Digital Dialogues - EYP Talk - Have your say on Europe's future - The EYP experience - Comments

My EYP Experience

TvMarshall — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:52:14 +0000

Hello, I'm Ben Marshall, I'm 18 and am currently studying in Cardiff University. it's great to see so many recognisable names and experiences on this forum, although i have to say, it doesn't quite beat the feeling of actually travelling around Europe! I have to say that EYP has been one of the defining experiences of my life. Having come from a relatively small social circle, meeting new people through international sessions really has broadened my horizons. I only wish I had the money and time to do more!

I agree

David — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 20:43:49 +0000

I agree with Sophie- I found out about the forums through our head of 6th form, I'd never even heard of it before then! Young people feel excluded from politics but there are some of us that wish to be actively involved which is all but impossible with the opportunities open to us. Maybe a few years down the line some of the major parties will regret not trying to win us over earlier!

other ways to get involved

RichardRoyal — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:28:29 +0000

dear all, dear sophie - if you are interested in taking part in eyp there are various different ways. for instance, eyp france (google them) have a forum every summer for young students and workers which is not necessarily dependent on you having taken part in eyp before. their last session was in Lyon, last August. it was very very useful. Rich

Involvement in the EYP

Sophie Stewart — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:13:27 +0000

Hi everyone, As a current Year 12 student who has only just discovered through this forum how to get involved in the EYP, I really regret that I missed the chance this year to get involved in regional debates etc. It seems a brilliant opportunity to engage in European politics. Can anyone tell me if there are any other ways to get involved with the EYP at all? I'd really love a chance to take part in the work most of you seem to have already experienced. If not... then can I stress that there needs to be more publicity to raise awareness of the opportunities available through the EYP - I only found out about this forum by chance, after reading a tiny notice in my local paper by Linda McAvan (MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber). There have been several comments made about involving more European youth, but this can only happen if we are aware of the EYP in the first place.

The experience continues...

Michael Leyland — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 15:46:43 +0000

It really is great to see people who have recently attended a regional forum joining in this debate as for me EYP is all about making sure as many young people as possible get the chance to experience this ‘experience’. If like David and Tolu, you have recently experienced EYP at a regional forum and enjoyed a particular debate, please do feel free to use the open forum to continue these debates, opening them up to other contributors. I would also like to encourage people who have either only recently experienced or are yet to experience EYP to get involved in the other topics on this forum as hearing fresh and interesting new opinions is for me what EYP is all about.

My EYP experience

Tolu — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 20:59:20 +0000

I took part in the Thames Valley Regional debate for EYP on the 1st Feb 2007. My team were the only team whose motion was carried!...We were proposing a pan european smoking ban and it seems we managed to convince most people in the room that it was a good idea. xXxToluxXx

South West Regional Forum

David — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:29:46 +0000

Hello, Today I had the great pleasure of attending the EYP South West Regional Forum in the Exeter Council Chambers. I would very much like to hear from anyone else who was there, in particular the Council for Industry as I wish to further discuss a point made. That aside I found it to be a fantastic experience from which I have benifitted greatly, I would recommend participation to anyone who gets the chance! Thank you, David

The 'EYP experience' is broader than you think...

AHardman — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:17:39 +0000

Whether or not you are actively involved in the European Youth Parliament or not, the comments posted on this discussion by current members of the organisation demonstrate that you don't have to be an active member to reap the benefits. EYP is about learning from others, meeting people you wouldn't ordinarily meet and hearing a voice or an opinion different to your own. All of these concepts can also be found on this forum, this is really what this website is about. Yes, as a memeber of EYP I've travelled to many different European countries and met highly talented people from across Europe but I'm just as interested in what everyone has to say on this forum, whether you're at the beginning of your EYP experience, somewhere in the middle or perhaps this is your first brush with it. EYP is about so much more than taking part; that is just the beginning. The 'EYP experience' stretches much further than most people think, so get involved, ask questions, post on this forum and you may be surprised as to how benficial it is...

The EYP-My Story

Abladey — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 22:15:50 +0000

Just like Richard Royal and Chris Mackin,my EYP debut was back in September 2004 and since then,I haven't looked back.It's been a very inspiring,educational and highly rewarding experience.6 years ago, I was walking barefooted to school in my Native Ghana,working and ploughing farms with my grandparents,learning without electricity and basically lacking in knowledge.Since my arrival in England,I have grown from strength to strength and the EYP has surely made me into a more astute and intellectual gentleman.The EYP is an initiative that brings together enthusiatic young people,who care passionately about their countries,Europe and the world as a whole.The leader of my team that made it to the Durham session in 2004,Richard Royal has been a great inspiration and encouragement.His sheer commitment and enthusaism typifies the spirit of the EYP.We need more people like Richard in the EYP,we need more young Europeans in the EYP.

The biggest family on the earth

ruut — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:13:16 +0000

I'm Ruut Vedenpää, an 18-year-old Finnish student. I'm a member of EYP Finland's board and not until this moment I consider my EYP-"career" being in its very beginning - with its challenges. I've been around since Finnish nationals of 2005, and after that I've participated in two foreign sessions as a delegate and also in the Finnish nationals 2006 as a journo. The thought about considering EYP as a competition with its only goal to "win" your access to international session is particulary true when being a first-time delegate, but luckily most of young EYP:ers find easily the essence of EYP - at least for me it's about friends, fun and developing ourselves as persons and EU-citizens.

i have had no eyp

James Montgomery — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 12:57:48 +0000

i have had no eyp experiences, i couldn't possibly comment on this thread

My EYP

David Bokhorst — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:02:41 +0000

My name is David Bokhorst, member of the board of EYP NL. Like all of you I could never have imagined the impact of eyp upon my life. The great thing is that if you invest in this organisation you can come so far. The great thing about my position in EYP now is that I not only get to take oppurtunities but also give oppurtunities to others.

EYP Experience

Cecilia Pellosniemi — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 13:28:22 +0000

Hello everybody, I am an 18-year-old member of the Board of EYP Finland. I study law in Helsinki and might apply to a university abroad next year. I started my EYP career in the Finnish National Session of 2003 at the age of 15, and have continued ever since, at the moment more active than ever before, I must say. I have participated in many Finnish National Sessions as Delegate, Journo and Chair. I have also been to some Regional Sessions. This spring I somehow still got the chance to represent Finland in the International Session of Potsdam, and I am thrilled! Hopefully I can continue my international career later on as well. This Forum is absolutely magnificent and I am eagerly waiting for interesting discussions.

MYEYP

chris.mackin — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 23:49:48 +0000

My name is Chris Mackin, from Northern Ireland, and I participated in the same national selection conference in the UK as Rich, i.e. 2004. Since then I have travelled to Berlin, Basel, Delft, Paris, Dublin, Riga and soon Amsterdam! When I took part in that first selection conference I could never have imagined what the EYP experience could give to me in terms of self-awareness, self-belief and a hunger to present my views on issues which I feel are important. Two years on, and I have made some great friends from Holland, Latvia, Croatia, and Italy to name but a few. I hope that I can continue travelling all over our continent with the organisation that is shaping my priorities in life.

My Experience

RichardRoyal — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 17:03:24 +0000

The European Youth Parliament, not just in the UK, but throughout Europe, has provide me with a fantastic oppurtunity to meet people i wouldn't have otherwise had the pleasure of meeting. I come from a small, former mining town, in Newcastle and had never really discovered the cultures and ideas of other Europeans until i was involved in the EYPUK debating competition with my school. I mean, I'd travelled abroad but the Costa del Sol doesn't really count. Fortunately for me, our school was lucky enough to win the competition and i ended up spending the ten best days of my life in Stavanger. Since then i've visited Basel, Paris, Lyon, Delft, Durham, Stuttgart and Oslo with the EYP and hope to visit lots and lots of other placees meeting more and more interesting new people. I've learnt so much more about Europe, its institutions, the fantastic folk who inhabit our continent and genuinely had a good laugh in many a new bar. I've debated with politicians of many a country, I've heard about crises in Belarus and why Switzerland won't join the EU. But most of all, EYP has brought me fun... I think thats most important. I look foward to speaking to lots of you in the future, Rich

The EYP experience

Graham — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 17:18:42 +0000

If you want to know what it's like to take part in EYP events, you can ask an EYP alumni, here.