information booklet - lisboa 2015 - 32nd national selection conference of eyp portugal

Lisboa 2015 Comprehension: The Key to Improvement

Information Booklet

INFORMATION BOOKLETLisboa 2015 - 32nd National Selection Conference ofEuropean Youth Parliament - Portugal

APPEJ – Associação Portuguesa do Parlamento Europeu dos Jovens/European Youth Parliament Portugal Rua Dona Antónia Augusta de Sousa, nº 63, 4460-665 Custóias, Matosinhos, Portugalwww.pejportugal.com · [email protected]

Welcome word from the Head-organisers Welcome word from the President The Session Programme Session Elements Dress Codes explained Venues Meet the Organisers Meet the Board Meet the Chairpersons Meet the Media Team Meet the JurorsParticipating SchoolsCommittee TopicsLegal notes Checklist Contacts

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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WELCOME WORD FROM THE HEAD ORGANISERS

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Dear Delegates, Dear Teachers,Dear Officials,

Welcome to the 32nd National Selection Conference of EYP PT.

As you probably already know, we are André and Caroli-na, the Head-organisers of Lisboa 2015.

First of all, thank you all for being a part of the Session and for joining us in this allucinating rollercoaster, your presence is remarkably important.

We know that everyone is giving their best on this sim-ple, and yet challenging, quest - to comprehend - and we ask you to keep doing so: get your young, creative and powerful minds on full motion and we guarantee you that the outcome will be rewarding. Barriers will be overcome, challenges completed, memories created, happiness celebrated and minds opened...

And the key to all of this? Well, we trust that you will find out during Lisboa 2015, but here’s a tiny clue: you are never going to dialogue with this person. ;)

Bearing all this in mind, we encourage you to embrace the Session, to feel it in your veins, to breathe it into your lungs and to experience it as much as you can!

Yours,André Oliveira and Carolina Macedo dos Santos

Head-organisers, Lisboa 2015

WELCOME WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear participants of Lisboa 2015,

My name is Arnolds Eizenšmits, I am a 22 years old student of Political Science at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (currently taking part in the Erasmus student exchange programme at ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa) who comes from Riga, Latvia, and it is my utmost pleasure to address you as the President of the 32nd National Selection Conference of the Euro-pean Youth Parliament Portugal.

Jumping to the possibly most pertinent ques-tion – “What shall Lisboa 2015 be about?” – two main intentions come to my mind.

On the one hand, the session will focus on com-prehension, in various ways. Academically, we will challenge you (and you will challenge each other!) to comprehend complex, yet very rele-vant problems of our days, examine concepts and, ultimately, have your say on what should be done to improve the situation. In a broad-er sense, Lisboa 2015 will be about appreci-ating and comprehending diversity in people and ideas, and, by immersing yourselves in the highly stimulating environment that EYP events provide, better comprehending yourself and your talents.

On the other hand, Lisboa 2015 shall be your key to new friendships, different perspectives and lots of fun. I really hope it will also be your key to unlock the door to your personal em-powerment, and the answer to the ‘Why?’ of EYP.

Having said as much, I would like to reaffirm the importance of thorough academic preparation from your side, so that you can comfortably participate in exciting discussions – please refer to the Academic Preparation Kit for detailed in-formation on this.

Dear Delegates, I can assure that the Officials – Organisers, Chairpersons, Journalists, and their respective team leaders – have been working very hard to provide you with four days of fasci-nating, enriching and fun experiences. The ses-sion is right around the corner and it is about time to get truly excited for Lisboa 2015!

Yours, in great anticipation,Arnolds EizenšmitsPresident, Lisboa 2015

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THE SESSION

Overview: Lisboa 2015, the 32nd National Selection Con-ference of the European Youth Parliament Portugal will be held in the fantastic city of Lisbon.

From Thursday, April 16th to Sunday, April 19th, more than 130 young people from all over Europe will gather to experience a four-day programme, packed with all the fundamental EYP elements, as well as other, complemen-tary activities. For more detailed information about the various elements that will make up Lisboa 2015, please see “Programme” and “Session Elements”, on pages 7 to 9 below.

All session Officials are asked to arrive one day earlier (by 10:30 GMT on Wednesday, April 15th) to attend Teambuilding for Offi-cials and receive Training in their respective competence areas. Arrivals and pick-ups will be arranged directly with the Officials.

All Delegates must arrive until 9:30 GMT on Thursday (see ‘Venues”, on pages 12-14, be-low), April 16th. Arrivals will be coordinated with each delegation’s responsible Teach-er(s).

Comprehension: The Key to Improvement

The theme of the session, “Comprehension – The Key to Improvement”, aims at emphasi- sing the need for a strategic way of solving problems.

During their academic work at Lisboa 2015, the Delegates are invited to break down rel-evant problems, examine various concepts and truly comprehend their different aspects, so that it is possible to eventually suggest how to effectively improve the situation. To find out about the Committee Topics that will be discussed at Lisboa 2015, please see the section ‘Committee Topics’, on page 21

Selection:

During the session, the seven most suitable Delegates will be selected to represent EYP Portugal at the 80th International Session of the European Youth Parliament, which willtake place between November 6th and 15th, 2015, in Leipzig, Germany. To learn more about who will be selecting the seven Portuguese Delegates and how they will be selected, please see ‘Meet the Jurors’ and ‘Evaluation procedure and criteria’, on page 19, below.

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PROGRAMMEThe following is the final version of the programme. Nevertheless, small changes may occur during the event. Complete adherence is expected of all par-ticipants. Should any last-minute changes occur during the session, the participants will be informed by the Organisers and will be expected to comply with their instructions. For any further questions regarding the programme, please see ‘Leaving the official programme’, under ‘Legal notes’, on page 22, below or contact the Organisation (see ‘Con-tacts’, on page 24, below).

Thursday, April 16th, 2015

07:00 Officials’ wake-up call

07:30–08:30 Officials’ breakfast

08:30–10:00 Training/Individual planning time (at the hostel)

10:00–10:30 Planning the kick-off

Until 09:30 Arrival of Delegations

09:00–10:30 Check-in

10:30–11:15 Transfer

11:15–11:45 Kick-off

11:45–13:00 Team Building I

13:00–14:00 Lunch-break

14:00–16:30 Team Building II

16:30–17:00 Coffee-break

17:00–19:45 Team Building III

17:45–19:45 Setting up tables

19:45–20:30 Free time/Dress-change

20:30–23:15 EuroVillage

20:45–23:15 Delegation meetings with the Jury

23:15–23:30 Gathering


Friday, April 17th, 2015

06:45 Wake-up call

07:15–08:00 Breakfast



08:50–09:00 Settling in

09:00–10:45 Opening Ceremony

10:45–11:15 Reception (coffee-break)



Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 (Officials only)

Until 10:30 Arrival of Officials


11:00–13:00 Teambuilding


14:00–15:30 Teambuilding/Training

15:30–17:30 Training I


18:00–21:15 Training II

21:15–21:30 Free time

21:30–23:00 Officials’ EuroVillage

23:00–23:30 Cleaning up


00:00–00:30 Check-in7

12:00–13:00 Teambuilding/Committee Work I


14:00–17:00 Committee Work II


17:15–19:00 Committee Work III

19:00–20:00 Dinner

20:00–20:30 Committee Work IV




21:20–23:30 EuroConcert



Day 3 – Saturday, April 18th, 2015

07:00 Wake-up call




09:00–09:10 Setting in

09:10–10:45 Committee Work V


11:00–13:00 Committee Work VI


14:00–16:30 Committee Work VII


16:45–18:00 Committee Work VIII

18:00–18:25 Break

18:15–00:00 Resolution-typing

18:25–19:00 GA Procedure

19:15–19:45 GA Preparation in Committees

19:45–20:50 Dinner



21:30–23:30 Theme Party



Day 4 – Sunday, April 19th, 2015

07:00 Wake-up call, check out





09:30–09:50 Opening of the General Assembly

09:50–11:35 General Assembly (Resolutions I and II)


11:50–13:30 General Assembly (Resolutions III and IV)


14:20–14:30 Session photo

14:30–14:40 Settling back in

14:40–16:20 General Assembly (Resolutions V and VI)

16:20–16:30 Break

16:30–18:10 General Assembly (Resolutions VII and VIII)


18:30–19:30 Closing Ceremony

19:30–19:50 Closure time in Committees

20:00 Departure of Delegations

20:00–20:45 Feedback meeting for Officials

21:00 Departure of Officials

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TEAM BUILDING: (dress code: comfortable)

On Thursday, following a ‘kick-off’ activi-ty involving all the participants, the Dele-gates will gather in their respective Com-mittees, together with other Delegates from different schools (including interna-tional Delegates) and a Chairperson (who can be either Portuguese or from a differ-ent European country). Coming from dif-ferent backgrounds and, most likely, nev-er having met before, the Delegates will, by the end of the day, have got to know one another and learnt how to work as a closely knit team. Under the guidance and facilitation of their Chairpersons and the Board of the session, the Committees will engage in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities; some physical, others demand-ing creativity, communication and prob-lem-solving skills, but all of them fun and engaging, these activities are designed to help these mixed groups of people work as teams – and, especifically, as mem-bers of the same Committee, who will be tackling the same issues during the Com-mittee Work.

EUROVILLAGE: (dress code: casual will do; regional/na-tional costumes preferred)

Each School Delegation at Lisboa 2015 will put together their own stand, featuring items from their city or region (or country, for international Delegates) – souvenirs, information brochures, national flags, everything is welcome – and, of course, many culinary specialties to be sampled. The EuroVillage will serve as everyone’s dinner on Thursday, too, so be sure to leave no one hungry. Also, it will not be possible to cook nor heat up pre-cooked dishes, so we would advise that you rely mostly on dishes that can be served cold or at room temperature. Finally, while typical beverages are welcome, the Dele-gates (regardless of their age) will not be allowed any alcohol and beverages with alcoholic content above 16% vol.

OPENING CEREMONY: (dress code: work-formal)

On Friday morning, all participants will gather in Lisboa’s Town Hall, or Paços do Concelho where the Opening Ceremony will take place. This will be the first tru-ly formal (and, incidentally, also public) moment of the session and, as its name makes clear, will mark the moment when the Parliament will go into session. Several important personalities will be addressing the Delegates, motivating them to debate and make their voices heard and, after the European Anthem has been played, the President will declare the session to be of-ficially open.

COMMITTEE WORK: (dress code: smart)

This is perhaps the central part of any ses-sion. The Delegates of each Committee will come together, now working well as a team after a full day of Teambuilding, and sit down to discuss their given topic. Their goal is to write a Resolution on that topic with which they can all agree and, of course, defend at the General Assem-bly. This is no easy task: people from very different backgrounds often have as many different perspectives and will almost cer-tainly have to reach compromises if they are to find agreement within the es-tablished time. To help, each Committee will continue to be accompanied by an experienced Chairperson, an older EYP Alumnus/a, who will ensure that all voices are heard and that the Resolution re-flects the ideas of the whole group. While discussions may be heated, the end result will doubtlessly be that the Delegates will

have learnt an incredible amount about the issue and really thought about the im-plications, developing and redeveloping their own views. The skills learnt during the Committee Work – discussing, debat-ing, persuading, negotiating and compro-mising – will prepare the Delegates not only for the General Assembly, but for life.

EUROCONCERT: (Dress code: formal or performance-relat-ed)

EYPers tend to possess a multitude of tal-ents, reaching well beyond public speak-ing and arguing for their opinions during heated debates. In recognition of the many artistically gifted amongst us, this event will offer every participant a chance to showcase their abilities, be that by playing an instrument, singing or danc-ing. If you would like to perform at the EuroConcert, please see the ‘Checklist’, on page 23, for further instructions.

THEME PARTY: (dress code: themed)

“Work hard, party hard…” or so goes the saying. This is true also at EYP sessions, where, following the first day of Com-mittee Work, the Delegates will have the chance to unwind at the party, under the theme “Key to you”, for which, everyone is expected to dress up representing some-thing or someone that is key to them.

EYP events have at least three elements in common: Teambuilding, Committee Work and General Assembly. At Lisboa 2015, we will be having those three... and some more. Read on to learn all you need to know about those.

SESSION ELEMENTS

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PREPARATION FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: (dress code: smart)

Once the Committee Work ends on Sat-urday, the Delegates will gather to attend a presentation of the General Assembly procedure, delivered by the President. Af-terwards, they will split into Committees and meet their Chairpersons to allocate speeches for the General Assembly and prepare for the debates.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY(Dress code: work-formal)

In Lisboa’s Municipal Assembly, the partic-ipants will gather to debate the matters at hand. For each Debate, the Resolution be-ing proposed will be presented, defended, attacked, debated and voted on. As such, it will be of paramount importance that all Delegates are familiar with not only the topic of their own Committee, but also with those of others. While it is true that, in several cases, the European Parliament has gone on to discuss issues brought up by EYP Resolutions, the aim of this activity is not to exert political influence, but rath-er to provide an educational experience for the individuals taking part.

CLOSING CEREMONY (Dress code: work-formal)

Following the last Debate on the day of the General Assembly, representatives of EYP Portugal and of the various teams of Officials will hold a series of speeches, helping the participants reflect on what we are certain will have been a lifechang-ing experience. In the end, we will close the session in the same way we will have opened it: with the words of the President of the session, right after the European Anthem.

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As you may have noticed, different moments require different sets of clothes. In this section, you can find a short explanation of what each dress code means. Please remember that, while their descriptions are indicative, these dress codes are, for the most part, mandatory. Also, bear in mind that Lisboa can be either chilly or hot, and since the session is in April, be sure to check the weather forecast (try: (http://www.accuweather.com/en/pt/lis-bon/274087/april-weather/274087) for some of the most accurate predictions around) and pack accordingly.

DRESS CODES EXPLAINED

COMFORTABLE

This is how you should dress for the Team Building. While we all know that first impressions count, please bear in mind that you will be performing a series of outdoor activities, some of which more-or-less physically demanding, so make sure you wear clothes that are comfort-able and can get dirty. Depending on the weather, you might also need a warmer jumper.

CASUAL

This is what you can wear outside the of-ficial moments of the session. Basically, whatever you feel comfortable in is an op-tion, as long as it is decent.

SMART

This is what you must wear for the Com-mittee Work. While ‘smart’ attire may be difficult to pin down, it definite-ly excludes tennis shoes, sports trousers or jeans and t-shirts. In other words, we would recommend… for the gentlemen: a pair of dressier shoes and trousers, a button-down shirt with a jumper and/or a jacket; for the ladies: either that or a dressier skirt, with a shirt and a jumper and/or a jacket.

THEMED

As you have just read, this session’s Theme Party will be all about celebrating what is key to you. To celebrate in style, you are asked to bring an accessory/ornament that, in your opinion, symbolises some-thing or someone that is key to you, that

describes you, that influences you or just that you love. Better yet, make it a whole costume! PS. Restrain from anything too revealing or offensive, and be creative! Good luck!

FORMAL

This is what you must wear for all the more formal moments of the session. For the Opening Ceremony, the General As-sembly and the Closing Ceremony, formal attire that is appropriate for a work/busi-ness environment will be accepted. This means, for the gentlemen: a business suit, dress shirt, dress shoes and a sober tie; for the ladies: either a suit, a tailleur or a combination of a sober, knee-length skirt, a dress shirt and an appropriate jumper will do. In all cases: nothing flashy, please.

For the EuroConcert, while remaining formal, your choice of attire can add a lit-tle bling. For the gentlemen: it might be time to bring out that special bow tie; for the ladies: this is when you can add a bit of glamour… or a bit of bling! If you will be performing at the EuroConcert, then you have much more liberty in choosing what to wear, as long as it is in keeping with the nature of your performance and within the limits of the decorum that is expected of all participants.

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VENUES

ACCOMODATION

Tagus Palace, Lisb’on Hostel, SANA RexWith a central location, several facilities and comfortable spaces, Tagus Palace, Lisb’on Hostel and SANA Rex will be our accommodation venues.

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TEAMBUILDING AND COMMITTEE WORK

Instituto Superior TécnicoInstituto Superior Técnico is a Portuguese university dedicated to the studies of ar-chitecture, engineering, science and technologies, that, not only is one of the best universities in Portugal, but also is worldwide known for its successful teaching and investigation. From Thursday to Saturday it will be our venue for three very important moments: Team Building, Committee Work and EuroVillage.

OPENING CEREMONY

City Hall - Paços do ConcelhoThe head-quarters of the Municipality, this noble building will welcome our Opening Ceremony and, just like once heard the proclamation of the Republic, it will hear our President declaring the Session open.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND CLOSING CEREMONY

Assembleia Municipal de Lisboa – Fórum LisboaFórum Lisboa was an old movie theatre and is now the home of the Assembly of the Municipality of Lisbon, that is proud to have its doors opened to citizenship, welcom-ing activities of great value to society, such as our own, and, therefore, it will be the home of both our General Assembly and our Closing Ceremony.

VENUES

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THEME PARTY

MagneticMagnetic is a cosy, well-decorated bar with good music and a nice atmosphere, which will welcome our Theme Party..

EUROCONCERT

Centro IsmailiThought to contribute to the community’s institutional objectives and to contribute to social, cultural and economic development, the astonishing Ismaili Centre will be our EurConcert venue, providing this moment, not only with beautiful architecture, but also with a peaceful ambience.

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VENUES

MEET THE ORGANISERS

André Oliveira (PT)Head-organiser

Carolina Macedo dos Santos (PT)Head-organiser

Ana Andrade (PT)Organiser

Bruno Ribeiro (PT)Organiser

Carolina Carvalheira (PT)Organiser

João Domingos (PT)Organiser

Inês de Oliveira (PT)Organiser

Laura Teixeira (PT)Organiser

João Bernardo Gonçalves (PT)Organiser

Cláudia Soares (PT)Organiser

Miguel Silva (PT)Organiser

Nuno Oliveira (PT)Organiser

The team of Organisers are a central piece to any session, and Lisboa 2015 is no dif-ferent. During the several months of prepa-ration leading up to the session, they have been – and will keep on – working tireless-ly to ensure everything, from programme to venues, are ready to welcome all of you. During the session, they will be the ones in charge of logistics, transport, food and all the many other ‘invisible’ tasks that must be performed for the event to run smoothly for all the participants. In other words: you may not get to see much of them, but, when you do (and you will, we promise you that), be sure to spare a smile and a “thank you!” – it will mean the world to them and we all know that happy people work better. For now, you can start by putting a name to the face of each of these committed twelve individuals.

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MEET THE BOARD

Arnolds Eizenšmits(LV)President

Anna-Helena Saarso (EE) Vice-president

Teodora Cozma (RO)Vice-president

The Board of the session will be composed of three people, including the President and two Vice-pres-idents (all three from different corners of Europe). These are all older Alumni that have gathered con-siderable experience within the organisation and, thus, are able to lead and coordinate the work of the Chairpersons, as well as the interactions between the various teams, both amongst themselves and with the other participants. On top of that, it will also be their task to run the General Assembly, making sure all parliamentary procedures are adhered to.

Prior to the session, they are responsible for the aca-demic side of things, including not only defining the Committee Topics, but also supervising the creation of a high-quality Academic Preparation Kit, and, right before the session begins, guiding the Chair-persons through a full day of training.

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MEET THE CHAIRS

Anamaria Olaru (RO)EMPL II

Anna-Lena Szumowski (AT)LIBE

Delia Berner (CH)CULT

Joana Cavaco (PT)ITRE

Robin Belfrage (SE)EMPL I

José Eduardo Feio (PT)DROI

Lourenço Cruz (PT)SEDE

Matthieu Loup (CH)ECON

The Chairpersons play an important role in any session. At Lisboa 2015, there will be eight Chair-persons, one per Committee (the Board members will not be chairing any Committees, leaving them more time to better address the needs of all the participants). Like all Officials, the Chairpersons are older Alumni that have gathered relevant experi-ence within the organisation and, thus, are able to lead and coordinate the work of the Delegates, from the activities of the Teambuilding to the de-bates of the Committee Work and, of course, their performance at the General Assembly.

Prior to the session, they were each tasked with putting together an Overview for their Committee Topics, which has been sent to the Delegates in the form of an Academic Preparation Kit. To bet-ter prepare to facilitate the work of the Delegates, these eight individuals will also be doing consider-able research and, right before the session begins, will be attending a full day of intensive training.The team is composed of three Portuguese and five international Chairpersons.

Needless to say, you will be seeing them around pretty much all the time, but, until then, have a look at their faces, learn their names and the Com-mittees they will be chairing.

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MEET THE MEDIA TEAM

Weronika Kuc (PL)Editress

Rui Silva (PT)Journalist

Joana Gordinho (PT)Editorial Assistant

Andrea Montanari (IT)Video Editor

Beatriz Herbert (PT)Journalist

Henriikka Hakala (FI)Journalist

Elina Mäkelä (FI)Journalist

Francisca Patrício (PT)Journalist

Gemma Lyons (IE)Journalist

Corinna Alberti (IT)Journalist

Mafalda Rodrigues (PT)Journalist

EYP events can be extremely intense and, even in the case of a four-day session, we are sure we will reach that last day and won-der: “Where did it all go?” The Media Team – which will consist of ten individuals, includ-ing one Editress, one Editorial Assistant, one Video-editor and 8 Journalists – will be there to capture and help preserve the memories of the different moments and elements of the session.

To do that, they will generally resort to a se-ries of media, from traditional to social me-dia.

Just like the Chairs, the members of the Me-dia Team have been selected several months ahead of the session and present a good balance of Portuguese and international in-dividuals.

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Ana Isabel Gonçalves (PT)Head of the Jury

Diāna Orlovska (LV)Juror

Henrique Vieira Mendes (PT)Juror

The three elements that com-pose the Jury of Lisboa 2015 are all older, very experienced EYP Alumni. They have been Jurors at previous National Selection Conferences in various countries, having also taken on different roles as Board members in their respective National Committees or chaired at, vice-presided and presided at National Selection Conferences and international events.

EVALUATION PROCEDURE AND CRITERIA

Even if the evaluation procedure and criteria used at National Se-lection Conferences can some-what vary from National Com-mittee to National Committee, the differences are never too substantial. In Portugal, the Ju-rors will continuously observe the performance of all Delegates throughout the Committee Work and the General Assembly, tak-ing turns and comparing notes until they reach a final verdict. The weight of the Committee Work and General Assembly will be as follows: Committee Work: 60%; General Assembly: 40%.

This distribution of values lays upon the fact that Committee Work takes up two days of the

ANNOUNCING THE RESULTS

At EYP Portugal, we firmly be-lieve that, while the event is called a National Selection Con-ference, its main purposes goes well beyond the mere selection of Delegates. This is not to take away the prestige of being se-lected to represent one’s country at an International Session and International Fora; however, we believe the focus should be put on ensuring all the participants have the best personal experi-ence they possibly can. To that end, we prefer to leave the re-sults unannounced at the session and communicate them to all the participants one week after the session has ended.

MEET THE JURORS

event and delegates will have more opportunities to contribute and evolve during this moment.

Nevertheless, considering the impact that General Assembly may have in their behaviour in general and considering that it is the moment in which every-one can witness the delegates’ performance, the percentage at-tributed to said part of the con-ference is still rather significant.

The Assessment Criteria, both for Committee Work and Gen-eral Assembly are the following: 1) Knowledge of the topic and pertinence of the interventions (25%); 2) Creativity and original-ity of the stances taken (25%); 3) Language fluency and oratory coherence (25%); 4) Evolution throughout the session (15%); 5) Posture and attitude during the debate (10%).

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PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

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Agrupamento de Escolas de Alcanena;

Escola Secundária José Gomes Ferreira. Agrupamento Escolas Benfica;

Agrupamento de Escolas de Oliveira do Hospital;

Agrupamento de Escolas Dr. Manuel Laranjeira, Espinho;

Agrupamento de escolas nº1 de Beja (Escola Secundária c/ 3º Ciclo de Diogo de Gouveia);

Agrupamento de Escolas Pedro Alvares Cabral, Belmonte;

Colégio de S. Gonçalo;

Escola de Hotelaria e Turismo do Douro – Lamego;

Escola Secundária de Camilo Castelo Branco – Carnaxide;

Escola secundária de Pombal;

Vossius Gymnasium – The Netherlands;

Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu – Finland;

Koç Özel İlköğretim Okulu ve Lisesi – Turkey.

COMMITTEE TOPICS

Committee on Culture and Education – CULTChaired by: Delia Berner (CH)Active citizenship: In light of the European Commission’s report ‘European Youth: Par-ticipation in Democratic Life’ which found that 44% of its youth had not taken part in the activities of any organisation within the past year, how can the European Union further encourage youth involvement in civil society and democratic processes?

Committee on Human Rights – DROIChaired by: José Eduardo Feio (PT)Homophobia: With the whole spectrum of rainbow persisting in Europe with regard to LGBT rights, what should the European Union strive to achieve in this field by 2025?

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs – ECONChaired by: Matthieu Loup (CH)Tax evasion: In light of the existence of tax havens within its borders, how should the European Union address the criminal avoidance of taxes, while respecting the citizens’ right to privacy and national sovereignty?

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs I – EMPL IChaired by: Robin Rönneke Belfrage (SE)Poverty: Not merely a problem in the developing countries. With 25.6% of children being at risk of poverty in Portugal in 2013, what measures should the European Union take to tackle this problem in its Member States?

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs II – EMPL IIChaired by: Anamaria Olaru (RO)Internships: Opportunity or exploitation? As initiatives such as the ‘Council Recommen-dation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships’ have come under strong criticism, how else can the European Union act to ensure fair, good-quality internships for its youth?

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy – ITREChaired by: Joana Cavaco (PT)Fracking: Taking into account the European Union’s high dependence on foreign en-ergy, worsening relations with Russia, and its environmental goals, to what extent and how should shale gas become part of its energy mix?

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs – LIBEChaired by: Anna-Lena Szumowski (AT)Nationalism: A core value to be cherished or an obstacle to inclusiveness and peace-ful coexistence? Taking into account the rise of xenophobia and far-right movements across Europe, how best should the European Union proceed?

Committee on Security and Defence – SEDEChaired by: Lourenço Cruz (PT)Sovereignty: With post-Cold War borders in Europe challenged by events in Ukraine, how should the Member States respond to guarantee Europe’s territorial integrity and address growing security concerns in the European Union?

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General dietary requirementsThe Organisers will, if duly and timelyinformed, ensure that the participants’general dietary requirements (vegetarians, vegans, etc.) are met. For this, we ask that all participants inform us with enough time in advance and ensure the confirmation of their requests, being responsible to get the right food and beverage types once at the session, according to their confirmed requests. The participants who make no special requests will be served the standard options and we ask that they comply with those.

Medicine and substance allergy policyTo prevent any potentially problematic situations, no member of any team of Officials may, at any time or under any circumstances, provide minors with any form of medicine – generic or otherwise and regardless of prescription requirements. As such, we remind all participants (partic-ularly those under the age of 18) to bring with them any type of medicine they may need, especially those of regular, prescribed intake, as it will not be possible for any Official to provide them.Regarding allergies or intolerance to any substances, we ask that you to be aware and inform us accordingly, whether the substance(s) in question be present in medicines or in any types of food or beverage (e.g., coeliac disease, lactose in-tolerance, etc). Regarding food and bever-

age allergies, the Organisers will, if duly and timely informed (please clearly indicate and list all foods and beverages you can/cannot consume), ensure that viable alternatives are made available at all moments when food is served. In cases of a normal food-service-queue, these foods and beverages will be served at the participants’ request. In cases of self-service moments, they will be set separately from the remaining foods and beverages. In all cases, they will be available in quantities consistent with the number of timely requests. As such, we ask that all par-ticipants make any requests in time, ensur-ing their confirmation, and that, once at the session, they be responsible for getting the right food and beverage types.

Smoking policyWe remind our participants that, in Portu-gal, in accordance with Law No. 37/2007 of August 14th, people below the age of 18 are not allowed to purchase or consume tobacco products of any kind. While we will not act as vigilantes, the Organisers reserve themselves the right to ensure minors do not smoke throughout the session and will confiscate and withhold for the duration of the session any tobacco products in their possession. We would also like to remind our participants aged 18 and above that they are not allowed, under any circum-stances, to provide any tobacco products to underaged participants.

Alcohol and drug policyWhile Portuguese law allows individuals aged 16+ to consume beer, wine and cider with alcoholic content of up to 16% vol. and individuals aged 18+ to consume whichev-er alcoholic beverages may be legally pur-chased within the country, exceptions can be made to group events of various natures (e.g., school events). As such, at sessions of EYP Portugal, the Delegates are not al-lowed the consumption of any type of al-cohol, while the remaining participants may, according to their age (and taking into ac-count also the laws in their countries) con-sume beverages with alcoholic content of up to 16% vol. Regardless, consumption level must remain adequate and cannot in-terfere with the participants’ ability to be-have appropriately at all times – particularly in the performance of the duties inherent in their designated roles. Breaking these rules will result in the participants’ (Delegates or otherwise) dismissal from the session pro-gramme at their own risk and expense.As far as the consumption of drugs (‘soft’ or otherwise) goes, the EYP and, thereby, EYP Portugal operate a zero-tolerance policy. Any participants caught in possession, ac-quiring, selling or attempting to, soliciting, offering and/or consuming drugs of any kind will be immediately dismissed from the session.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, in Portugal, as per Law No. 30/2000 of No-vember 29th: 1) the possession and/or consumption of any kind of drugs remain illegal; 2) incidents involving the possession (but not the consumption) of small quanti-ties of ‘soft’ drugs will not elicit a criminal procedure, but will still result in adminis-trative punishments, including the confis-cation of the drugs and the possible (very likely) application of considerable fines; 3) incidents involving the possession of larger quantities of ‘soft’ drugs, the consumption

of any quantities of ‘soft’ drugs or the pos-session and/or consumption of any quanti-ties of ‘hard’ drugs will result in a temporary arrest, be criminally prosecuted and pos-sibly result in a prison sentence of one to twelve years. EYP Portugal reserves the right to, depending on the gravity of the offence, report the offenders to the police.

General rules of conductAll participants (or, in case of participants who are under the age of 18, their parents/legal guardians) will be asked to sign EYP Portugal’s code of conduct, including rules regarding general expected conduct, as well as all further disclaimers and the rules al-ready covered in this booklet. We ask that you take that code of conduct with serious-ness and that you observe those rules from the moment of your arrival, all through your stay at the session and until your departure.

Leaving the official programmeManaging an event with more than 130 people is not an easy task. As such, to en-sure everything runs as smoothly as possi-ble, the Organisers will need to be able to know where to find all participants at all times. This means that you cannot leave the session for any amount of time without ex-press permission from the Head-organisers and, for participants other than the Organ-isers, the Editors, the President or the Ju-rors, your immediate superior(s) – if you are a Delegate, your immediate superior will be your Chairperson; if you are a Chairperson or a Vice-president, that will be the Presi-dent; if you are a Journalist an Editorial As-sistant or a Video-editor, those will be your Editors.

LEGAL NOTESThe following rules and requirements are valid all throughout the session, from the moment of the participants’ arrival and until their departure. The Organisers and the European Youth Parliament Portugal will not take any responsibility for any situations arising from a lack of observance of these rules. Likewise, the participants are ultimate-ly responsible for their conduct, their wellbeing and the safety of their objects.

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-Arrange your travel to and from Lisboa.If you are a Delegate, this will be coordi-nated by your Teacher(s) and you are ex-pected to arrive until 09:30 on Thursday, April 16th and your departure can take place as early as 20:00 on Sunday, April 19th. If you are an Official, you are expect-ed to arrive by 10:30 on Wednesday, April 15th and your departure can take place by 21:00 on Sunday, April 19th. The Organ-isers will be in touch to plan transfers from your arrival points to the meeting point on Wednesday, but please make sure you book your travel to allow enough time for these transfers. If this is the case for you, make sure you get your visa in time.

-Make sure your travel documents and/or your ID are in order and bring it/them with you to the session. Make sure you have valid travel and/or health insurance that is/are valid in Portugal. If you are a Delegate, this will be coordinated/taken care of by your Teacher(s). If you are an Official, please make sure you take care of this, yourself (or ask your parents/legal guardians to do it, if you are a minor).

-Remember to bring both the Code of Conduct and the Image Consent Form signed by you and by your parents or legal guardians, if you are underage. All delegates must deliver both these docu-ments to their teachers, who must, then, deliver these to the person who will be accompanying them. All Officials will be asked to sign them on the CJOJ’s day.

-Complete and submit your travel and par-ticipation form. If you are a Delegate, this will be taken care of by your Teacher(s). If you are an Official, please make sure you

take care of this, yourself (if somehow you did not receive this e-mail, please get in touch with the Head-organisers).

-Transfer your participation fee. If you are a Delegate, this will be taken care of by your Teacher(s).

-For all prospective EuroConcert perform-ers (Delegates or Officials): you will be informed by the Organisers of whether your performance has been selected or not. If so, please remember to bring ev-erything you will need for it, including but not limited to: your performance outfit, an USBstick with music or audio track, any instruments or other equipment your performance requires. The EuroConcert venue will not provide us with any instru-ments and there will be no possibility of projecting images or managing lights, so, please, keep that in mind.

-This goes for all participants, especial-ly for the Delegates: read the Academ-ic Preparation Kit carefully and use it as a stepping stone to your own research. Also, while you should obviously prioritise the topic of your Committee, you should still make sure you dedicate enough time and attention to the others’, as that will be the only way of ensuring a good lev-el of debate at the General Assembly. In addition to a guide on how the European Union and its institutions function and the Overviews for each Committee Topic, the Academic Preparation Kit will also include instructions for further preparatory work, so make sure to keep an eye out for those.

-While Internet will be available during some moments of the session, it will be

impossible to print any materials (espe-cially if this requires printing many pag-es). As such, you should definitely print out and/or save offline copies of all your research materials and documents and bring them with you to the session.

-If possible, we would highly recommend that all Delegates bring their laptops and/or smartphones. If you do, please re-member to bring all necessary chargers. Chairpersons must all bring their laptops and chargers. Journalists must bring their laptops and, if possible, also their camer-as and all respective chargers. Video-edi-tors are reminded to bring their laptops, cameras and all other materials used in the recording and editing of videos. If you are an international participant, make sure that you check whether any electrical current adaptors are required for you to connect your devices in Portugal and then remember to pack those, too!

-Prepare your regional/national foods, beverages and costumes, as well as any other representative items (brochures, flags, etc.) for the EuroVillage. Also, re-member to pack them within easy reach, as all foodstuffs (especially perishable ones) will have to be handed over to the

organisers during the check-in.

-Check the weather forecast for Lisboa and pack accordingly, remembering to in-clude: 1) enough sets of clothes as per the programme and the dress codes above; 2) if you are performing at the EuroConcert, whatever outfit you wish to be wearing; 3) your outfit/costume for the Theme Party; 4) all toiletries and any medication that you are on and/or believe you will need; 5) a bath towel and any other specific per-sonal accessories you will want to have with you.

-‘Like’, subscribe to and engage with the official Facebook pages of EYP Portugal and of Lisboa 2015 (see ‘Contacts’, below).Frequently check your e-mail accounts: on top of all the information we will be send-ing you, if you are a Delegate, you can also expect to hear from your Chairperson soon.

CHECK LISTIf you have read this far, congratulations! To make it easier for you, here is a quick checklist of all the things you will have to keep in mind, take care of and/or bring with you to the session.

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All general queries should be addressed to the Head-organisers of the session. Any more specific queries may be taken up with EYP Portugal.

Matters of an academic nature will be dealt with by the Chairpersons, who will contact their Delegates directly.

APPEJ – Associação Portuguesa do Parlamento Euro-peu dos Jovens/European Youth Parliament PortugalE-mail address: [email protected]: www.pejportugal.com

Lisboa 2015 - 32nd National Selection Conference of EYP PortugalEmail address: [email protected] Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Lis-boa2015

Head-organisersE-mail address: [email protected] (reaches both)Telephone numbers:André Oliveira – (+351) 915295165Carolina Macedo dos Santos – (+351) 917080666

Session PresidentArnolds EizenšmitsE-mail address: [email protected]

Lisboa 2015Comprehension: The Key to Improvement32nd National Selection Conference of the European Youth Parliament Portugal | April 16th–19th, 2015

PARTNERSCONTACTSUnder the patronage of the Municipality of Lisboa and Instituto Português do Desporto e da Juventude, I. P.

With the support of Assemleia Municipal de Lisboa, Pelouro dos Di-reitos Sociais da Câmara Municipal de Lisboa and the Embassy of the Repub-lic of Latvia in the Republic of Portugal.

information booklet - lisboa 2015 - 32nd national selection conference of eyp portugal

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