W E L C O M E B O O K L E TF O R D E L E G A T E S

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Ghent2013: 2nd International Forum of EYP-Europolis Belgium

EYP Ghent2013 vzwLariksbos 3

B-2280 Grobbendonk

+32 491 25 72 30 (mobile)

info@ghent2013.bewww.ghent2013.be

EYP-Europolis Belgium

EUfrasie vzwVaderlandstraat 31

B-9000 Ghent

info@eyp-europolis.bewww.eyp-europolis.be

Dear EYPer,

After a successful forum hosted in the city of Antwerp in November 2011, we are more than happy to introduce you Ghent2013: 2nd International Forum of EYP-Europolis Belgium!

For the last couple of months the organising team has been working very hard to get everything ready for the session. We are proud to host our activities during the forum in the most prestigious venues of Ghent, to host inspiring speakers and above all to welcome you as a part of the session!

We aim to ensure the highest academic standards during the session and we want to stress the importance of our highly topical session theme Youth in Progress. The European youth has challenges ahead and we want to give you the opportunity to raise your voice and have your say about problems that concern you!

By providing you with this welcome booklet we hope to give you a better image of what will be happening in April 2013. Please read this information carefully and make sure you complete the tasks required accordingly. Further information will be made available on our website www.ghent2013.be and be aware that you can contact us at delegatesupport@ghent2013.be for any question.

European regards,

On behalf of the organising team,

Janne Vanhemmens Jonathan Piepers Lorenzo Van de PolHead Communications Head Organiser Head Organiser

Welcome

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Youth in Progress

Young people are the present and the future of Europe and a rich source of dynamism in our societies. However, the situation of young people who are studying and entering professional and adult societal life varies within each country, and even more so between countries at European level. Throughout recent history several initiatives have been taken at the international and European level in order to ensure a common standard for youth policies.

In 2013 we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Maastricht Treaty, a European institutional instrument, yet this document was also a turning point for the youth in the European Union. Since 1993, when the Treaty was signed, the EU policies have been further developed bearing in mind the interests of the young people in the Union. Various initiatives have been taken in the following years, this culminating in the strategy ‘Europe 2020’ presented by the European Commission. This document should define the EU youth policy for the coming years, it invites both the Member States and the Commission to cooperate in the youth field by means of a renewed open method of coordination. It proposes a cross-sectorial approach, with both short and long-term actions, which involves all key policy areas that affect Europe’s young people. It emphasises the importance of youth work and defines reinforced measures for a better implementation of youth policies at the EU level.

Despite all these beautiful ideas we cannot deny that the global financial and economic crisis our society is experiencing has had an impact on the young people of today and will most probably have an even bigger one of the youth of tomorrow. There is a huge potential of young people out there, ready to stand up for their ideas and to come up with fresh initiatives to tackle the obstacles ahead. It only seems that the hardest part is to put these human resources to work.

Youth unemployment accounts for one-fifth (21.3 %) of the total unemployment since 2008, culminating in a staggering 24% in 2011. Another issue at hand is youth poverty, which is striking record heights with 20% of Europe’s youth in risk of poverty i.e. living in households who have at their disposal less than 60 % of the median equalised income of the country they live in.

A problem also often talked of is the erosion of national identity and political interest of the European youth. Improvement of youth involvement and citizenship is an important priority in order to retrieve fresh new ideas and a different view on the problems young people are facing.

In order to prepare the next generation of potential leaders and entrepreneurs for these challenges ahead and protect them from the treats that our society is facing today, action is needed. More than ever creativity, innovativeness and openness are the key words for the policy makers. We, the European Youth Parliament, also hope to bring some new scopes on today’s issues to the surface with this theme concerning young people.

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Session theme

Alumni platform

First of all you should register on the international EYP alumni platform. If you do not have an account yet, please undertake all the following steps. If you have an account already, you can skip the first two steps.

1) Create an account on the alumni platform: alumni.eyp.org/register2) Activate your account after receiving an e-mail3) Register for the session as a delegate on this link by clicking through the following link: http://alumni.eypej.org/eventreg/ghent2013-2nd-international-forum-of-eyp-europolis-belgium You will need a special access code to verify that you are part of the session, which is GHENT15802.

Make sure that all your details are up to date before you submit

Participation fee

To cover the costs of your stay during the session such as accommodation, meals and transport, we are required to ask a participation fee from every delegate. This fee covers all your costs except for your travel to Ghent, Committee Dinners and personal expenses. If you have not done so, we would like to ask you to transfer the participation fee of €120 for the session as soon as possible and definitely BEFORE the 10th of February 2013. This does not include any possible extra charges for the transaction from your or our bank, which are also for you to pay.

Please mention the following: PARTICIPATION FEE GHENT2013 – FULL NAME – COUNTRY.

The bank account details are:

Delegate registration

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Account owner:Street:

City:Country:

IBAN:BIC/SWIFT:

Bank name:Street:

City:Country:

Tel:

EYP Ghent2013 vzwLariksbos 32280 GrobbendonkBelgium

BE97 0016 6076 1349GEBA BEBB

BNP Paribas Fortis [Fortis Bank NV] Gent-CentrumZonnestraat 29000 GhentBelgium+32 9 235 74 40

General travel info

All delegations are expected to arrive at GENT-SINT-PIETERS rail station by the latest at 19:00 on the 6th of April 2013. There will be organisers at Brussels National Airport, Brussels South rail station and Ghent St. Pieters rail station to guide you. If you are planning on arriving earlier and need some help to find accommodation you can contact us at delegatesupport@ghent2013.be. Departures will be on the 13th of April, all day long.

By plane

Brussels National Airport (BRU) is the major airport in Belgium and provides connections with all major cities in Europe. Most national carriers have direct flights to Brussels Airport but make sure to check less expensive flights with Easyjet (Berlin, Lyon, Milan, Nice, Toulouse, Basel, Geneva), Air Europa (Madrid), Vueling (Barcelona, Valencia) and Germanwings (Stuttgart). You can also check out Belgian charter airlines such as JetairFly and Thomas Cook Airlines.

A smaller, less connected airport that offers many low-cost destinations is Brussels South Charleroi Airport. Charleroi provides you with connections from Ryanair, Wizzair, Jet4you and Jetair. Getting from Charleroi to Ghent is rather complicated hence we suggest you to plan your trip to Brussels South Rail station (1 bus and 1 train), where organisers will be waiting for you.

We have some suggestions for your to find cheap flights to Belgium:www.skyscanner.net and www.expedia.com.

The organising team is currently looking into the possibility to get a vouchercode from Brussels Airlines, in order to provide you with a discount. We will inform you in case we successfully finish our negotiations with Brussels Airlines.

Planning your trip

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Planning your trip

By train

GENT-SINT-PIETERS rail station has a rather limited amount of international connections. Therefore we suggest you to plan your trip to Brussels South rail station (Brussel-Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi). Brussels South is connected with Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague (BeNeLux Train); Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Basel and Zurich (EC Train); Cologne (ICE and Thalys); Frankfurt (ICE); Paris (Thalys) and London (Eurostar). Once you get in Brussels South rail station you will be guided by our organisers.

By bus

If you would like to travel to the session by bus, we recommend you to check Eurolines since they have direct connections to Ghent. If no connection to Ghent is available, connections to Brussels and Antwerp are also possible.

By car

Parking spots are available at the hotel but these are not free of charge! If you still prefer to come by car to the

session, we would like to encourage you to carpool with fellow delegates.

Visa information

Please check the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium: http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/services/travel_to_belgium/visa_for_belgium

There, you can find whether or not you need a visa for Belgium. If required, please send an e-mail to delegatesupport@ghent2013.be and we will provide you with an official invitation letter.

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Accommodation

During the entire session, all participants will be staying in the Holiday Inn Express hotel, just outside the city centre. More information about the hotel can be found on the website www.hiexgent.be. The address of the accommodation is:

Holiday Inn Express GentAkkerhage 2

9000 Gent

Preliminary Programme

Accomodation & Programme

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Arrival of the delegationsWelcome EYP Café

TeambuildingEurovillage

Committee WorkTheme Party

Committee WorkCommittee Dinners

Free morningGA PreparationEuroconcert

General AssemblyEYP Expert TalksEYP Café

General AssemblyFarewell Party

Departures

Saturday 6 April 2013

Sunday 7 April 2013

Monday 8 April 2013

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Wednesday 10 April 2012

Thursday 11 April 2013

Friday 12 April 2013

Saturday 13 April 2013

Insurance

It is vital that all participants have their own personal travel insurance. Travel insurance should cover loss of luggage, accidents, disease, etc. Participants should make sure they bring their insurance card with them if their respective insurance company requires such a proceeding. If you can obtain a European Health Card, we strongly encourage you to do so and have it on you during the session.

Contact

If there would be any questions concerning the session, you can send an e-mail to delegatesupport@ghent2013.be.

If your question concerns something more specific or urgent, you can also contact us by phone:

Janne VanhemmensDelegate Support, General questions+32 485 423 957

Pieter ReyniersParticipation Fees+32 472 485 891

Lorenzo Van de PolVisa requirements+32 491 257 230

Insurance & Contact

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Ghent2013: 2nd International Forum of EYP-Europolis Belgium is being organised with the support of:

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Pictures in this brochure are property of their respective owners. Content copyright reserved by EYP Ghent2013 vzw.