2# The Spark 1

Session EditionFribourg 2014 - National Selection Conference of EYP Switzerland

The Spark

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Con tent

The Spark Media Team of Fribourg 2014

EditorsVeronika Datzer, GermanySabrina ariana Mellerowic, GermanyWilliam Goyet, Video Editor, France

JournalistsJulia Badertscher, Switzerland Anna Barkemeyer, GermanyJacqueline Björklund, SwedenAmy Campo mc evoy, SpainSiebe Geerts, BelgiumAndreas Selvig Ødegård, NorwayManon schürch, switzerlandGeorge ross, United kingdomEmirhan tekin, turkeyPaula Villalba, spain

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A letter from the editors

Teambuilding Impressions

Niall with style

The fairy godmother gang

Another Love

who are the real winners in life?

Being smart in your own way

Norway and Switzerland: Staying outside

Growing tighter

turmoil in the middle east

Democrarcy in decline?

Brave new world

Con tent

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A letter from the

editors

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Here is to the crazy ones.

About half a century ago, an American literature movement arose, which has inspired the wild and the young ever since. The "Beat Generation" consisted of several poets and writers that confronted conformity, materialism, and sexism. They were one of the first literary movements that spoke up despite the conservatism and

censorship present at the time.

We do not want you to kill your darlings and we certainly do not want you to feel “beaten to your socks”. We want you to find your own voice. We want you to express your opinion despite possible criticism, opposition, and self-

consciousness.

As you have now experienced, EYP is an organisation that assembles the young, inspiring, and challenging. Individuals come together from all over Europe in order to actively discuss current issues. We have all been brought up differently, cultural divergence may separate us, and yet we come together with one idea: we can

change something.

We have implemented the TED talks for this exact reason. We believe that you all have a strong voice and that you should be given the opportunity to share ideas with your fellow delegates. Sometimes we have to inspire ourselves in order to inspire others. Simultaneously, we are inspired by others, the

young, and the challenging.

This is because we are the ones that are actually crazy enough to think we can change the world. Do not expect a miracle but do your best to change something about an issue that you

disagree with.

Be active. Do NOT be passive. Speak up. Your voice is counting.

"Live,Travel,

Adventure,Bless,

And don’t be sorry."- Jack Kerouac

Yours,Sabrina & Veronika

“We want you to express your opinion despite possible criticism, opposition, and self-consciousness.”

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Teambuilding

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Impressions

Niall with Style

By Emirhan Tekin

2# The Spark 9Niall with Style

By Emirhan Tekin

It might be hard to believe at first, but believe it or not,

our President is indeed, human. Once upon a time, he has been a

delegate “for the first time” and he has had his fair share of mistakes and

accomplishments. Niall Murphy, our bril-liant and talented President has successfully

walked a long, yet a wonderful and entertaining road to acquiring the traits and skills that made

him the person that presides Fribourg 2014. As of to-day, he is someone to take as an example, and yet he is

somebody we can hug, chat with, and relate to.

The Trinity College graduand himself admits having random

habits just like the rest of us. An un-expected one is the excessive use of

“uhm’s” in daily speech, which people do not hesitate to remind him of. He states to

make an effort avoiding “uhm’s”, yet since Ni-all has demonstrated various times that he can attain his goals if he wants to, we secretly be-lieve his “uhms” to be a special, personal code of identification.

“You won’t get this anywhere else.” These are the words Niall used to explain why EYP is so special for him personally. He praises EYP for assembling adolescents, and for the memo-ries that are shaped for they arise instant satis-faction. Niall declares that, if it was not for EYP, he would have not met some of his closest friends with whom he can engage in academic and political conversations.

Some of you may wonder how our President’s first session went. Where did this person, who inspired all participants with his words during the Opening Ceremony, start his EYP career? To him, it contained a certain degree of em-barrassment and a large quantity of outgo-ingness. Niall’s first session, the 2008 Leinster Regionals, is one of his favorite sessions as of today. Our President and the delegate back then, expressed how odd all these “loud, flam-boyant, and enthusiastic” people were. His fondest memory of the session was his de-fense speech. “I went up to the stage and I was trembling when I stood up on the podium. I

had never used a mi-

crophone before and I thought microphones did not pick noise from far away so I made the speech almost making out with the micro-phone. I did not realise that it was making me sound so loud that everyone was blown away, until, thirty seconds into the speech a member of the board stood up and went to the loud-speaker and turned the volume down.” De-spite all, when sitting back down, he decided to continue EYP.

Niall concluded with some advice for the General Assembly. “Never fear. It‘s easy not to do it when you’re scared, but the rewards are great if you do. If you think it‘s worth doing then do it. Always go for it, and don‘t let the fear hold you back.” Furthermore, he wants to encourage every delegate to find the resolu-tion that strikes him the most, to read it clear-ly until he finds the philosophy and ideology behind, and to fully comprehend it. He wishes the delegates all the best of luck, and hopes to see some fruitful debates during the General Assembly.

“I went up to the stage and I was trembling when I stood up on the podium. I had never used a micro-

phone before and I thought micro-phones did not pick noise from far away so I made the speech almost making out with the microphone.”

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The fairy godmother gang

By julia badertscher

They are the strong force behind the scenes, mostly forgotten or overlooked. What they do seems so natural to us that we neglect how much effort they put into every coffee break, venue, and bus transfer. They are the first ones up and the last ones down, and although we barely notice them they provide the vital

structure of Fribourg 2014. They are the organisers.

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An organiser’s day starts early in the morning, yet they have to be available throughout the entire day. Preparing breakfast, cleaning up, supervising the transfers, and organising din-ner are solely few of their tasks. Lars empha-sises how unpredictable and thus stressful the job of an organiser is. Organisers sleep on av-erage around 3 hours per night. Further, they often have to skip meals in order to stick to their schedules.

On the other hand, there are of course plen-ty of good sides to being an organiser. Mario stresses that the teamwork among the organ-isers is simply amazing. Amongst all the offi-cials, he believes that the organisers are the ones who depend the most on each other. Organisers are constantly pressured, yet joint work usually solves all issues. Throughout the process of organisation, they have become close friends.

However, a group of the size of 17 has to be coordinated to be able to work together effi-ciently.

Therefore, they are led by the Head-Oganiers, Riccardo and Matthieu. When discovering how many EYP Switzerland alumni actually live in Fribourg, they decided to organise Fri-bourg 2014 together. This was during the In-ternational Session in Zurich. One year later, after assembling and distributing their team to different tasks, the event they have dedicated so much time to, is finally happening.

Despite their demanding position, the organ-isers are always positive, friendly, and they will provide you with a lot of good advice. Riccar-do addressed two points specifically. First of all, he urged the delegates to not be afraid to approach organisers regarding clarification if something is uncertain. If being informed about all current events, he believes that everyone will be able to genuinely enjoy the session. Secondly, Riccardo encourages all delegates to be as positive as possible. One should never try to focus on the flaws of a ses-sion. Sleeping in a bunker and being tired are both issues that can be dealt with. In the end, concentrating on the exciting, challenging, and inspiring moments will make the session much more memorable.

“Organisers sleep on average around 3

hours per night. Further, they often have

to skip meals in order to stick to their

schedules.”

ANOTHER LOVEBy Paula Villalba

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hat little girl has not always dreamed of being a princess? When we were younger, we would spend our afternoons waltzing to the “Sleeping Beauty” theme tune with our dads, the only male we knew above 5 foot tall. Even

as we grew older, our dream remained intact. To us, the only things needed to be-come such a character were a dress and a prince.

“She looks like a princess!” cooed my best friend’s little sister Teresa, as she pointed towards a pic-ture of Apoorva and me. Apoorva’s long hair cas-caded onto her emerald green sari. She was a hotel employee I met during my backpacking trip to India. Over the course of just a few days, we had developed this unique friendship, and so, on my last night in the city, she had invited me to meet her family over a meal of “rizala”.

As our bond of mutual trust grew even strong-er throughout dinner, Apoorva began to tell me about her deprived childhood in the rural region of Uttar Pradesh, which prematurely ended with an arranged marriage to a man of her same caste in the city.

Upon hearing “arranged marriage,” I froze, unable to articulate a response. To me, those two words epitomise an oxymoron, representing a reality as impenetrable as a square circle. It was hard to comprehend that sixteen letters determined the course of Apoorva’s life. In Western society, choice seems so natural; yet for the first time, I encountered someone who had never been able to decide on her own. She had a dress, she had a “prince”, yet Apoorva differs significantly from the princess Teresa envisioned. She has never had her fairytale encounter with Prince Charm-ing. Instead, she shares her life with a man she has grown to accept and love after uncertain be-ginnings.

Meeting Apoorva, and learning about her story was a true point of introspection for me. I could not help but feel bewildered as to why this wom-

an, who had married a stranger, was so happy with the circumstances under which her life had evolved. As my romanticised conception of love was toppled over by witnessing this new, func-tional version, I saw Western romance from a new perspective. I realised that love might not be as “free” as we believe it to be. In some cases, so-cial forces may act much in the same way as an arranged marriage. I recognised, much to my dis-may, that even my childhood fantasy of marrying prince charming was flawed; because after all, you cannot get more arranged than the fairy tale story line of prince and princess, can you? I now know that it is the happily ever after that counts, not what came before, and those that find happi-ness like Apoorva would certainly agree.

In the same way that Cinderella’s glass slippers should have shattered under her own weight but instead glimmered and sparkled, love is of-ten less perfect than it is in fairy tales. Yes, it was daunting to acknowledge that love had another facet apart from the instantaneous- magical po-tion one I had always believed in. However, ob-serving how Apoorva embraced her life finally showed me how diverse true love really is. Nev-ertheless, sometimes I cannot help but balloon away and hope that maybe one day I will waltz to Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” theme tune with someone other than my father, another man above 5 foot tall… make it six.

W

“I realised that love might not be as “free” as we believe it to be. In some cases, social forces may act much in the same way

as an arranged marriage.”

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Who are the real winners in life?

By Anna Barkemeyer

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“We took off early one July morning to fly to Taiwan. Two days and two local tours later, the contest, the reason for travelling all this way, began. We spent the next

three days locked up in our room completing our task of building our own little model of how cities interact with water.

Later, we learned that we came ninth out of 30 teams. We thought to ourselves ‘this will not al-ter our lives in any way.’ Not only that our lives remained completely unchanged but also the experience of those past few days had not been affected by our ranking in any way. We all agreed on the fact that we had come on this trip for the experience itself, not for winning. Of course win-ning would have been a nice addition, yet it was not as if we had lost something by not coming in first. In fact we had won, as we had been in it for the experience and the actual experience surpassed all expectations we ever had.”

The experience of not being the best is some-thing that children experience at an early age when playing games. Often, losing is met with feelings of frustration or even anger. Howev-er, it does not take long for them to realise that

sometimes, losing is inevitable. The next game is always the next chance to win or at least, to improve. This playful experience of winning and losing teaches them an essential life skill; set-backs do not have to result in frustration, as the experience of reaching this point can still be en-joyable and also didactic.

This lesson is one which can be utilised for the rest of our lives. Winning does not necessari-ly have to result in getting the prize. Rather, it means being part of the process and realising how rewarding it can be. Even if the process it-self was not enjoyable it can still be rewarding in the sense of learning something from it and improving the next time a similar situation arises. After all, the saying goes “what does not kill you makes you stronger”.

“The next game is always the next chance to win or at least, to improve.”

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Being smart in your own way

By Jacqueline Björklund

Today’s society still struggles with values regarding knowledge. We are used to think that being “smart” is defined as someone with a high IQ who tests well in school. However, as psychologists further explore learning, new ideas are emer-ging of what intelligence really is. Psychologist Howard Gardner, argues that there are, in fact, seven intelligences and we are all prone to excel in different ones.

• Linguistic intelligence: a sensitivity of the meaning and order of words

• Logical intelligence: ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems

• Musical intelligence: the ability to understand and create music. Musicians, composers, and dancers often show an excelling skill in this intelligence

• Spatial intelligence: the ability to ‘think in pictures,’ and to perceive the visual world accurately. Architects, artists, designers, and sculptors often possess this skill.

• Kinesthetic intelligence: the ability to use one’s body in a skilled way, for self-expression or toward a goal. Actors, sportsmen, and dancers are often adept in this intelli-gence.

• Interpersonal intelligence: an ability to perceive and un-derstand other individuals. Political leaders and religious leaders often display interpersonal intelligence.

• Intrapersonal intelligence: an understanding of one’s own emotions. Introverts, novelists and counselors often hold this skill. ”

Anne Guignon

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So how do you know what you are good at?

It can be intricate to be aware of what you are most efficient in. In a school environment, where only a few intelligences are tested at a young age, it can be very difficult for young adults and children to explore what makes them learn more efficiently. Experimenting with techniques and ways of learning is one method for discovering what your intelligences are. Why is it important?

The benefits of understanding and being aware of our own strengths regarding the seven intelligences are extensive. By knowing what intelligences you possess you can adapt your learning to make it more effective. Today there are numerous ways of studying and learning, yet few really know what works best for them – or it has taken a very long time for them to dis-cover it. Whilst some might want to quietly read in a book, others might want to have a heated discussion with peers.

Likewise, sitting and listening to a teacher might be beneficial to some students while others might bene-fit from a more practical learning approach. Knowing your strengths can enable you to take charge of your education. It therefore makes you have control of your learning and future.

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Norway and Switzerland: Staying outside

By Andreas Selvig Ødegård

he recent Swiss referendum on limiting immigration from the EU is just a fleck of the evidence regarding the lacking support for the EU. Along with Norway, Switzerland is the only large Western European country outside the EU. In Nor-

way recent polls suggest that nothing is going to change about the current state of art. Over 70 % of the population opposed when asked whether Norway should join the EU. Both Switzerland and Norway seem to do fine outside the economically troubled union.

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In fact, both countries participate in financing the EU; Norway through the EEA and Switzer-land through bilateral agreements. However, this reluctance has more than an economic perspective. There are practical reasons for re-maining outside. In Norway, losing control over agriculture and fisheries, areas which the EEA does not control, is a crucial argument against a joint future. For Switzerland, its system of direct democracy and referendums is a poor fit with EU institutions.

Some might go as far as to say that there is a lack of “Europeanness” and solidarity towards Europe among the Swiss and Norwegians. That is obviously simplified, yet one has to agree that our decisions say something about our ideals. What is it that makes us stand out from the rest of Europe, and overlook the fact that many of our laws are created in a Brussel-process we are not a part of?

The two countries are organised quite differ-ently; Switzerland being a federal republic and Norway a more centralised constitutional mon-

archy. Switzerland is situated in the heart of Eu-rope populated by people speaking three major European languages, while Norway at the cor-ner of Europe has its own language. However, people in the two countries have arrived at the approximate same conclusion: high emphasis on independence, at least in theory.

We value our independent voice, a voice that would lose its weight inside the EU as it would come from just another small EU country. Swit-zerland uses its voice to champion neutrality, thus keeping open relations with all parties as a principle. Norway on the other hand, uses its voice in its outreaching role in international di-plomacy. These roles are rather different but they are equally difficult to exercise as part of the EU. Despite all, the strong sentiments against joining the EU in both Switzerland and Norway might not be signs of antagonism. Rather, it is a way of saying that today’s relationship is the best way for mutual influence between the EU and both, Norway and Switzerland.

“We value our independent voice, a voice that would lose its weight inside the EU as it would come from just another small EU country.”

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Growing tighter

B

Teambuilding on Juno Beach, where the Canadian tropps

landed on D-Day

As many of you might be aware, the EYP or-ganises more than 360 sessions throughout the year. All National Committees lead their own projects raising awareness of current Eu-ropean events and politics. In 2012, EYP France started planning an international forum unlike any other. Caen, capital of the historic region of Normandy is the city the troops first landed in 1944. Two years later, it would be the location of the D-Day forum. The vision of EYP France became a reality as delegates from over 25 na-tions assembled in Caen in order to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, as one of the biggest and most important events ever hosted by the EYP As opposed to regular sessions, this forum was attended by delegates from non-Europe-an countries such as New Zealand, USA, and Canada. The idea behind this initiative was to include international delegates that represent-ed the 17 countries which took part in the Nor-mandy landings of 1944. Furthermore, dele-gates from countries that did not participate in the Second World War, e.g. Spain, were invited to attend the session. The vision was to provide

by Paula Villalba

lood, grief, separation, and sacrifice are four words that epitomise the trag-ic occurrences of the Second World

War: a war that killed over 80,000,000 citi-zens, destroyed families, and tarnished the history of the 20th century. To many, the events that took place on the 6th of June, 1944, a day more commonly known as D-Day, marked the beginning of the end of the war. The landing of troops on the Norman coast of France was the springboard that led to the end of Nazi domination and to interna-tional cooperation as it stands today.

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Frédéric Marois from Québec, Canada attended the D-Day forum as a delegate

the participants with an understanding of how the war was perceived in “neutral” regions other than the directly affected ones. One among the non-EU delegates attending the D-Day forum was Frédéric Marois. He is a 25 year old graduate student from Québec, Canada. In-trigued by how he perceived EYP, I recently in-terviewed him. Throughout the session, his en-thusiasm was contagious and together with a few delegates from the American delegation, he has now started to realise the concept of starting the equivalent of EYP in America. Almost three months after the session has ended, Frédéric’s efforts to create a similar organisation still endure. When I asked him about its viability he answered, “It needs to be built from the bottom, on a local level first, to ensure that it will last in time”. Nevertheless, he is aware of the difficulties in creating this new insti-tution, “We cannot call it a parliamentary simula-tion because North America has no parliament”. Frédéric has attended several entrepreneurship courses in order to learn more about how to es-tablish an “AYP” (American Youth Parliament) and he is optimistic about its future as an organisation. The forum in Caen successfully helped me to dis-cover how intertwined our national histories truly are. Furthermore, it ignited the spark in delegates such as Frédéric to come up with the idea of cre-ating a similar organisation on the other side of the Atlantic. It is through initiatives such as the EYP that the world can truly grow in unison. As young Europeans it is our duty to establish platforms as astounding as the one provided by EYP France so that the new generations can learn from and inter-pret different perspectives.

“With a few delegates from the Ameri-can delegation, Frédéric has now start-

ed to realise the concept of starting the equivalent of EYP in America.”

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Turkey

In the summer of 2013, a wave of protests across the country

took place, triggered by discon-tent due to Prime Minister Erdogan’s policies and police’s aggressive re-sponse to protests. Tensions have now stopped and Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the elections for

presidency in August by 51%.

Egypt

Anti-government protests continue to be stired by rise in fuel price. Unrest

in the country started in January 2011, and President Mubarak, whose rule was very

repressive, was forced to step down. Even though democracy was the aim of the pro-tests, power was handed to the military and

their opponent Islamist groups. In 2012, a Muslim Brotherhood candidate was elect-

ed, but he was removed from his posi-tion. In May 2014, the elections were

won by the army chief leading to constant fear of a return to

military rule.

Gaza

On the 8th of July, 2014, a fif-ty day operation was launched by

Israel in the area controlled by Hamas. Over 2100 Palestinians and 60 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza strip since. On the 26th of August, an open-ended ceasefire was agreed. In

Gaza today, 475000 people live in shelters or with other families who

have hosted them, as over 17000 homes have been

destroyed.

Lybia

In February 2011 Libyan protesters demanded Colonel Gadaffi to step

down from power. This led to a violent response from the government. The UN

Security Council condemned these actions and voted in favour of an arms embargo

which ultimately led to NATO officially taking over the command of operations

in Libya. There has been an ongoing conflict ever since, mainly between

Islamist forces and their oppo-nents.

Sudan and South Sudan

After decades of civil war, the southern part of Sudan secured its independence in 2011. Then, in 2013, a power struggle within the ruling political party evolved into an armed conflict. In December

2013, a long-standing power struggle between Pre-sident Salva Kiir and his former Vice President Dr. Riek

Machar came to a head. Both claimed allegiance to the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM),

South Sudan‘s most powerful political party.Soon, both leaders and their allies took up arms using ethnic tensions and an atmosphere of fear

to mobilise supporters throughout South Su-dan. Finally in January 2014, a ceasefire was signed between the Government

of South Sudan and opposition forces, yet tensions still

remain.

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Syria

The UN estimates that over 3 million people have fled from Syr-

ia. The country has been in a state of unrest since March 2011, provoked by

the police arresting and torturing teen-agers and then responding to protests violently. Since then, the country is in a state of turmoil: protestors have been

demanding that Al-Assad resigns. Bombings and massacres are

estimated to have killed over 190,000.

Yemen

Protests in 2011 led to reform in November of the same year, when a unity government was

formed. In March 2013 reforms con-tinued, as a new constitution started to be written. Conflict still exists, as

Al-Qaeda is constantly in action, and Shi’ii protests in the coun-

try call for the president to back down.

Lebanon

The Syrian Civil War has led to increased polarisation of Leba-

nese politics over the last few years, resulting in division between sup-

porters and Bashar al-Assad’s politi-cal opponents. The current situation

has been further deteriorated by the high number of Syrian war

refugees in Lebanon.

IranThere is a proxy war going

on between Israel and Iran. The conflict is bound in the religious

and political struggle of the Iranian religious leadership against Israel to prevent nuclear weapons being de-veloped by the Iranian government. The relationship is also worsened

by Iran’s allies such as the Hez-bollah party in Lebanon and

the Syrian govern-ment.

TURMOIL IN THE MIDDLE EAST

By Amy Campo McEvoy & Siebe Geerts

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Democracy in decline?By George Ross

For those believing in the democratic deficit, it is one of the most important prob-lems the EU has to face. Democratic deficit is defined as “any situation in which there is believed to be a lack of democratic accountability and control over the

decision-making process”. This problem has been exacerbated by an increasingly low turnout to the European Parliament (EP) elections across the EU. In each suc-

cessive election the mandate of the European Parliament has weakened.

Since the first election in 1979 the average EU turnout has been steadily in decline from 61.99% to 42.54% in the elections in May of this year. This even holds true when considering in-dividual member states’ turnout to the EP elec-tions, however the turnout to most Member State’s national elections has stayed relatively constant. So what has caused the continually decreasing turnout to the EP elections?

Firstly, the supposed democratic deficit it-

self has caused a major problem. As you may have noticed over the course of the session, the European Union is an incredibly complex institution with a cacophony of nuances. There are three main pillars in the EU, the European Commission, the Council of the EU, and the EP. Each of these institutions holds a different role in the policy making process with only the EP being directly elected by all EU citizens which is the crux of the democratic deficit in the EU. This problem has led to voter apathy across the EU, the lack of interest in voting in an election for any given reason. All EU legislation has to be

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4.9.2014 Turnout 2014 - European Parliament

http://www.results-elections2014.eu/en/turnout.html 1/2

TurnoutFinal results

Source: TNS/Scytl in cooperation with the European Parliament

European Parliament /

Results of the 2014 European elections

61.9958.98 58.41 56.67

49.5145.47 43 42.54

1979 EU9

1984 EU10

1989 EU12

1994 EU12

1999 EU15

2004 EU25

2009 EU27

2014 EU28

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

initiated by the European Commission which is an appointed body. In the ordinary legislative procedure the EP and Council only co-decide on whether to accept or reject the initiatives of the Commission. As a result, many EU voters feel somewhat disenfranchised. Another reason for the decline in voter turnout is the “second-order” hypothesis. This is es-sentially the view of many citizens that the EP elections matter far less than their own gov-ernmental elections. They subsequently vote in their national elections but when faced with voting in the EP elections they are not as mo-tivated as they do not feel their vote will have any sort of immediate effect. Furthermore, voter apathy plays an important role in the declining turnout at EU elections. “Just over one third of Europeans feel well in-formed about their rights as EU citizens” and thus the majority of EU citizens feel no inclina-tion to vote. Many voters also suffer from hapa-thy, which is the idea that some citizens do not vote as they see no need to change the current status quo i.e. they are already satisfied. An-other cause of voter apathy is disenchantment in the current political. Therefore, some vot-ers believe there is no point in voting, as their contribution will not change anything. This can have another negative effect apart from solely

decreased turnout. It means those turning out to vote are more passionate about the party or politician they are voting for. As these peo-ple have a tendency of holding more extreme views, this is one of the contributing factors to the recent rise of the right in the EP such as in the UK (UKIP), Denmark (DFP) and the Nether-lands (PVV). So what is the future for Europe? That is up to you, the youth, to decide. Only by encouraging increased participation in politics at National and International levels can these problems be addressed. The way this is achieved is down to us, the future of our continent.

“some voters believe there is no point in vot-

ing, as their contribution will not change

anything.”

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Brave new world

One rocket. One planet in ruins. Four he-roes. Four escape pods. One Chance. Fear in the dusty air. In this fight for the survival of the human race, will our protagonists make the right calls and give us new hope, or will they be the last of us?

The world is coming to its end. Bloodthirsty or-ganisers occupy the Collège Saint Croix. They force the other participants to hand over the session’s whole cookie and coffee supply. Af-ter arriving at the organiser’s base, an accident occurs due to the misuse of the school’s tele-scope in which organisers accidently threw a meteorite off course. When hitting the ground, everything dissolves into acoustic and smoke. In this very moment, destiny predestines four heroes who have not yet been affected by this mass destruction of mankind as they were having lunch in the cellar of the building and are now the only four survivors of this planet.

They are Iana Culic from DEVE, Fabian Hof-mann from AFET, Michael von Ballmoos from

EMPL and Rebecca Ruiz Soria from ECON. Everything seemed to be doomed but then, out of nothing, a Russian rocket emerged. Im-mediately, their heroic courage returned. All entered. An unknown voice informs them that they are nominated to the power and respon-sibility in order to keep mankind alive. Accord-ing to their individual choices, four remarkable personalities in human history are now able to fly off with the rocket onto an entirely different planet to secure the continuation of mankind.

Iana decides to go for none other than Gustave Eiffel, both a brilliant and innovative thinker. According to her, he should definitely deserve the chance to pass on his wisdom and create further architectural masterpieces with new material found on the planet. Fabian, on the other hand, choose the French born author Al-bert Camus whose insightful philosophy of the meaning of life may be enough to save him a spot on the rocket. After a brief reflection, Re-becca presents her perfect candidate to the group which to her, is US-American actor Will Smith: very humorous, yet perfectly capable of taking care of himself on his own. This is what the new civilisation needs more than ever.

From left to right: Fabian Hofmann (Gymnasium Leonard), Iana Culic (Czech Delegation 2), Michael von Ballmoos (Gym-nasium Kirchenfeld), Rebecca Ruiz Soria (Collège de Saussure)

2# The Spark 27

Moreover, Michael decides on former actor and American president Ronald Reagan, a good speaker and, additionally, one who possesses an optimism that goes beyond any limit. Further, he emphasises that Reagan’s insightful values should definitely make him eligible for the great responsibility of creating a new civilisation.While their four chosen people are entering the rock-et to fly off into the unknown, our four heroes move into a control centre and wave goodbye to the rocket that will take their fosterlings away from earth.

The journey passes well until, one morning the voice of Will Smith breaks the silence: “Earth, there is an uneasy situation going on right here.” Russian aeronautical engineering has failed the four chosen ones miserably as an engine has broken down. Quickly, it is decided that the to-tal extinction of mankind can only be repelled if two of the four protégés will cease to be, as vital supplies were dwindling. Fifteen minutes are left for our four heroes to jointly decide on who will be the two unfortunate souls leaving the rocket ship.

Fabian starts off defending his candidate, Albert Camus, highlighting his existentialistic views and that he does not see any meaning in life but that there is something that makes life precious. Reagan is soon the target of attacks, as Fabian points out that Reagan was not a nice person. His past actions are also considered as useless by Iana who, furthermore, notices that there is no need for a good speaker on the new planet. Direct democracy is the answer.

Michael is quick to oppose to that argument, mentioning that Reagan would be an excellent leader and even a direct democracy is in need of somebody courageous to represent a peo-ple.

Rebecca whose protégé Will Smith is trembling of fear aboard the rocket ship quickly goes on attacking some of the other candidates, say-ing that Ronald Reagan’s advanced age could certainly hinder him from successfully leading mankind. Fabian disagrees instantly, saying that age should be irrelevant during this process of choosing the future of mankind. Rebecca does not let this argument irritate her and fur-ther goes on to stress that Will Smith does not

necessarily benefit the planet. Nevertheless, his calm air would sooth any heightened atmos-phere he might encounter there. Fearing the worst, Michael decides to embark on a fierce mission to ensure Ronald Reagan’s spot in the rocket. As one of the best presidents the USA has ever had, his popularity reaching across po-litical borders, he will ensure that communism, which he fights until his death, will be rooted out forever.

This future, Michael argues, warms his heart immensely and he quickly bids defiance to his counterparts saying that even the last Soviet president Gorbachev warmed up to his protégé through their exchange of jokes amongst each other. Iana is not about to let Reagan be off the hook and once more tries to praise her candi-date to the others, stating that Gustave Eiffel, next to building the landmark of Paris, was also involved in the creation of the Statue of Liberty. Those average qualities,

Fabian quickly opposes, would not be needed in the new world. Iana is not about to give up and stresses Eiffel’s thinking which would cer-tainly be helpful on a new planet. Furthermore, there was no use for Reagan or Will Smith to survive, as the new world would not face any new wars and so there was nothing to do for Americans. Michael’s statement, that Reagan was a real cowboy with a lovely smile is loudly vetoed by Iana. As a last attempt, Fabian warms up his candidate to the others by stating that Camus’ moral opinions and neutral air will best enable him to work together with other people.

The deadline passes, our heroes have intensely debated this very tough issue and after demo-cratic voting it is decided that the world would not need another Albert Camus or Gustave Eif-fel. The remaining two who are to secure man-kind are therefore the only two Americans Ron-ald Reagan and Will Smith. What followes was a happy outburst by Michael; “Yes, the American dream is saved!” We wish this unusual couple all the best for the future.

By Manon Schürch

28 The spark #2