EditorialThere are two types of EYPers in the word: First ones are joining European Youth Parliament session and not getting the main point of it. They find teambuilding games useless and they don’t believe that they are changing anything by writing resolutions. These delegates are one-session people, who are not willing to continue.

The second type is a delegate that is falling in love from the firth sight with EYP. They sincerely enjoy playing Big Fat Pony and Alele. They make their best to prove their point of view during discussions, they express themselves through their speeches during General Assembly, and they are bright and exciting personalities. These people are constantly inspiring me. They are inspiring every one by sharing their energy with the world. These delegates reminding each official how we looked like on our first session years ago.

Therefore, if you are really into getting closer with strangers that you only met today, discussing European issues with international delegates and simply socializing is one of your hobbies – please, keep on track and become a part of the great multicultureal family, so called European Youth Parliament.

by Oleksandra Gipsh

ContentDiscover:• How does the EU work?• What stereotypes we have about your country• Referendums that took place and Europe • Lviv theme restaurants, that you still have a chance to visit

Compare:• Travel stories of international delegations• Gender equality and prejudice• Similarities between youngsters from all over the world

Think:• How long should be the way to become the session’s President• Why you barely see the Head-Organizer during the day• What story stays behind the Ice Bucket Challenge

The Ice Bucket Challenge

The “Ice Bucket Challenge” has lit social media on fire, raising both money and awareness. People have shared more than 1.2 million videos on Facebook between June 1 and Aug. 13 and mentioned THE PHENOMENON MORE THAN 2.2 MILLION TIMES ON TWITTER. The origins of the idea of dumping cold water on one's head to raise money for charity is unclear and have been attributed to multiple sources The most commonly accepted origin credits Pete Frates a Bostonian who was diagnosed with ALS in March 2012. Pat Quinn, a friend of Frates who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, is also credited with creating the challenge. ALS is a debilitating disease that basically triggers a slow paralysis on those who are stricken by causing the nerve cells to stop working. It's literally an on-going death sentence. With the exception of some cases like that of Stephen Hawking, most people who are diagnosed with the ailment promised to live only two to five years. There's no cure for the disease at the moment. The goal of the several groups affiliated with ALS Association is to raise money for research and patient services while at the same time raising awareness.Celebrities from all over the world took a part in Ice Bucket Challenge, for example: The President of the United States - Barack Obama, was challenged by Ethel Kennedy but declined, opting to contribute to the campaign with a donation of $100. Justin Bieber (who was criticized for not properly doing the challenge), LeBron James and "Weird Al" Yankovic also challenged President Obama after completing the Ice Bucket Challenge. Former President

George W. Bush completed the challenge and nominated fellow former Presiden Bill Clinton The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.The rules of the ALS Challenge are quite simple: those who have been mentioned, tagged or nominated by participants have two options to complete the said challenge. The first is to record a video of them pouring a bucket of ice-cold water over their head. The other is to donate $100 to an ALS charity of his or her choice.There are cases, especially those who are of celebrity status, would still pledge to donate and at the same time pour themselves with the ice-cold water. Its visuality on social media did result to the massive increase of support poured in to ALS charities. New York Times reported that the association had received $41.8 million in donations from July 29 until Aug. 21.

by Giorgi Elisashvili

5 reasons why this is not an interview

An insight into head-organising

The story of every EYP event starts with a person being obsessively passionate about the very idea of holding it. Without this person any good intention will fall apart, any fundraising will be pointless and all the cookies bought for coffee breaks will never be used. We call these people head-organisers. They manage, coordinate, plan and, surprisingly, make great deal of organising; they are the heart and soul of any session, which, of course, also a case with the Lviv.

Nevertheless, head-organising isn’t exactly the piece of a cake. After failing the interview hunt for the head organiser of LVIV International Summit, Alexey Varavin, we gave up; instead, here are the reasons for that interview to be impossible to take and few facts about Aliaksei Varavin we managed to get from the participants of the session.

1) If you have only seen Aliaksei during his speech on the opening ceremony, it’s probably because he was extremely busy organising the rest of the event. Lviv International Summit was planned within the last two months, and the amount of the work done is horrifying when you think about it properly.

2) However overwhelming was the work done before the session, it never stopped there. If you have your tickets paid back, rooms changed, towels found or post-its for committee work delivered, Aliaksei and his team were there doing it for you. It goes as far as bringing water, cookies, welcome kits (lovely badges, aren’t they?), printing newspapers and cleaning. Definitely not a cake.

3) So, even if you didn’t see him during the event, don’t worry; firstly, there is a nice photo of him in the article; secondly, we didn’t see him properly as well. During the lunch break on Saturday we managed to get close enough, but got distracted by that awesome borsch and Alexey got away. It happens with head-organisers all the time.

4) Speaking generally, Aliaksey is an adorable person, to say the least; being busy as he is, he managed to give us that extremely heart-warming smile when we made the last attempt to take the interview on Friday morning, right before he sneaked away once again.

5) What is really important here is that even though cakes and head-organising don’t really fit with each other, it’s a great work to do and should be rewarding just as much. Let’s say, at one moment or another some of you will see Alexey going down the corridor, carrying lots of things, or talking on the telephone, or just being concerned and determined as he is lately. Make him smile. You don’t necessarily need to use our tactics and ask him for an interview, but, surely, there are a lot of nice things about the session you can use for this purpose.

by Natalia Khenkina

Try and see yourself how great a smile is.

EU, EU,EUwhoooohooo

European Union – this phrase is commonly known and it got tremendous popular in recent decades. However, the majority does not have a clue about the origin and real influence of this supranational community. Lets have a moment of enlightenment that might be quite useful.

The starting core of the Union was born with an economic goal. Nowadays, however, the relations between the Member States of the EU are mostly based on economics. However, we will skip the historical part and will mainly concentrate on the institutional aspects. So, who is responsible for what and who is the BOSS?! The answer is - no one. The institutional structure of the European Union is based on so-called, check-and-balances method, when each institution has the right to check and correct certain decisions of another one. What about the institutions? Officially, there are 15 institutions, but there are three who are dealing with the whole party. The first member of this wonderful trinity is European Commission. The Commission's job is to draft EU laws and act as "guardian of the treaties". It enforces European Union rules, and if a member state delays enacting an agreed policy, or simply refuses to comply, then the Commission will warn them and if necessary pursue them at the EU Court of Justice. The Commission can levy fines or suspend EU funding. The Commission has a staff of about 33,000 and it’s considered to be the most supranational institution.

Second one, is European Council or simply “the Council”. It represents the governments of the Member States; the ministers meet regularly according to their policy area. They examine draft laws from the Commission and make recommendations, so the final text is a compromise - often the result of numerous amendments. Voting in the Council is weighted according to country’s size and economic power, so for example, France has a bigger weight than

Malta.

Finally, the third one is the European Parliament. This institution initially had the least competences and the Member was delegated from the national parliaments of the MS. However, since 1987 it was elected by the citizens of the European Union and after Lisbon treaty in 2007 its competences were almost equalled to previous two bosses. MEPs now have «co-decision» powers in nearly all policy areas, meaning that they shape EU laws on an equal basis with the Council.

All in all, we can talk about this unique organisation hours and hours because it’s certainly big, complicated and interesting. Yet, there is one thing that makes it absolutely special, it’s the biggest intergovernmental and supranational creation that changed our Europe in much better way.

by Michael Pytlyk

Simply the PresidentThis young man, who, soon, will star his Phd studies in sunny Spain, has become a legendary figure in European Youth Parliament. Constantly busy, he managed to find a minute to share few interesting facts about himself. 1) So, for how long you are a part of EYP family and why are you still here?

I’ve been doing EYP since 2007, I started EYP, as an organiser and one girl, who latter on became my best friend, invited me for the session. She noticed me in the university thanks to my t-shirt with EU flag. My first Session, was Sumy regional session back to 2007. Why I’m still here, hmmm, EYP is always never ending story, and everyone can always find a room for personal development. I’ve started as an organiser, then delegate, then chairperson, president, and recently as a member of the international governing body, each of previously mentioned positions gives you lots of possibilities to explore yourself, as well as gain new skills that will push your limits forward2) We can see that after seven years in European Youth Parliament you went through almost every position, but as far as I know, you have never been a journalist, so could tell us why?

When I started EYP, I never got a chance to become a journalist and after gaining more experience, it was a bit too late because I developed myself in the role of chairperson. But, I still consider that journalists are really vital actors during the session, especially as a emotional support.

3) Which position is your favorite?

I guess Chairperson, unfortunately, last time was three years ago, so I really miss it.

4) Tell us some unique story, that ever happened to you throughout your EYP experience?

Two years ago during the Vilnius regional session 2013, I’ve decided to myself that it would the last session in my life. I officially announced that to my perfect team before the session and I wanted to make this even really unique and special. That session was really touching but, obviously, it left massive amount of awesome memories. As u can see I’m still here, which means that I couldn’t quit. So, small advise, never say never!

5) Taking into consideration you massive experience, what advise you would give to fresh EYPiers? I would highly recommend exploring the city of the session taking place at, as much as possible. Also, make real conclusion about EYP only after three sessions, preferably try to participate in different countries. Don’t limit your interaction with only your committee delegates and try to communicate with as many people as possible. Finally, be super positive and especially during General Assembly try to attract more attention.

6) If you would have a chance to switch the time back, what would u change in you EYP life?

I guess there are few things that I would like to change. First one, I would definitely use a chance to be a head organiser of the International session, Secondly, I would like to start my EYP experience as a delegate but not organiser. Lastly, perhaps I would break a golden rule few times.

by Michael Pytlyk

Gender equalityGender Equality is not a woman’s issue - it is a human Issue and it affects us all.The President of United States Barack Obama said: “Empowering women isn’t just the right thing to do-It’s smart thing to do” We are all equal!

Let’s get this right from the start: despite enhancing gender equality and putting strong emphasis on gender related issues, modern societies still remain ghettoized and prejudiced towards individuals of different sex. There are still significant gaps between women and men in terms of their involvement in family life, the tasks they perform and the responsibilities they take.The reason for every problem is deeply rooted into particular society’s values and beliefs. Unfortunately, most people do not even understand what the gender equality actually stays for. People are attached to the ideas of being “male” or “female”, which are associated with certain kinds of values, attitudes, and responsibilities. Truly gender equality is the measurable equal representation of women and men. Gender equality does not imply that women and men are the alike, but that they have equal value and should be accorded equal treatment.

Effective programmes recognise that gender roles and relations are dependent on social contexts in which cultural, religious, economic, political and social circumstances are intertwined. They are based on the idea that gender relations are not static and can be changed. From early ages boys may be socialized into gender roles designed to keep men in power and in control, majorly grew up to believe that dominant behaviour towards girls and women is part of being a man. For centuries, men and women had strictly divided roles that are dictated them how to behave in a society. Men performed in the fields of politics, economics and business, while women’s duties were to stay at home and take care of children.

In our society it depends on man’s willingness and desire to get involved in family matters. Instead of emphasizing parenting and householding as one of the main responsibilities for men as husbands and fathers, their participation in family matters is being viewed as a certain form of volunteerism.Happily, 21st century brought a lot of changes in every person’s life, gradually changed values and attitudes and mothers take new roles they become more confident and independent, advance in careers and have less time for home-making and men start to get used to new reality too.

by Giorgi Elisashvili

Stereotypes, racism or clever marketing?When traveling abroad and meeting new people the first reaction people have to your nationality is always very revealing about what people think. In order to research these stereotypes we interviewed different nationalities possible to discover what they think the biggest stereotypes are about their countries. We also wanted to know if the stereotypes were considered to be offensive, whether the stereotypes were at all accurate and if the stereotypes are used to attract tourists.

Belarusians believe that the stereotypes about their country mainly revolve around potatoes. Inhabitants of the post soviet countries refer to Belarus as the “potato nation”. The stereotype is based in fact as the traditional Belarusian cuisine is based on potatoes. Moreover, potatoes capture a big part of Belarusian export.

The Germans are seen internationally as serious hard working engineers, with the exception of the Octoberfest and the associated lederhosen and drindle. Octoberfest is a large festival, where thousands of people sit in long rows and lots of beer and German food is served. The German stereotypes are based on facts, but also used to promote tourism and, also, make German products seem more attractive. Germany is a highly developed industrial nation with a internationally famous car industry and a “Mittelstand” of small companies that make high quality industrial components. The beer-fests do exist and some people do dress in the traditional clothing but only in Bavaria on the south of Germany. Germans sometimes do not understand and find it offensive that they have a reputation for being strict and serious.

Georgia is famous for it’s wine; Georgian wine is sweeter and traditionally homemade. The frozen conflict is South Ossetia and the war with Russia has given the Georgians a reputation of civilians being armed for self-defence. Georgian hospitality is also world famous, the way big feasts are prepared for guests. These stereotypes are based on reality, however like all stereotypes, miss the subtleties of the Georgian culture. When foreigners think about The Netherlands, the things that jump in their mind are cheese, windmills tulips and liberal laws. Although these things are traditionally Dutch; the windmills are maintained because they attract many tourists and it would be impossible for the small Dutch country to consume all the cheese and tulips. The Netherlands does have very liberal laws, however this is also done for a large part in order to attract tourists, not because the Dutch are so immoral.Talking about Ukraine, in the west at the moment leads people to ask about the military crisis. However, before that Ukraine was famous for its fields of golden grain, beautiful women, strong liquor and both ICT companies and cyber crime. These stereotypes can be offensive; however the people we interviewed did admit that they have at least some basis in fact.

by Daan Brouwer

A trio of referendaThis year has seen three vastly different movements for regional independence. The referendum in Crimea, which led to Crimea being annexed by the Russian federation. The Scottish independence movement that narrowly lost a referendum on leaving the United Kingdom. And the Catalonian independence movement which had been promised a referendum that was cancelled leading to massive street protests forcing the Spanish government to promise a new referendum.

The Crimean referendum was merely a part of the geopolitical struggle between Russia and Ukraine. The referendum took place while Crimea was occupied by troops that at the time denied being Russia although this has been admitted now. The official result was so overwhelmingly pro independence that the legitimacy of the results is extremely questionable. Regardless of the eventual outcome the referendum was announced so shortly beforehand by in many eyes an illegitimate government that the legality is nearly nil.

Scotland has a long history of pro independence nationalism. Compared to the rest of Britain Scotland is politically more left wing and economically the state plays a bigger role. Ever since the British governments of Margaret Thatcher Scotland has voted mainly for the labour party and the Scottish independence movement has exploited this political gap between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. This is visible in the promises the Scottish independence movement made, more governmental involvement in the economy and a more protectionist foreign policy

The rest of the United Kingdom has seen the rapid rise of a eurosceptic protest party, The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) this gathering is almost completely absent in Scotland. The voter base for the UKIP is replaced by the Scottish nationalist parties that have similar slogans. This shows that the voters are not truly against the European Union or against the United Kingdom, instead they wish for a simpler world in which they feel like they have more influence. The debates around Scottish independence underlined how interconnected the world is: The British Pound could no longer be used as national currency, Scotland’s status as a EU member states would be revoked and if Scotland wished to re-join the European Union many of the regulations the pro independence opposed were determined not by the United Kingdom but by the European Union.

Catalonia has long been the richest part of Spain; this is the main reason for Catalonian calls for independence. The Catalonian culture is also distinctively different from the rest of Spain and this together with a history of independence has led to a long running independence movement. Spain has another region with established separatist sentiment, the Basque region. The separatist movement in the Basque region has resorted to violence and the Spanish see a referendum there as unthinkable. However, after leaving violence behind peaceful protests have been successfully held for a referendum. Hopefully showing to the world that peaceful protests are better at achieving political goals than terrorism. by Daan Brouwer

by Natalia Khenkina

«Wherever I’m going, I’m already Home»

- Jason Mraz, "Living in the moment"Being an Italo-polish youth, I'm very often asked about differences between Italian and Polish youths. The first thing that comes into my mind is that Italians are wormer and more comfortable with being close to each other, but when I think about it once again, I actually realise that it is not true...With the World Wide Web being introduced at the beginning of the 90ties, youths around the world had the chance to learn what is going on, on the other side of the planet with just 'one click'. The Facebook, Twitter and other social networks were also born. Those are mechanisms that made communication and interaction through young people rise to a massive scale. Then we started discovering that we sometimes have the same preferences, use the same mobile phones and wear the same clothes.

"It's all about the internet and also about the TV shows that we watch, mostly American ones. They, in a way, shape our behaviours, ideas and style. We laugh together and experience the same things" says Daan (journalist, NL). Nowadays, we may repute ourselves cosmopolitans, and that's the way we interact. Many people believe that Internet helps us to travel and we have the possibility to get to know youths from different countries. This way we will always feel like home. The European Youth Parliament sessions are also a way of meeting people from various backgrounds and cultures that actually are not categorically different from us. Dasha (delegate, Belarus) proves this by sharing her thoughts: "We're very open minded, we travel a lot. We

want to learn new things and I have no problems in finding a common language with Germans or Belgians. We do not represent nationalities anymore, but our own thoughts. We want to achieve the same goals and at the end our common thought is democracy and freedom. We are individuals, with various interests, but still united". And even If EYP is not involved, we may find a great common characteristic that links youth people, unfortunately not a positive one, as Vladislava (delegate, Belarus) says:"I have many friends in Belarus that are very lazy and undecided, they don't want to be active, but they enjoy dressing fancy and to have the newest technologies in possession". Lazy or not, we have a strong willingness to meet new people from

different countries and at the end we will always enjoy spending our time together. The apparently strict Germans will dance with the careless Italians, the "cold" Swedish people will joke with the proud French. At last, we all want to have fun: laugh together, play together, dance and sing. We want to know that everything will be alright at the end and we are able to overcome the differences that were a big problem for our ancestors. We desire to feel comfortable, like home.

by Adelaide Di Maggio

It’s better to fly with Ryanair EYP travel tales

Consider yourself lucky, if your travel to lovely Lviv was smooth and calm, and even more so – if you managed to sleep couple of hours during it. After spending the whole night trying to catch the bus which would take me from Krakow to Lviv, I walking around the session, asking people about their travel adventures and, God, there is plenty. Although my ultimate goal was, of course, to find a story which would be worse than mine, I found quite a lot of things to share instead.Stories I’ve heard were about all kinds of transportation means, all sorts of troubles and included all times of arrival to Lviv. One of the things I’ve been told also included magical unicorns of happiness, which should probably represent the overall level of sleep deprivation. Part of the officials’ team got stuck in Krakow after they missed their night bus.

One of the Ukrainian delegates arrived to Lviv at 4.30 am and was so nice as to spent almost two hours on the train station before he though it is appropriate to ask the organisers about where he can find a hotel. Belarusians spent their almost twelve-hours long ride in the train discussing the topics and reading preparations kits (making their chairs proud, no doubt). Delegation from Georgia spent unforgettable 14 hours in the night train from Kyiv to Lviv, being sure that the journey will take them 7 hours and constantly interrupted by people who were claiming their places as their own. However, they were overexcitedly quoting all the strangers they met, underlining that they were “so typically Ukrainian” and, apparently, made good travel buddies. EYP in general presents the very special way of travelling. You don’t have lots of sightseeing and time for coffee places; your travel itinerary sometimes makes amazing things with the map and can be as confusing as problem-solving games from team-building. Nevertheless, it’s a lot about enjoying the travel and destination both, which is talked about so often, but rarely actually takes place.Take the best from this article; try avoid booking overnight buses in advance and take your time to reach the stations; use travel planners and write down addresses; make the use of the local public transport; save your tickets (God bless travel reimbursements). And, most importantly, follow the example of Georgian delegation and enjoy the trip, whichever are the obstacles; meet people, have fun, enjoy the views and take your time to relax on the way to yet another EYP session.

by Natalia KhenkinaOh, and mind unicorns!

It’s like Las Vegas,but in Ukraine

When people want to have fun they come to Lviv, you may find everything here - these are more or less our session President's words. So where to go in Lviv to have real fun? Let's check! Lviv was a home for many cultures since the beginning of its establishment. That's why diversity and creativity it's not uncommon among it's citizens. They opened a lot of public places, in particular restaurants, pub and cafés, for their co-citizens and tourists to feel comfortable, enjoy good and peculiar food and drinks and also to have fun by feeling fascinated about the place they're in. Are you still curious? Here is a list of awesome places you may hang out in Lviv: You have a lot of work to do, but you don't feel like going home and work alone in a dark room? Then "CoMMuna" Internet - Cafe is totally a place for you. You pay for the hours you spend there and in the price you may drink as much tea as you want and make as many toast as possible! While eating you may use Internet and also hold conferences (or EYP officials teambuilding) with the facilities that you'll find there. Have you ever wanted to feel like in a Harry Potter movie? "Try Mitly" (Three Brooms) is a HP themed restaurant, hidden from the eyes of "Muggles", when elfs are waiters and Dragon Neck barbecue is the main course. Children may also change into Hogwarts students and attend wizardry lessons. Magic, right? "Lokal" is a chain of over 13 themed restaurants, pubs and cafés, placed all over Lviv. Three of them have been presented in the show "World's Weirdest Restaurants". The fist one was "The House of Legends", when you enter a dreamy Ukrainian dimension and each floor is different and talks about different Ukrainian myths and legends. If you're coffee addicted, the second of them, the "Coffee Manufacture" is a real underground coffee mine. Then the last: "Kryjivka" (Hide-place) is for history lovers and 'real patriots' - an underground World War II - military themed restaurant. After trying their honey vodka, you won't stop shouting "Slava Ukraini!". Are you hungry for food but also for wisdom? The "Gas Lamp Pub-Museum" is the place for you! It's the biggest gas lamp museum in Europe, and the atmosphere

is "enlighten" by special effects and music. For those who are carnivorous justice seekers, the "Grill Restaurant of Meat and Justice", apparently founded by a former Lviv city hall worker, an executioner, offers equal slices of delicious food. If you're an "old timer", check the "Post Office" bakery cafe' on Drukarska St. (Printing st.), which is filled with old Lviv postcards and remains the only one analogue post office in Lviv. Other restaurants include the "Left Bank", that is about the Lviv Opera; the "Lviv Chocolate Manufacture"; the Galician Jewish restaurant in the old Jewish quarter, called " Golden Rose" and the eclectic pub "Zenyk Mytnyk".

by Adelaide Di Maggio

Lviv, 2014