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In this edition Editorial - 2 The Venue – FEP - 3 Teambuilding - 4 Meet the teams - 5-7 Minions Rebel! - 8-10 Opening Ceremony – 11- 12 Committees’ Performance - 13-22 Backstage Interviews – 23-29 Random Page - 30 Grammar Nazi - 31 Closing Ceremony - 31

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O jornal do IV Fórum Universitário, na FEP. Março 2013

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Random Telegraph

In this edition

Editorial - 2

The Venue – FEP - 3

Teambuilding - 4

Meet the teams - 5-7

Minions Rebel! - 8-10

Opening Ceremony – 11-

12

Committees’

Performance - 13-22

Backstage Interviews –

23-29

Random Page - 30

Grammar Nazi - 31

Closing Ceremony - 31

Page 2: Random Telegraph

Editorial by Sofia Batista

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The “IV Fórum Universitário do PEJ” has finally arrived and I must admit that I couldn’t be more excited about it! This is my freshman year in college so I thought that it would make complete sense to engage in this event, in order to celebrate it, in a way. This is also my first time as an Editor in EYP world, for which I had mixed feelings about, since I had never even been a Journalist. It was an honor to be chosen to fulfil such a demanding role, but, as a part of my character, I couldn’t help but feeling both enthusiastic and mortified about it! But Mónica trusted me and I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t let her down, right? This forum is a great opportunity for older youngsters to be a part of the EYP community, if they had never contacted with it before. I can speak for myself when I say that EYP is one of the things that I am most proud and happy to be part of and I can’t put down in words how glad I am to one day having said “yes” to this project. The truth is that when I’m in a session, I forget about all the worries of the outside world, it’s really like I’m in another universe, a universe that I would much rather live in. It’s pretty difficult to describe how awesome EYP is, you have to feel it, in fact, you have to live it in order to fully understand it! With that said, I really hope that you guys enjoyed the session as much as I did and may want to be part of our family! Now talking about this piece that you’re reading, you may be (or may not) wondering why it is called the “Random Telegraph”. Well, there isn’t a biiiig story behind it. It just derived from the fact that we, the “Committee on Journalistic and Funny Stuff” (definition brought to you by Gabriel “Gabi” Pais) belong to the current generation of the so called “Internetz” where the randomness prospers. With that being said, we cannot help but constantly evoke these Internetz’s references in our conversations, so we decided that “Randomness” should be the motto for our newspaper. We put all our efforts on it and we reaaaaally hope you enjoy it..pretty please? Hope this wasn’t a “too long, didn’t read” moment for you, but if you made it this far, well, congratulations! Here’s a potato!

Page 3: Random Telegraph

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Founded in 1953, the Faculty of Economics, University of Porto (FEP) is a reference in teaching and research of Economics and Management. Recognized for the quality of its faculty, which combines a high academic level with a large practical experience and teaching ability, FEP has more than fifty generations of graduates and more than six thousands alumni to play roles in various sectors activity. Recently, in 2005 it was considered by the renowned Wall Street Journal as the 29th best Economics college in the world, largely due to the great number of articles published in scientific journals by their teachers, and also the excellent success rate of their students. The international respect achieved by FEP against other schools was highlighted by the former Minister of Education, Vítor Rodrigues Amaral, describing FEP as one of the greatest prides of national education. As part of this brilliant record it was chosen to held the “IV Fórum Universitário do PEJ”!

About the Venue - FEP

Page 4: Random Telegraph

Teambuilding by Ana Carneiro

Teambuilding is always a good, funny start for a day of early beginning. In a matter of seconds smiles appeared in the sleepy faces of all the participants.

We started out with the oldy but goody “Arrampampam”, followed by the “Cheerleading Game”, the EYP version of a rock-paper-scissors contest, in which the losers cheered for the one that had beaten them, leading to one winner among the whole group (you can see her in the photo on your right).

Teambuilding 4

After that, it was the turn for two famous appearances in the game zone: the Zulus and a bunch of Funky Chickens. Already warmed up and before the participants were divided into committees, everyone played “Dwarves, Wizards and Giants”, finishing it up with a cute and unexpected show of fairplay by one of the teams, who group-hugged the other. Then the ice-breakers for the delegates amongst their own committee started. They were all very daring games: “The flying Brandon”, “The drunken bottle”, “The ninja game” and “The human knot”.

Page 5: Random Telegraph

Meet the Teams! 5

Meet the Teams! by Sofia Batista

ORGANISERS – The Ninjas – Ana Ferreira, Rita Mota, Mónica Leal, Rita Ferreira, David Paulo The orgas are the cornerstone of every EYP session. They are the ones who make the impossible, possible. You probably saw them running around, looking rather busy with a worried face, yet they managed to get everything done, right on time.

Or maybe you haven’t seen them at all, once their ninja skills allow them to go around stealth whilst helping them dealing with their stress issues with some powerful meditation.

JOURNOS – The Cucu Crazy – Gabriel Pais, Ana Carneiro, Sofia Batista, Ana Silva We are the ones who bug our beloved delegates with lots of dubious questions which makes them suspicious about our sanity, which, we may confess, is rather scarce. Yet we give our best to collect every piece of the puzzle which makes the session,

trying to imprint all the emotions lived throughout the days in these pages, in order to immortalize each moment, so that you can remember it later on with the warming feeling of nostalgia.

Page 6: Random Telegraph

Meet the Teams! 6

Meet the Teams! by Sofia Batista

MULTIMEDIA – The Dementors – Margarida Pereira and Tiago Ribeiro Beware, the Multis are a particular, yet dangerous, species. They go after anything which may possess a heartbeat, trying to capture their soul with their powerful devices, which were carefully developed throughout the years for this terrifying purpose…the cameras!

If you feel a cold breath near you…run! Run for your life and never look back! They make pretty awesome videos, though.

BOARD – The Royalty– Miguel Paiva, João Brandão, Henrique Mendes All hail the Board! Roll the red carpet, the session’s masters are coming! These gentlemen’s job is to keep the assembly’s entropy level at its lowest, managing each committee’s interventions in an assertive, yet classy way.

They have come a long way in their EYP journey, fighting to achieve this status, so they will keep you in your place with their prepotent and piercing gaze. You will show some respect for these guys, they’re the closest to God you’ll ever be!

Page 7: Random Telegraph

Meet the Teams! 7

Meet the Teams! by Sofia Batista

CHAIRS – The Rockstars – Bárbara Correia, Sara Leite, Christopher Santos, Diogo Santos, João Moreira

Chairs are rock stars. Why? Well, because they rock! They move crowds with their awesomeness and break hearts everywhere they go. Their job is to guide their committee throughout the session with their wisdom. However, this becomes an impossible task since each delegate turns into a groupie in a matter of seconds due to their irresistible good looks and charm. Doing justice to their status, they walk in slow motion, a parade of constant heat and hair flaunting. Delegates want to be like them, orgas crave to fulfil all their exquisite needs and journos are their personal stalkers, making them the center of all the gossip.

Page 8: Random Telegraph

Minions Rebel! 8

Minions Rebel! by Ana Carneiro

We started with the labor hand: the delegates. Being part of a committee, they must obey their chair, who can be an arrogant little bastard or a spoiled princess.

When asked the right questions, they subtly made some complaints and we were able to extract some information from Ana Teresa Mota.

about his delegate’s health and said to her “Son of a mother, you have one big hepatitis!” We could not fail to advert such lack of compassion from the chair of CULT I.

Truth be told, we didn’t find out much but as she was mumbling about hepatitis, we were concerned and tried to know more about the issue and from what we realized, Diogo Santos was not very understanding

Even the journo team feels the need to scream out and rebel against the nazi editor. She may appear to you as a sweet, welcoming girl but she can be vicious when under pressure and request the wildest, most unconceivable tasks. In the picture on the left you can see them secretly conspiring against Sofia.

Page 9: Random Telegraph

Minions Rebel! 9

“She requested a feet massage. I wouldn’t mind giving her one, her feet didn’t smell like roses but I could stand it. The problem was she wanted me to simultaneously interview the Board while doing so. I refused. Then I saw her darkest side: her eyes were popping out, smoke was coming out of her ears and in a Donald Trump sort of way, she screamed: “You’re fired”. I was even escorted out of the building. Scariest episode of my life.” said Gabriel Pais.

The head-orga is always like that vein about to pop-out when faced with stress. Imagine being two of them, it doubles the trouble. The other orgas should know better as they constantly deal with their bee-queens’ fury attacks. We couldn’t interview them, as they were so busy, but we watched a scene and we can testify that the orgas are victims of abuse. After a coffee break I saw Rita Mota throwing one “bolo de

arroz” at Ana Ferreira´s face. At first we thought ‘what a waste!’, but she threw the coffee machine and was ready to bust into ninja moves, we thought of that as our cue to leave.

We’ve been pointing out the leaders’ faults but we are climbing up the ladder to face-off the most vicious creatures in this session: the Board. We are talking about three guys, apparently normal, if it weren’t for their extremely good looks. But Hitler was also very handsome and he was one of the fiercest leaders yet known. The three board members are treated like royalty and they’re worst than dictators, they are DIVAS. The President, Mr. João Gonçalves, made a weird demand right on the first day: a team of 6 people to comb his hair every morning. The multis and journos were the victims of this request from The Diva.

Page 10: Random Telegraph

Minions Rebel! 10

“He gets mad if we make some mistake in the hairstyling and he likes us to sprinkle his hair with perfume every morning, but he doesn’t bring his own so I was forced to give him mine. Never was I brought to tears so early in the morning.” said Ana Silva, one of the journalists.

The vice-presidents have some demands of their own, Mr. Henrique Mendes asked the organizers team to pick up his suit at the laundry and they were even forced to tie his tie. Mr. Miguel Paiva himself arrived at FEP in a limousine, causing a lack of funds to provide for a catering service in this session.

Page 11: Random Telegraph

Everyone arrived early, the casual clothes of the day before were left at home and substituted by elegant garments. In an atmosphere of excitement and some pressure, the second day of the “IV Fórum Universitário do PEJ” started with a common practice in every EYP event, the Opening Ceremony.

Each committee took its place and so did the nerves that always “accompany” the general assembly’s day.

The President of this session, João Brandão, introduced the Jury and his fellow Board members. The first intervention was in charge of Tiago Pereira, EYP Portugal’s President, who gave a warm welcome to all the participants. The Portuguese Association was founded in 1989, yet the first session directed towards the college students was only two years ago in FDUP. Tiago believes that the participation in this kind of events gives youngsters the opportunity to differentiate themselves in the work market, as interested and active citizens, which may earn them the job. He ended his intervention by wishing good luck to all.

Opening Ceremony 11

Opening Ceremony by Sofia Batista

Page 12: Random Telegraph

Afterwards, Edgar Bento, Vice-President of SdDUP (Sociedade de Debates da

Universidade do Porto) was given the floor. He decided to make his speech in English,

once he himself was a former EYPer. He shared the same opinion as Tiago Pereira,

adding that now, more than ever, we need an active youth which can help Europe

overcome its difficulties, by stating “We need solutions for today’s problems, we need

youth!”.

Opening Ceremony 12

With the end of the jury's interventions, it was the board members’ turn to give their own piece of advice to the eager delegates. Miguel Paiva and Henrique Mendes praised the delegates’ courage and irreverence for their presence in the debate and characterized the General Assembly as the culmination of all the work that had been developed

during the committee work, complementing this idea with the following statement “EYP makes us dream, the G.A. allows us to put our dreams in practise.”

Next, professor Rui Alves (PhD) said he was really honored with Monica’s invitation to be a part of this session, for which he gladly accepted. As it had been stated before, he also defends that this kind of events function as a complement to one’s curriculum which can and should be valued by the employers. He acknowledged that there’s a wedge between European associations and its citizens, so this kind of projects, by raising youngsters’ awareness about these organizations’ actions and problems contribute to the approximation between the referred entities.

João Brandão began by admiting that he was very close not to engage in EYP, yet that would have been a decision he would deeply regret later on, since this project ended up giving him so much. He didn’t quite understand why there were so few delegates in the session; however he had high hopes for this group, which appeared to be full of “raw talent”. He said that EYP never failed to surprise him and he knew that this time would be no different! With that being said, the President declaired the “IV Fórum Universitário do PEJ” officially opened.

Page 13: Random Telegraph

CULT I - Committee on Culture and Education I – by Ana Carneiro

Committees’Performance 13

Committees’Performance

Delegates – Ana Oliveira, Ana Teresa Mota, Vânia Nogueira Chairperson – Diogo Santos Topic under analysis – Should the European Union re-think the Bologna Process? What are its benefits and what changes can be made?

Theme

The committee on Culture and Education – CULT I – dealt with one of the most relevant subjects concerning college students nowadays: the Bologna Process. The main goals of this reform were, from the very beginning, to introduce the bachelor-master-doctorate three cycle system, quality assurance and to support and facilitate academic exchange programs. The Bologna Process, as all important measures, is controversial and raises antagonist opinions amongst university students and educators. Therefore, its benefits and disadvantages must be pointed out as well as the changes needed to be done.

Page 14: Random Telegraph

14 Committees’Performance

Committee Work

Diogo Santos, the chair of this “lovely, hard-working” committee, appeared to enjoy the committee work as well as his delegates’ passion. “Committee work went great although sometimes we couldn't advance due to a bit of stubbornness, which is a pretty common thing in a delegation filled with strong opinions!”. When asked about his committee’s performance in the General Assembly, Diogo admitted that the delegates’ shyness was a problem at first but overall he was very pleased with how the debate went on. In fact, he finished his statement with the following: “I loved working with them and it was definitely a pleasure, so I can only hope to do it once more in this EYP world!” The delegates were also interviewed. The committee was asked a few questions right after the end of the forum’s first day. They had been working almost all day on their motion and they pointed out their motion’s theme as “worth of discussion” and said the committee work went well and only “got stuck in grammar issues when formulating sentences”. We asked them what they expected from the day to follow, G.A day, to what they answered “choking”, “losing my line of thought”, but although the delegates were anxious because of these insecurities, they were also curious and motivated.

General Assembly

The next day the debate on CULT I’s motion was introduced by a video from Euronews’ “Utalk”, in which Denis Poizat, lecturer at Lyon’s University ISPEF (Institute of Science and Practice of Education and Training), answers essencial questions about the Bologna Process. CULT I’s motion intended to improve the Bologna Process clauses by lowering the tuition fees for masters and creating an E.U sponsored program which would promote paid internships so that undergraduates could earn money and job experience at the same time.

Page 15: Random Telegraph

15 Committees’Performance

Throughout the debate, many questions were raised about the committees’ proposal to allow students to choose their method of evaluation and CULT I’s delegates pointed out the need to take off pressure from the final exam. They also thoroughly explained the reasons for the measures they proposed both in the defense speech and while debating the motion, in order to fully and properly transmit their intent. Mobility and the students’ need to leave college feeling prepared for the job market was noted several times and the committee on CULT I emphasized that those were their main concerns and using the words pronounced in their sum up “students want to be a part of the solution for the problems they faced”. Debating the Bologna Process was rather divisive but, in the end, the motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 10 against and one abstention.

SEDE - Committee on Security and Defense – by Gabriel Pais

Delegates – Mariana Branco, Rita Moreira, Sofia Laranjeiro Chairperson – João Moreira Topic under analysis – Should the European Union concern itself with the privacy of its citizens and limit the use of such technology (CCTV cameras) or it a necessary evil in today’s world?

Page 16: Random Telegraph

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Theme

Computers, mobile phones, tablets, security cams, televisions, the whole web of computarized devices. Where is our privacy? Everywhere we go, we feel virtual eyes watching over our shoulders, some of them looking right at our faces. We are labeled in numerous services, websites and it seems the gadgets in our pockets define more of us than our looks or personality. Can SEDE help us win back our freedom and make us see that we aren't what we carry and that we should fight for our physical and virtual security? We need to be saved. Please, be our guides.

Committee Work

João Moreira, SEDE’s chairperson shared that although his committee didn’t have many delegates, they were really into the theme and had really good ideas that they could develop and quickly turn them into words and/or actions. They all spoke English very well and he could see that they had their opinions very well consistent in their minds about every subject, and they also respected each other above all else.

General Assembly

This committee had a moment to share their ideas with their fellow delegates, they showed them their point of view, debated and tried to convince them that their measures were the best that could be taken. And what a wonderful way to start the General Assembly: their defence speech was emotive, clear and it enlightened a lot of people. SEDE was a small committee, they were only four, but they were enough to show everyone that quantity isn’t always a synonym of quality. You can see they received the best help possible from João, who was with no doubt a wonderful Chair. This debate was held with professionalism, a great mutual respect between the committees, and it was also a high quality debate. The DEVE committee trusted their own qualities and proudly defended their resolution Yet they were told that their measures were too much of a dream and hard to achieve.

Committees’Performance

Page 17: Random Telegraph

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They were attacked and defended, but looking back on this debate, they can be very proud of what they achieved. Finally, one of the members of this Committee stepped up to blew everyone’s mind with a great Sum Up Speech, she cleared their ideas and gave us good examples and explanations of how good that motion was, and why their fellows should vote for them. Unfortunately, this Committee’s motion did not pass, but they can rest assured that their job was done and they should feel proud of themselves.

EMPL - Committee on Employment and Social Affairs– by Gabriel Pais

Delegates – Andreia Alberto, Bárbara Loureiro, Bernardo Bock, Bernardo Cruz, Luís Gaio Chairperson – Sara Magalhães Topic under analysis – In light of the current economic crisis and the special rising of youth unemployment, what action should the EU take to effectively fight the exclusion of young people from the job market?

Committees’Performance

Theme

The future is in our hands. We are the future. Let’s build our future. EMPL I is trying to fight back the unemployment rates amongst youngsters in the European Union. Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, these are only some examples of countries that have high unemployment rates among the youngest human beings. Unfortunately, we live in a Continent that is being struck by this fact.

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18 Committees’Performance

We can't choose where we come from, but we can choose where we're going. In order to avoid people to evade from their own countries, a change is needed. The Comittee on Employment and Social Affairs will propose solutions for this situation, they are trying to build a new, better future.

Committee Work

Sara was glad to be working with a group of delegates who where quite older than her, since she didn’t felt like their leader (as it usually happens with younger ones) but more like a mate, a partner with whom they cooperated really well. When we visited their bat-cave we could smell the odor of hard work in there. They worked really hard to beat their opponents in the G.A.. They were partners, they were a team, a genuinely precise Swiss watch as each one had a job, and they did it!

General Assembly

This was the last Committee to propose a Motion for a Resolution in this Session. As they usually say, ‘’last but not least’’! This Committee is the biggest (and prettiest) one. With their amazing Chair, Sara Magalhães, they were 6. When these six faithful warriors took their part and stepped up to defend their ideas in the G.A., we could see how well-guided they were. They fought for the youngsters, they were trying to help people like us to find a job, a thing that’s getting harder and harder to achieve. They enlightened the way and with their ideas, we felt we were in good hands. We need a better future. In fact, we need a future. And EMPL sure tried their best to give us one. In the end, with their hands over their chest they stood, and paid homage to their commander, Sara Magalhães, to whom the warriors say they depended on and couldn't have done it without her. They were proud of themselves, they stood tall and they shone (bright like a diamond).

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19 Committees’Performance

Delegates – Daniel Ferreira, Inês Baptista, Luís Teixeira, Mafalda Araújo, Paulo Guedes Chairperson – Bárbara Correia Topic under analysis – What can the EU do to develop a plan so as to help students pay their studies and eradicate the differences between studying in different EU states?

CULT II - Committee on Culture and Education II – by Ana Silva

Theme

As U.S. college costs increase at a relatively low rate, a sharper rise in tuition fees has fueled debate and protests across Europe. In France, Italy and the United Kingdom, for example, governments have proposed remedies for budget deficits that would lead to sharply higher tuition costs for students within the European Union. In England, university fees may be hiked to a maximum 9,000 British pounds per year for home and EU students. Publicly subsidized undergraduate U.K. tuition is currently capped at £3,290 British pounds, even for elite universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.

Committee Work

CULT II’s chair, Bárbara, was very proud of her committee. They were balanced, worked very well together and they had lots of ideas. She believed that her theme was very current, important and relevant and the fact that her delegates were college students really helped the elaboration of the measures and the prosperous discussion of the theme.

WINNERS!

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20 Committees’Performance

General Assembly

The Committee on Culture and Education II was faced with a crucial point of the higher education system: tuition fees. E.U universities present obvious discrepancies amongst them when it comes to tuition fees and CULT II’s goal was to present a solution to such contrasts in order to promote students’ mobility within the E.U. CULT II’s motion had some very unexpected measures, which they convincingly defended throughout the debate, such as the gradual decrease of tuition fees with the final objective of their abolishment and appliance of a tax to former students whose income is above a determined high income percentile that would revert to its former University. With this motion, the Committee on Culture and Education II tried to raise awareness for such unnoticed but very serious problem. Before the debate, CULT II presented its Defense Speech and in the open debate the other committees pointed out the possible obstacles to some bold measures like the ones referred above. CULT II was very convincing when pointing out the reasons behind the measures proposed in their motion and the committee fought for their stand passionately and defended the opportunity of every bright student to achieve a higher education. However the other committees mentioned that Universities are funded with the money from tuition fees and without such income students wouldn’t have the chance of attending classes with proper facilities and competent educators. The proposing committee’s Sum-up discredited some ideas pointed out in the open debate by the other committees by passionately mentioning: “no student must be left behind” and ended beautifully with the following: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. CULT II’s passion didn’t go unnoticed, as their motion successfully passed and the Jury viewed them as the committee with the best performance throughout the debate by making them the winning committee of this session.

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Theme

The “United States of Europe” is a name given to multiple, though similar, hypothetical scenarios that envision Europe as a single nation or a single federation of states similar to the United States of America. European unification has been projected by writers of speculative fiction, political scientists, politicians, geographers, historians and futurologists. Moreover, the concept of the United States of Europe has been evoked by many high-profile historical figures, such as Napoleon Bonaparte, the Marquis de Lafayette, Winston Churchill, Tadeusz Kościuszko and Victor Hugo. Committee Work

DEVE’s chair, Christopher told us that his committee was really good and pretty cohesive. They discussed the issue with passion and seemed to really enjoy what they were doing. Chris also said that they were so interested and committed to their theme that sometimes it was hard for them to focus only in what they were discussing, as the ideas flowed so easily. But besides that, they believe that it is a very interesting theme and they feel rather comfortable talking about it.

Committees’Performance

Delegates – Pedro Pinto, Tomás Lickfold, João Alves, José Maria Antunes, Ângelo Teles Chairperson – Christopher Marques Topic under analysis – Should the EU move towards being a Federalist Union and, if so, how can it prevent possible problems caused by cultural, financial, legislative and judicial differences?

DEVE - Committee on Development– by Ana Silva

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During the debate, the proposing committee had to deal with the other committees’ skepticism about the idea of the United States of Europe and they had some difficulties convincing the other delegates about the effectiveness of their measures.

EMPL and SEDE pointed out the lack of a feeling of belonging from many Europeans and that citizens were more connected with their country than with the EU itself. CULT I felt the obligation of asking the ways of preventing injustices in a federalist union and mentioned that Europe ought to become united step by step.

Faced with other committees’ questions, DEVE defended its motion by betting in a greater economic and financial integration, emphasizing the requirement of more equality amongst member-states as well as full reform of the E.U in order to fight against the current economic crisis.

The proposing committee finished with an inspiring Sum-up, which accentuated the proposing committee’s stand. To conclude the committee pointed out the impossibility of promising peace but the belief of solving problems by adopting risky yet important measures and as they said Europeans should have the same common goal: “Make Europe’s problems their own solution”.

Although DEVE stood by their motion vehemently, their motion did not pass with 10 votes in favor and 10 against.

22 Committees’Performance

General Assembly

The committee on Development – DEVE – had a challenge in its hands: to discuss the possibility of a Federalist European Union. An elucidating video on the matter introduced the debate on DEVE’s motion. The motion itself presented bold measures intended to build the pillars for a full EU federalization: a common budget, banking union, fiscal union and the creation of a supranational regulator and accounting court, as well as the creation on an European public television, which would connect citizens and foment an European spirit. DEVE’s defense speech provided an appropriate and essential motto for their motion, which fueled the debate: “we don’t have a single voice, we have multiple voices”.

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Backstage Interviews 23

Backstage Interviews

Professor Rui Alves obtained his degree in Economy from FEP, in October 1974. In February 1986 he obtained a Master of Science in Operations Research, and in October 1988 a Ph.D. in Business Administration, both at the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Rochester. Having started his academic career in 1978, he is currently Professor of the Management Department at FEP.

Had you ever contacted with APPEJ? Did you know about the activities developed by this association? No I had never contacted directly with it, but I knew of its existence since my daughters engaged in one of its activities during their stay in high school. What’s your opinion on the themes discussed here today? I believe that it is an interesting and pertinent set of themes to be discussed by college students. What’s your opinion about the General Assembly so far? How would you classify the delegates’ performance? They are a very interested group of young people, particularly participative and rather committed to the defense of their positions, which I believe to be all very positive.

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What do you have to say about events similar to the one which is taking place today? I think that these are initiatives that should definitely be encouraged everywhere.

Backstage Interviews

Edgar Bento graduated from Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto in 2009 and is now Vice President at Sociedade de Debates da Universidade do Porto.

Can you tell us a little about SdDUP and what it consist of? Its objective is to promote the debate, tolerance and essentially a more active civic participation.

How? Through activities such as debates and workshops. In these debates there are many themes up for discussion and its participants are divided into two groups: government and opposition. The participants may even be a part of a side they don’t even agree with. However, this makes it possible for them to acknowledge the validity of that side, through the search of arguments in order to defend it. This kind of exercises allows the development of soft skills and, as I mentioned earlier, the increase of tolerance.

How important is this kind of events, such as the one which took place today, especially addressed to the youth community? I believe that this kind of events is extremely important and as I mentioned this morning, during the opening ceremony, although we are the most educated youth that has ever existed, we’re not necessarily the most participative one. Of course we manifest our opinions through the various social media networks, with our colleagues, etc, but we don’t take a step further, within our community

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, public associations, colleges. With that being said, it is necessary that we participate, vote, in an informed way of course. In other words we need to propose solutions and not only fill in complaints.

Backstage Interviews

João Gonçalves Brandão, the President of this session, is a finalist student in the Communication Sciences degree at FLUP and also an experienced EYPer.

It is your first time presiding a session, how does it feel? Is it more or is it less than what you expected? Yes, this is my first time presiding a session. It feels great! It’s not very different from being

a vice-president, you just have a little more responsibility, so I can’t say I didn’t know what to expect because I was a vice-president before. But it’s a pleasure to get here, it feels like you’ve done everything inside EYP. Are you enjoying it? Is it worth all the work and dedication? It’s worth all the work and dedication, without a doubt. It’s amazing when you see a forum, specially this one because we had a lot of difficulties getting delegates to join us, finally becoming a reality. You had a project, you worked it with the organizing team and now everything is falling into place: it feels amazing. For how long have you wanted to be a president? And why? I’ve always had an urge to feel power, so being a president is everything I’ve wanted since my first time as a delegate. I especially like to shut up delegates during G.A, it’s fun! When was your first EYP experience?

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26 Backstage Interviews

My first EYP experience was in 2009, in Tondela, a Regional Session. I was, of course, a delegate, and my chair was Inês Pinto. And why did you carry on being an EYPer? Getting into EYP was the difficult thing, carrying on was a no-brainer. At the time you couldn’t apply to sessions, you had to be invited to them. After I finished my period as a delegate, they called me and asked if I wanted to be an organiser. I didn’t think twice and said yes. I was so fascinated with EYP that I felt like I should be a part of it and help this organization make these events happen, so that other people may have the same opportunity I had and loved. What has been your best moment in EYP so far? This is very difficult to say. I believe I don’t have just one, I have many! When I look back to my EYP “curriculum”, I remember every single session I’ve been to and there’s always more than one good moment that makes me smile like a fool. My first “Flying Brandon” and a song dedicated to me, my first time organising a Euroconcert, being part of a moment that shocked everyone in the audience, my first time as a vice-president in a session that had everything to be a flop and ended up being incredible… The best thing about EYP is always feeling like you’re part of a family of people that love and appreciate each other. You’re at home. Did it help your formation as a person? Definitely. Without EYP I’d be a very different person, for the worst. EYP challenges my mind, informs me about European topics, helps me travel and get to know different people, countries and cultures… there’s nothing bad about it really! If you could get all the young people from all over the word to hear you for one minute, what would you say to them? I could say a lot of things. Try to make them all vegetarians, listen to good music, tips on how to make the President happy… But since this is a EYP session, I would probably tell them to join us. There’s a happy family and some amazing time waiting for you. You can’t regret not joining something you’ve never seen from the inside, but believe me, you’ll be losing a lot.

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Rita Mota and Mónica Leal are both students at Faculdade de Economia da Univerisade do Porto an they were the Head Organisers of this session.

Rita Mota Is this your first time as a Head-Organiser? Yes, it is.

Are you enjoying this experience so far? Yes, I am, this is a very rewarding and fulfilling experience. I’ve never been in an event like this, and with this dimension. How do you feel, organizing this Session alongside with Mónica? It is an honor, because we had our first EYP experience at the same time. Then she joined the Board of EYP Portugal and today it is a pleasure for me to work with her because she has a lot of qualities, and she will contribute to my development in EYP. Tell us a little about your history in EYP. I was a delegate in 2010, I was at Guimarães Regional Session and Águas Santas National Session. That is pretty much it. What are your expectations for the future? What qualities do you think EYP can give you? EYP has offered me a good leadership and organizing capacity. It isn’t much of an objective to me to be a Chairperson or a journalist, I like being an organiser. Later I’ll see what shows up, I just want to develop my abilities in EYP.

Backstage Interviews

By G

abriel P

ais

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Was all the hard work needed for this Session worth it? Of course, because we overcame a lot of hurdles that appeared in the way, and it is all going on smoothly, it shows a positive outcome. I’m glad we didn’t left this all behind. On the other hand, this Session brings EYP spirit to a new and different set of people than it normally does, which is really good for this project. Give us some words for the college students all over Europe. Invest in your academic life, not only in terms of your academic education, but also in extra activities like this one, because almost every skill that we are going to need in our job is here too. Mónica Leal This isn’t your first time being a Head-Organiser. Is this a job you fancy? Yes, it is always a challenge. I can’t say that this is my favourite job in EYP, because I love being a Chair, but it is of course my second favourite job. How did the preparation of this event go? Was it a tough job? More or less, because we had the support of one of the services from the Faculdade de Economia do Porto (FEP), but there are always lots of things to take care of. In spite all of this, it is always worth it. What is it that makes you want to be a Head-Organiser? It’s the big challenge and responsibility. On the one hand we know that the Session is depending on us, and on the other hand, we know that we can’t depend on anyone (besides Rita, of course).

Backstage Interviews

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How was it working with the other Head-Organizer (Rita Mota)? Tell us a little about her. Great, just great! I and Rita were Committee partners, we were delegates at the same time for the first time. We have been friends for many years and it is really good to have someone this autonomous by my side. She is BEAUTIFUL. Was the whole effort worth it? Of course, it always is! After all it is EYP! Give us some words for the European college students. You should try not to miss the opportunities that come to you and you should never be afraid to take risks and experience new things.

Backstage Interviews

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Randomness Page! What do you think about the fact that you just ate horse meat?

“I LOVE horse meat, I can't understand what this buzz is all about, my dream is to have a McHorse Menu on McDonald's. In fact, Im going to suggest that in an e-mail!”

“(smiles) Meet me after dinner, you have to live it to

discover.”

“I would put you in a box, wrap it in nice decorated paper, and then I would put

you under the Christmas tree and I would wait all year to unwrap you!”

“OMG really!?”

“I’m glad, it has more protein.”

“It was galloping”

“I wanted more, it had too much fries..”

If you were a Pope, what name would you chose?

“Pope Jigglypuff the First”

How funky is the chicken?

“It needs more cowbell” Find another meaning for

FEP.

“Fudging Expressive Provocation”

Which of the Vice Presidents is the sexiest

Henrique or Miguel?

“Henrique Miguel” “The third one”

“I was going to say Miguel, but he studies Philosophy, he’s too emotional, I rather not..”

“They are both “bué” hot!”

“Can’t I pick the two of them..? I would like to have a threesome with both… Gee it is too hard to choose.”

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“Dear fellows” – SEDE – Dear fellow delegates

“Fellow debates” – DEVE – Fellow delegates

“Let’s proxeed” – Board – Let’s proceed

“Five in four” – Board – Four in favor

“Horarium“ – EMPL – Schedule

“Fellow question” – CULT II

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Grammar Nazi

“Fellow members” - SEDE – Members of the Board

“Members of the table” – DEVE – Members of the Board

“Job good paid” – CULT II – Job well paid

“Valorize” – CULT II - Value

“Irrealist” – EMPL - Unrealistic

Although this has been a terrific session where the participants proved their outstanding English skills, the evil Grammar Nazi couldn’t do without pointing out every tiny mistake which was given throughout the debate and, as you can see, he was merciless…

Closing Ceremony As all the committees presented and debated each other’s themes, the session was sadly coming to an end. João Brandão shared his gladness about how well the debate rounds were held and commended all the delegates on their enthusiasm and ferocity while defending their ideas. He ended up by encouraging everyone to be part of the EYP family and finally declared the “IV Fórum Universitário do PEJ” officially closed.

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Sincerely hoping you enjoyed it!

See you next time!

Join us! www.pejportugal.com