the cookies by yourself. However, if one approaches a coffee break table set up with all the delicacies imaginable and one dares to finish all the brownies or chips on one’s own, one will be judged by the looks of many.

Frienemia (Envy): It is the sin of ruining your committee friendship because of your envy towards your fellow EYPers. The ones more affiliated with this sin may have a bad relationship with those who succeeded in a task they themselves actually wanted finish in the first place. Human nature shows that envy is in us all, yet such a sensation should be turned off. An excess of envy leads to a passive aggressive tone within a committee which in return can suppress any chance of critical thinking.

Laziness (Sloth):

7 Deadly Sins of EYPwritten by Özgür Gencer (TR)

15 •

Finland

Lithuania

Turkey

Ukraine

Netherlands

France

Switzerland

Italy

Cyprus

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Germany

Poland

Czech Republic

1575 km

772 km

272 km

800 km

2578 km

1302 km

5469 km

751 km

342 km

525 km

2227 km

660 km

1142 km

1471 km

54 013 km travelled in total

A Map of Europelayout and research by Kate Gurevich (CH)

Portugal1944 km

16 Nationalities

• 16

The Classof

Salzburg 2016a photo project by Lydia Purschke (DE) and Aino Röyskö (FI)

17 •

Aaron KleinbrodLIBE

Great resolutions come to those who get up.

Adelaide di MaggioLIBE Chair

Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it

yet...

Adrian LehrnerECON

My shoes reflect light.

Aino RöysköPhoto Editor

I spent a day in a bush but I guess the photos

turned out okay.

Alara DeğirmenciDEVE

It‘s deer, bot not chicken.

Alyona VyshnevskaTRAN Chair

Life is like a box of chocolates and then it‘s

over. Haha.

Andreas BiedermannDEVE

I‘ll take a nap!

Angela KoglerENVI

Always give 100%, except you‘re donating blood.

Ani LaliashviliAGRI

If you don‘t AGRI, go to ENVI they said, so I

agreed.

Anna Lena KarnerAGRI

You‘ll have to excuse me a sec, I‘m having a blonde

moment.

Anna SvecováOrganiser

People once said I‘m weird. It was the best

moment in my life.

Aysun AkhundluTRAN

I want to be a bird to fly over people and poop on

their heads.

Beata VeisováHead of Jury

What can I say...

Bernadette SchwarzENVI

I am a vegan because I hate plants.

Caspar SpillmannJournalist

Wha‘?

Christian GruberLIBE Chair

I love the whooseling sound as they fly by.

• 18

David PetschnigLIBE

Be realistic. Plan a wonder.

David PlahlMember of Jury

I can‘t even.

Dorcas Mwayuma-Maganga

DEVE

That OC is so legally sexy.

Eeva PitkäinenDEVE

No.

Eevi SiniketoCULT

„What day is it?“ „Today.“ „My favourite day.“

Eike PlhakJournalist

If nothing goes right, go left.

Ekaterina GurevichJournalist

Visit Switzerland before it visits you. #swissvasion

Eva DeuretsbacherLIBE

Keep calm and EYP on.

Eylül YalcinkayaJournalist

I think rain is disgusting because I feel like God is

peeing on me.

Fabian GrünewaldAGRI Chair

My brain is fried.

Fabian KrutzlerDEVE Chair

Marxism is an appropriate choice for

chances.

Fabian WindbacherECON

I enjoy.

Femke van BruinessenCULT

You are a book. Show more than just one page.

Fesyun MykhayloENVI

Mykhaylo Fesyun

Finja StrehmannAGRI Chair

„üperpopuliert“

Florian TschebulAGRI

Schindler‘s Lifte

19 •

Giada BenfattoPresident

We are all the best-possible versions of

ourselves at this moment.

Hanna BegicENVI

You have as many hours in a day as Beyoncé.

Hans NäsmanTRAN Chair

Why have one gap year when you can have two?

Helene RaabOrganiser

Why didn‘t Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Ilona CenolliOrganiser

Ever stopped to think, and forgot to start again?

Irma RathoferECON

Protect the fortress!! EXPELLIARMUS!

Isabella IllesLIBE

Life is not a Ponyhof.

Jakob GutschlhoferBoard Member

eypaustria.org/contact/new-member-registration

Jannis BetschkiVideo Editor

I love you the way I am.

Joana CavacoVice-President

The cat is my spirit animal.

Johanna EbnerHead-Organiser

„With a new day comes new strength and

thoughts.“ - Roosevelt

Johanna RonigerITRE

GA is coming. - EYPetyr Baelish

Johannes RoscherECON

Anything is impossible.

Julia HaslauerHead-Organiser

If it can‘t be fixed with duct tape, you‘re not

using enough.

Julia SollnerCULT

I have the right to remain silent.

Justus WidmannENVI

The next sentence is a lie. The previous one is the

truth.

• 20

Juulia JääskeläinenLIBE

Can I have a hat which says ‚Cool Kid‘?

Kacper MurzynskiTRAN

„One can run away from anything but oneself.“ -

Stefan Zweig

Kerstin ReisingerECON

Sighing is the language of hade.

Konstantin WeberDEVE

I am still looking for a quote.

Laman HanifayevaLIBE

With great power comes great electricity bill.

Lassi SavolainenENVI

I am flexy and I know it.

Laura KalnyTRAN

I‘m not clumsy. Just the floor, the tables and the

walls hate me.

Laurynas KeturakisITRE Chair

Devil is never in the details.

Lena StrehmannPresident of EYP AT

Welcoming all these new faces to EYP Austria

makes me happy.

Lilly SpieglováCULT

I‘ve fallen in love with yodeling.

Lukas IschlstögerOrganiser

Truth is like poetry. And most people fucking hate

poetry.

Lydia PurschkeJournalist

Shut up! You lower the IQ of the whole street.

Magdalena PöttingerOrganiser

Today is a gift. That‘s why it is called the present.

Manfredi DanielisVice-President

My grandma baptised me in secret with pasta

water.

Manon SchürchEditor

My hovercraft is full of eels.

Marco KriessmannCULT

Trust me, I am an engineerer.

21 •

Marek HaislMember of Jury

Drop it, like it‘s hot.

Maria KöppingMember of Jury

Hupsi

Mathea MarktlOrganiser

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

Maximilian ViewegECON

Cereal is a soup.

Melanie HillbrandCULT

I am really obsessed with cats.

Michael ErnstOrganiser

In EYP we come to the conclusion that we aren‘t

so different after all.

Mikaella ChristodoulidiJournalist

Yeah, I know.

Moritz IbesichECON

„You only hear what you understand.“ - Goethe

Nikolai AlexENVI

Pizza is bae.

Nina ThomicMentor

I love Gerlitzen.

Olga TsybulskaITRE

Our journalist made me write this.

Ondrej HanakTRAN

I‘m hungry.

Özgür GençerJournalist

I have fries instead of fingers, yaaaas!

Peter GoldboroughOrganiser

If I told you that you only had one life, wouldn‘t you

make the most of it?

Philipp ReiterCULT

It is not about being the best. It‘s about being better than yesterday.

Phuong NgoITRE

If idiots could fly, this place would be an

airport.

• 22

Pien KiliaanECON

In every joke there‘s a truth.

Raphael BekMember of Jury

You‘re welcome.

Ricarda PfingstlLIBE

Always be yourself unless you can be a unicorn.

Roman JaritzOrganiser

Removed inappropriate quote.

Samuel HaijesAGRI

The Jury was corrupt.

Samuel HönleBoard Member

eypaustria.org/contact/new-member-registration

Sarah HannoufDEVE

What are we again talking about?

Saramaria KalkkuECON Chair

Even the word impossible says „I‘m possible“

Satu MeronenAGRI

Did you just say: „Open your pants.“?

Schila LabitschDEVE

Uh, that‘s DEVElicious.

Sebastian ZwicklAGRI

Asians ate my cat.

Severin MeyerITRE

I am a bad public speaker. At least I can

right well.

Sofie de JongDEVE

Do you bite your KitKat?

Sophia WeiserENVI

Tired and hungry.

Sophie BarfodCULT

Perfection is not attainable, except if you

are me.

Stella BenfattoDEVE Chair

Oachkotzalschwoaf

23 •

Stella LandtOrganiser

I took an IQ test and the results were negative.

Tamina HuberCULT Chair

3 days of session and I only nearly killed my

delegates once.

Tarik LazouniJournalist

Fromage de chèvre

Thomas MichelerITRE

Don‘t follow your dreams, follow my twitter @

Thomsn_M

Tim TomicTRAN

We can state truly generally that no truly

general statement exists.

Tobias EitlerITRE

„Peace to the shacks! War on the palaces!“ - Georg

Büchner

Tobias SatlowVice-President

When you want to go distance, you have to

start with a single step.

Tom WolfskämpfEditor

„A room without books is like a body without a

soul“ — Cicero

Tomas James HainITRE

And yes, you spell my name like that.

Toni DirlingerENVI Chair

My name is Anton. The A stands for expert.

Utkan Dora ÖncülTRAN

Never stop exploring or expand your playground.

Xiangxi HuLIBE

Your friendly neighbourhood

Chinaman.

Yannick WeberCULT Chair

Quotes are overrated.

• 24

We don’t know who Brigitte Bardot is, think that Charlie Sheen is a good actor and are not able to differentiate between David Cameroon and Kim-Jong Un. But that’s of no importance, is it?

What is important is that our Chairs think that Brigitte Bardot is very hot and they could totally make out with her. It is of importance that a film with Charlie Sheen actually won an award and that somehow David Cameron also is a threat to the world.

What we all know though is that our world is precious, that we have to stop polluting our environment. We are modest (and also realistic) enough to know that we won’t be able to change that over night and that we can’t tackle every problem concerning dumping dangerous material. But we all know that electrical waste is growing and growing. And that this is happening on the expense of the environment. Not only are precious resources wasted, they are actu-ally poured into the environment because we all are not throwing it in the dustbin properly.

The magic word here would be recycling, however, using the dustbin is not the place where your EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) ends up in a buyback centre. And even if you are doing so, is the EEE could still end up being illegally shipped to Africa and there poisoning both envi-ronment and people.

And therefore ENVI will in their resolution push forward measures which will, on the one hand, encourage recycling by making it easier and more desirable for the consumers,

while including the industry in order to create a system from which both the environment and the companies end up profiting from and on the other hand disrupt the export to LEDCs (less economic developed countries) and increase the safety of the procedure. The necessary steps which have already been taken and the legislation in place will be included, further specialized and changed in order to be suitable for the current situation.

ENVI is not only working together indescribably good during the academic part of the session but even beyond that. This harmony was observed by everybody as soon as the first round of activity on Saturday evening passed. What reveals the deep connection between people better than realizing what the other thinks, without speaking up at all? Even when faced with the most difficult words, no one was able to stop ENVI from succeeding.

Unfortunately, a part of our group already had to leave, which left a hole in our unity. Sadly, Justus had to say goodbye on Sunday already, but his thoughts will be with us, when we are defending our resolution, while we are mentally supporting him in writing his exam.

A special thank you goes to Toni and Joana, who did a awesome job, actively included me in all activities and guided me though my first experience as an EYP journalist. Finally, I would also like to thank all ENVI delegates for not being too harsh with me when taking pictures the whole time and would like to sincerely congratulate you for succeeding in finding such great solutions for your resolution.

About sexy Grannies and saving the Environmentwritten by Eike Plhak (DE)

25 •

Let me tell you the story of a group of 6 aspiring young politicians discussing agriculture with the guidance of two lovely chairpersons and the photo camera of a journalist. Throughout those four days, the session set at the foot of the mountains, they shared an incredible amount of memo-ries (also lots of awkward moments) …

It all started with a simple Teambuilding game where Fabian and Finja turned the committee into a slave market where they had to do serious marketing to sell the committee member one by one. Since the committee consisted of awesome people, it was no suprise that everybody suceeded in getting sold. Fabian and Finja kept all the money.

The committee on agriculture also experienced some weird times facing the English language barrier. “Open your pants” was a rather odd invitation coming from the committee’s chairperson Fabian, yet, what followed was even more awkward as the Finnish reaction to it was actu-ally proceeding to fulfill the task. It turned out Fabian only wanted them to open their pens. Who knows what was going through their mind?

During committee dinner, evil tasks were tasked onto the delegates, and with this also to poor Fabian and Eylül. The fun reached its peak when Finja announced that secret tasks were to be accomplished without anyone noticing. This is how it went:

• Satu had to eat her dinner with two forks and the obvi-ously clueless journalist was trying to explain to Satu why it was more reasonable to eat with a knife rather than a second fork.

• Ani had to smudge food on her mouth which she managed to do really well.

• Florian had to stare at one person all night and lick his lips in a creepy way. It turned out that Satu was quite creeped out by that.

• Samuel had to pray before he started to eat and fortu-nately nobody took notice.

• Anna-Lena was one of the best players by licking her glass everytime she drank something from it. Somehow we did not realise it at all.

• Sebastien was the winner because he got to take every single sugar pack on the table and to hide it on his chair. He was pretty cool about it.

• And there were Fabian and Eylül who had the daring same task to talk about their “crush” on Tobias, the VP, all the time.

At the end of the evening, everyone was amazed by their dance performance as they ranked second in the session dance competition. Well done AGRI, “having fun” achieve-ment completed.

AGRI, as your journalist, I think you were awesome in every possible aspect. You worked really hard for your resolu-tion, made the best out of the session by simply enjoying it. If you have succeeded in leaving the session with new friends, a post-EYP depression and plans to attend future EYP sessions again after leaving this session, then you have made the most out of this experience. I hope when you look back to this experience in the future, you can count this session as the start of your personal development and long-lasting friendships.

This is not a farewell. In EYP, we never say goodbye. Instead, we say “take care” until the next time.

Diaries of AGRIwritten by Eylül Yalçınkaya (TR)

• 26

Disclaimer: this will not be a philosophical text stating the importance of teamwork and committee spirit. This article aims solemnly at introducing the committee on economic and monetary affairs and stating examples of their successes over the last four days.

Furthermore, it shall be stated that ECON has been voted to be the best committee of the session by an anonymous jury who was not at all bribed with Swiss chocolate.

The committee was able to profit from various skills its members brought into the round, such as the ability to pass on various objects in no time without using their hands (but several other body parts instead). Knowledge sharing was also very present and on point (#attnangpuchheim) as well as intercultural exchange, which allowed the committee to learn the ways Austria works. But ECON did not just contribute to the general knowledge of the committee members, we also taught the whole session the value of bananas, corn and avocado (#guacamole).

But who is ECON? The committee on economic and mone-tary affairs are a strong fortress, ready to defend their reso-lutions against knights (aka Sara), dragons and wizards (aka Manfredi). Different skills assure the high quality of the

protection, such as high flexibility allowing to kick intruders right in the face, knowing the ways of various countries such as Holland as well as general great knowledge of different languages, from Chinese to Russian. But, of course, the importance of our dear chairpersons cannot be underes-timated, them being incredibly helpful, patient and simply amazing.

However, of course, there is always space to learn more, such as how important Sigmund Freud and Harry Potter are. The chairpersons themselves had to learn the hard way how hard it can be to think of every little detail, from different domains in science to various fantasy characters.

While getting to know each other better, we realized that we all like Barbie and Michael Jackson, regardless of age and gender. Also, it was impossible not to notice how incredibly good-looking ECON is. Especially the committee itself would like to stress this point and would like the other committees to recognize their superiority.

Eight delegates and two chairpersons contributed to making this session, this committee and this article the way it is. And in the end exactly this point; teamwork, is what makes ECON great.

Guacamolewritten by Kate Gurevich (CH)

27 •

The committee on transport is the sweetest and coolest committee of the session. Whether they were playing games or having lively discussions during Committee Work: TRAN ALWAYS HAD FUN. Their topic concerned itself with the development of urban mobility for which they were able to find creative, and at the same time, effective solutions.

Those following members made TRAN as amazing as can be;

Laura is a lovely young lady with a creative mind, who you will like from the very first moment when you meet her. Kacper comes from the land of very friendly and cool people: Poland. You instantly feel the urge to hang out with him and his friends because a lot of fun and banter are guaranteed. Aysun is a warm-hearted and sweet delegate who probably had the longest way to the session. She came all the way from Azerbaijan. Then there’s Ondrej - a nice guy from the land of cows, mountains and weird accents. He can concentrate on work quite easily but does not shy away from chilling out with his fellow committee members at the same time. You can easily recognize Dora by his outgoing personality and his blue eyes. He is able to tell you a lot of stories about his warm home country Turkey. Lastly, Tim is the hip guy of the committee a.k.a the trendsetter. His hair is always on point and so is his personality.

All in all, every TRAN member has a different and unique character but they complement each other and form an amazing team which is lead by their awesome chairpersons Hans and Alyona. I would like to sincerely thank you for being the wonderful people that you are and can’t wait to see where your EYP journey takes you.

Join the TRA(i)Nwritten by Lydia Purschke (DE)

• 28

From Christian’s twerking to Adelaide’s over thinking riddle skills, you should feel special for being part of such an awesome committee. If someone asked you about your feelings about the past few days, I am sure the first word that comes to mind is “fun”. You have learnt many new skills during this session and most importantly you can now feel proud to say that you have acquired the knowledge to play the pointing game, even you Aaron!

Some of you will leave this session with great aspirations and a good idea of how you want to continue your EYP career. If you are still not sure, this article is here to make you emotional enough so that you are forced to continue within this wonderful organisation that is EYP. During these past days you have formed a unique relationship with one another and it’s up to you how you develop that. Sessions can be the start of great friendships that last a lifetime, so I really hope that during this past week some of you might have found their match. Speaking of matching; Ricarda, I hope that one day you finally decide on a single colour for your socks, it is a tough choice between white and pink.

I hope everyone gets a chance to rest after the session to recover from the sleepless nights. I was surprised to see the energy you had throughout the session and was pleased to be surrounded by such cheerful faces. I honestly could not tell that you were the least bit sleep deprived, always

smiling and with a positive attitude, right David? Julia, you might have missed the beginning of Teambuilding but that did not keep you back from really fighting for Abigail’s repu-tation. Being surrounded by people who you can actually keep up interesting conversations at all times, which is very refreshing, I am confident that every single one of you has also experienced that in this committee. What is even rarer is finding out that one of these people can actually speak your maternal language; yes, Eva has Greek routes.

EYP is all about progress and when people say it changes their lives, they are not lying. Everyone will leave this session a little more confident, informed and hopefully more open-minded. If you don’t believe this change is happening, just take a look at Leman. Moving on; the calmest and steadiest force of the committee; Isabella, thank you for reminding all of us that debating is not about who has the loudest voice in the room but the most logical. Humor is another powerful tool in EYP and someone in this committee knows how to do that very well; I think who I am talking about is obvious; isn’t it Hu?

Lastly, I really hope everyone has made the most out of this session and wish you good luck with your EYP journeys. Thank you all for the amazing memories and I hope to see you all somewhere in Europe soon!

Laughter, Intellect, Brilliance, Excellencewritten by Mikaella Christodoulidi (CY)

29 •

Once upon a time, there was a farm belonging to two farmers. These farmers were called Vilnius and Vienna. They also had a peculiar turkey which was occasionally there to keep up their spirits and was their friend and confidant. The farmers had seven mules which were called: Hanoi, Homer, Nazareth[1], Alexander, Poser, Jo, and The Lost. The Lost, as can be understood from the name, was generally lost. Times were hard for Vilnius and Vienna due to the increasing energy prices. As a result, they had developed a plan of using electricity only generated by themselves, which was a splendid idea since they could have sold the excess energy to other farmers.

For their farm they thought that solar energy and wind energy to be the best fit. It would have been great if they were the only ones that used the electricity. However, it turned out that their mules were frequent partiers and were always the ones causing the massive electric bill. As Vilnius and Vienna started building the solar panels and wind turbine they needed the mules to support them. The mules, and especially, Poser was afraid since panels and turbines would not be sufficient in keeping up with their massive amount of partying. With this system they could have dance battles only three times a week. Alexander was also concerned about this issue; however, she was not terrified as she considered this time frame to be enough. Nevertheless, she was going to fight for the rights of all those farm animals. As these mules were the heads of the Farm Animal Community they set up a dinner meeting to

which chickens were also invited. The Lost was immediately lost and did not get to meet up with the group. The dinner meeting in the end turned out badly causing Alexander and Poser to disagree. This disagreement led to a fight which ended with Jo killing all the chickens and eating them. After the meeting, nothing was the same anymore. The Lost was present and around. Homer was silently devising a plan, Poser was causing dissension, Alexander was trying to calm them down but it ceased to work. Nazareth, on the other hand, was an important asset for all parties as he was the tech genius of the farm.

On a rather silent morning, things took a crazy turn when Hanoi’s entered the farm bringing with him a big ore of Plutonium. When the time came to overthrow the Vilnius and Vienna, the mules used plutonium both as a weapon and an energy source. They were not environment friendly and it therefore proved quite dangerous yet they had gotten their independence back. After all, they had over-thrown their owners in what was a spectacle. Fortunately, the turkey stood by their side every step of the way and was always ready to document the happenings with his camera. And did they all now live happily ever after? Not really as a mysterious female who is commonly know under the name “Benfatto” from the animal control center, on the last day was forced to dismiss this assembly of animals. However, our might heroes will keep those four exciting days in their heart forever.

ITRE Farmwritten by Özgür Gencer (TR)

• 30

Dear Committee on Culture and Education,

The phrase “best committee ever”, in my opinion, is used way too often. Of course, in most cases people get very attached to their fellow committee members, their chairs, and of course their lovely journalist.

In the case of CULT, however, I feel something stronger than just friendship. Obviously, when Teambuilding started, we all felt the same. I mean, let’s face it, being with people you don’t know, playing weird games instructed by *???* year old strangers who call themselves “chairs”, with the occasional appearance of a supposed “journalist” taking pictures of you. That’s not really the ideal start of telling your friends and family about your great experience, is it?

Throughout those activities though, I saw your facial expressions go from closed and unsure, to open and friendly towards your fellow delegates, rapidly overcoming this awkward stage. Taking any opportunity to ridicule your-self, but always making sure to do it together, your team spirit became stronger and stronger until we became a truly unified committee. The natural kindness and honesty you showed to other members of the group were simply touching.

I would like to address a special thank you for the very emotional ceremony that you organised for my enrolment

in the committee. I really appreciated the way you included me into the group, even though I have to say, from the outside, it looked a bit like a shady sectarian ritual. But I will definitely keep this memory for a long time, and use that armband to dry my tears as I think of the good times we had together. Just kidding, I’m just going to use it to swipe my motivation-filled sweat from exercising hard to stay in shape, thanks to your dedication to make Europe active again!

In this regard, you actively put your mind to finding common solutions for everyone to follow the example of the sporty CULT committee. Respecting each others’ opinions and trying to compile your ideas, I dare say you have written a wonderful resolution of which you should be proud of.

Thank you for the games, thank you for the laughs, for the committee dinner, the discussions, the inspiration, and thank you for being yourself. I often think young people these days are lame but you just restored my faith in humanity.

Truly, thank you.

Tar(r)ik

Dear CULTwritten by Tarik Lazouni (CH)

31 •

On the 8th April 2016, a group of 10 incredible, young men and women came together in Salzburg, Austria, to form a committee dedicated to spearheading the continued lead-ership of the EU in the international effort to stop global warming. The name of this group? The Committee on Development.

Allow me to introduce them to you.

First there was Dorcus, originally from Congo, but in this instant representing the mountains of Austria. It was thanks to her supreme social openness that the committee was able to find allies all over the world.

Next there was Eeva from the freezing nation of Finland, who, with the power of sarcasm, was able to repeal any snide remark, daring to criticise their resolution.

Schila had taken on Monk as her mentor so much that she had created a fan page dedicated to him. His flawless detec-tive skills were passed on to her and she now helped the committee in researching various facts. She too was from Austria.

Sofie, from the Netherlands below, aspired to become a full-on rapper, effectively helping her committee present their ideas for a new world in a gangsta sort of way.

Andreas, again from Austria, was the group’s poster boy. Partaking in all kinds of sports like tennis, water skiing and cycling, and a certified lifeguard, Andreas was to DEVE what David Hasselhoff was to ‘Baywatch’.

Sarah, although reluctant at first sight, had enough ambi-tion to keep the entire committee moving forward. Like Andreas she was from Austria.

From the hot South, more specifically Turkey, came Alara, whose bakery skills could have helped keep the group fed. She was also dedicated to keeping her nails polished.

Konstantin, the final delegate of DEVE, was interested in everything and constantly contemplating the world. His natural curiosity kept the committee up to date on world news and, well, kind of everything. He represented Austria.

The team was lead by a Franco-Austrian combination of chairpersons. On the one hand we had Fabian, whose constant question about the moon and the stars irritated, frustrated and most of all confused everyone around him. On the other hand we had Stella, whose superpowered squirrel blanket allowed her to keep mildly warmer than without it.

Dear Committee on Development, I thank you for your efforts in making this world a better place and for the pleasure of your company.

In EYP, we don’t say good-bye, since there is always the possibility and the hope to see each other at another session. So in that spirit…

…Cheerio, Caspar

DEVE Adventureswritten by Caspar Spillmann (CH)

Das Europäische Jugendparlament Österreich ist eine Organisation des BEJ/JEF, BEJ/JEF wird un-

terstützt vom Bundesministerium für Familie und Jugend und dem Bundesministerium für Bildung

und Frauen sowie der Stadt Wien (MA 13).

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