Istanbul 2012Invitation to the 69th International Session of the European Youth Parliament

Greetings from the Organising Team

Dear participants,

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 69th International Session of the European Youth Parliament that will be held in Istanbul, Turkey between the 23rd of March and the 1st of April 2012. With this letter we wish to send our greetings to all of you on behalf of the National Organising Committee and to officially invite you to participate in Istanbul 2012.

Istanbul is not only the city where two continents meet, it is also the city that unites many different religions and cultures. In celebration of this culturally vibrant backdrop we aim to use the session theme to integrate the cultural sharing and diversity present in an EYP session. Under the theme of Bridging the Cultural Divides of Europe, the session will gather 320 participants from over 30 countries to discuss current European affairs, exchange ideas and vision for tomorrows Europe.

We hope to use this theme as a starting point for a discussion on the emerging cultural identity of Europe. As an organisation EYP has served the purpose of uniting youths from different cultural and national identities that have been in conflict, sometimes even until quite recently. By exploring the session theme we hope to instill a better understanding of this other oft recognised but unmentioned role that European Youth Parliament holds.

We would like to congratulate you once again on being selected to represent your country and we are sure that all your hard work will be rewarded with an amazing ten days in Turkey this March. An International Session of the EYP is an incredible opportunity to make new friends, to learn to respect different points of view, to find new ways of working together in a group and to compromise even on the most difficult and complex of issues.

This invitation should serve as a general guide for your preparation to the Istanbul 2012 Session. Please read this information carefully. Further information is available on our website at www.istanbul12.org.

Best wishes from Turkey,

Ogulcan TorunHead Organiser

Ezgi TeksoyHead Organiser

Welcome to Istanbul!

European Capital of Culture for 2010, Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, largest city proper and the second largest metropolitan area in Europe, and the fourth largest city proper in the world with a population of more than 12 million. Istanbul is also a megacity as well as the cultural and financial center of Turkey. The city covers 27 districts of the Istanbul province. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country.

Istanbul extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents. Throughout its long-lived history, Istanbul has served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330395), the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire (3951204 and 12611453), the Latin Empire (12041261), and the Ottoman Empire (14531922). The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

ONLINE SOURCES

For more information on Istanbul,

please visit one of the online City

Guides below:

http://english.istanbul.com

www.theguideistanbul.com

www.istanbulcityguide.com

Istanbul is one of the most important tourism spots of Turkey. There are thousands of hotels and other tourist oriented industries in the city, catering to both vacationers and visiting professionals. In 2006, for example, a total of 23,148,669 tourists visited Turkey, most of whom entered the country through the airports and seaports of Istanbul. Istanbul is also one of the worlds major conference destinations and is an increasingly popular choice for the worlds leading international associations.

If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul. Alphonse de Lamartine

Theme of the Session - Bridging the Cultural Divides of Europe

As most international sessions of the EYP, the Istanbul 2012 Session will have a special theme. The official session theme is Bridging the Cultural Divides of Europe.

The theme of Istanbul 2012 session is planned to be implemented by utilising both the geographic and the cultural elements of the city that make it so unique compared to other locations in Europe. By staging the session both on the European side and the Asian side, we will be emphasising physical bridges and by forming partnerships with the four main religious communities (Muslim, Jewish, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox) prevalent in Istanbul we will be emphasizing the spiritual bridges that this historic city has formed.

Ten Full Days of EYP

The 69th International Session of the EYP in Istanbul consists of the following parts:

Welcome Party: March 23rd After an exhausting day full of transfers we are aware that you will be extremely tired. Regardless of that Istanbul 2012 will be welcoming you with a party full of surprises. Fasten your seatbelts for what is yet to come and to have an outstanding beginning with your new friends.

Teambuilding: March 24th - 25th Doga Club Holiday Resort will be the venue hosting most of the events of the session until Wednesday 28th. One of these events is teambuilding, during which delegates from all around Europe will have the opportunity to get to know one another and take the first step to work as a team. With wide range of facilities at its disposal such as an open swimming pool, an amphitheatre and a 6km. walking track, Doga Club will warm your hearts with its nature and cosy atmosphere.

Eurovillage & Europarty: March 24th Eurovillage is where each country prepares a small stall with traditional cultural items, a flag in the background, souvenirs and information brochures in the foreground, and plenty of different tastes to be sampled. Bring your best dishes, play your best music, represent your country proudly. The event will be followed by an amazing Europarty.

EYP Carnival: March 25th

On this Sunday expect to be; filled with cotton candy, popcorn and a traditional Turkish dessert macun whilst prancing around games, rides and various attractions. After two days of bonding, youll have a chance to feel like a child again. Remember; George Bernard Shaw once said: We dont stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

Opening Ceremony: March 26th

Opening Ceremony and the Welcome Reception will take place in Bahesehir University, one of Turkeys leading higher education institutions. The programme on Monday evening will begin with the Welcome Reception taking place on the terrace of the university, with a fantastic view overlooking the Bosphorus. Later on, the Opening Ceremony in the main conference hall of the university will mark the official start of the session.

Committee Work: March 26th - 28th

Committee Work is the central part of the session. During these 3 days delegates of each committee will engage in discussions on their topic, aiming at writing a high quality resolution and above all, excelling in working in a team after the teambuilding weekend. Coming from different backgrounds and cultures, reaching a consensus is never a plain sailing. In Doga Resort, each committee will be given a villa for the purpose of Committee Work only, where they can work as they wish.

Committee Dinners: March 27th

An opportunity to get to spend some time with your fellow committee members outside of the committee room. During committee dinners your chairpersons will also be dining with you at restaurants where you will be enjoying delicacies of the Turkish cuisine. This is not covered by your participation fee so you will have to pay for the dinner yourself (should not cost more than 15).

Theme Party: March 28th What was your dream job as a child? Being a doctor? Or a police officer? Maybe a sailor? Then you are lucky, because your deepest wishes will come true for a night! The theme for our party is uniforms. To make it even better, the party will be on a boat on the Bosporus, where you can see Istanbul at its best. Do not miss this boat to be creative and wild.

Euroconcert: March 29th The talents of EYP alumni are various, and in recognition of the many gifted delegates in performance arts, Euroconcert is the perfect chance for these musicians and dancers to show their abilities, playing a variety of instruments, singing and dancing. Grab your instrument, find fellow musicians and take our breath away!

General Assembly: March 30th - 31st

The General Assembly reunites all the participants of the session. Throughout the two days of General Assembly, each committee presents and defends their resolution, which is then debated for approximately 40 minutes by the Assembly. Thus, delegates have to be familiar not only with their own topic but also to some extent with all the resolutions. The event will be hosted by Istanbul Il zel Idaresi (Istanbul Special Provincial Administration) and will take place in the Istanbul Provincial Assembly Hall.

Farewell Party: March 31st Farewell Party is the occasion that marks the end to an incredible week, the last act of the session. Inevitably it is both a happy and sad occasion, happy in the sense that you have made friends and had great time with them and sad because next morning everyone will be parting.

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME

Day 1: Arrivals & Welcome Party

Day 2: Teambuilding & Eurovillage

Day 3: Teambuilding & EYP Caf

Day 4: Opening Ceremony & Committee Work

Day 5: Committee Work & Committee Dinners

Day 6: Committee Work & Theme Party

Day 7: City Tour & Euroconcert

Day 8: General Assembly & Delegation Dinners

Day 9: General Assembly & Farewell Party

Day 10: Departures

Travel Information

There are several ways to get to Istanbul. The most common ones are airplane, train and bus.

By airplane:

Istanbul has two airports; Ataturk Airport on the European side, Sabiha Gken Airport on the Asian side. More information about the airports can be found here: http://www.ataturkairport.com/ and http://www.sgairport.com/havaalani/eng/start.asp

Most frequent flights to Istanbul can be found in Turkish Airlines which is also the official carrier of the 69th International Session in Istanbul. As the official carrier, Turkish Airlines is granting special discounts on certain airfares for international tickets of the participants and one accompanying person on flights to and/or from Istanbul. In the table below you can find more information about the discount percentages:

Travel Class Booking Class Discount

Business Class C CL 20%

Business Class D CL 10%

Comfort Class U CL 15%

Comfort Class O CL 10%

Economy Class Y/B CL 15%

Economy Class M/K/H CL 10%

Economy Class S/E CL 5%

Discounts are applicable to Turkish Airlines international tickets only (no code-share flights are allowed), Turkish Airlines fare types and tickets purchased at Turkish Airlines offices. The discounts are not applicable to promotional fares, corporate net rates (not even if any of the participants is entitled to) or similar fare products.. Turkish Airlines domestic flights are not discountable unless sold as a part of an international ticket. It is not possible to obtain the discount for online purchase. Taxes, fees and charges are not discountable and need to be collected from the passenger. The discount is applicable for the flights that are seven days prior to and seven days after the session.

For all information on flights and discounts as well as reservations, payment and ticket issuing please contact Turkish Airlines Sales Offices via phone at +90 212 468 48 48 or the Turkish Organisers Team. The list of Turkish Airlines sales offices can be found at http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-tr/contact_us/offices.aspx. In order to obtain the discounts, please indicate that you are a participant of the 69th International Session of EYP with your offiical invitation letter when making your reservation.

In addition to THY, airlines such as KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, British Aiways etc operate flights to Istanbul. As an addendum, here is a list of European cities, several low budget Airline companies are operating direct flights from and to Istanbul: Salzburg, Vienna (Austria) - Brussels (Belgium) - Copenhagen (Denmark) - Mulhouse, Marseille, Paris (France) Karlsruhe, Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Erfurt, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg, Saarbruecken, Stuttgart (Germany) - Dublin (Ireland) - Bari, Milan, Rome, Venice (Italy) - Amsterdam (The Netherlands) - Oslo (Norway) - Krakow, Warsaw (Poland) - Lisbon (Portugal) - Moscow (Russia) - Barcelona (Spain) - Stockholm (Sweden) - Zurich (Switzerland) - Edinburgh, London, Manchester (United Kingdom).

By train:

Turkish Railways Authority (TCDD) has regular train schedules from Istanbul to Budapest - Hungary, Bucharest - Romania, Kishinev - Moldova, Thessaloniki - Greece and Sofia - Bulgaria in Europe, the journey takes about 12 hours from Thessaloniki and longer routes take even longer. For more information on Turkish Railways and timetables please visit http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/tcdding/index.htm.

By bus:

Daily buses connect Istanbul with major cities in Bulgaria, including Sofia, Plovdiv and Haskovo, and with towns in northeastern Bulgaria. Other routes run to Romania, Greece, Macedonia and Kosovo. While combined travel options involving buses might prove to be cheaper, all participants must keep in mind that such travel arrangements might require to depart from their hometowns one or two days earlier.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ON ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES:

All participants must arrive to Istanbul no later than 18.00 (GMT +02:00) on Friday 23rd of March and depart no sooner than Sunday 1st of April. While delegations arriving before 18.00 will be directly transported to Doga Holiday Resort by the organisers, delegations arriving later than 18 .00 will have to arrange their transfer from the airport to Doga Resort Hotel at their own expense. The Organising Team does not take the responsibility of departures from Limak Eurasia Luxury Hotel to the airports on the 1st of April. However, all delegations will be informed regarding possible transportation ways to the airports during the course of the session. If youd like the Organising Team to arrange a bus for your delegation, refer to the Participation Form and fill it in accordingly.

Visa Requirements

All participants must check at least one month prior to the session if they require a visa to visit Turkey. As Turkey is not a part of the European Union or the Schengen Area, ordinary passport holders of certain countries may obtain sticker type visas at the Turkish International border gates to enter Turkey whereas others need to obtain visas from the Turkish Embassy/Consulate accredited in their country. Information on visa requirements for different nationals can be found on the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa. The Organising Committee of Istanbul 2012 will be able to provide official invitations to participants that need to obtain a visa from a Consulate/Embassy prior to travelling to the session.

Note: For practical reasons and organisational details you are required to bring three (3) photocopied versions of your passport along with the original document.

Accommodation

Doga Holiday ResortUntil the 28th of March, all participants will be hosted in Doga Holiday Resort, which resides in Sile region on the Asian side of Istanbul. The resort is one hour away from the city center. Delegates and officials will be accommodated in groups of four in 75m2 holiday houses with two bedrooms, a living room and a bathroom. Certain additional facilities will be available to session participants free of charge. For more information, please visit www.dogatatilkoyu.com or the session website.

Limak Eurasia Luxury HotelFrom the 28th of March to the 1st of April, all participants will be staying at a five star hotel, Limak Eurasia Luxury Hotel. The hotel is positioned in Kavacik and is five minutes from Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. All transfers to other venues during the session will be provided by private buses. More information regarding Limak Eurasia Luxury Hotel can be found at www.limakeurasia.com and on the session website.

Extra NightsDelegations arriving before the 23rd of March or departing after the 1st of April should be aware that the organisers may be able to offer assistance on finding accommodation, but will not take legal or financial responsibility for the extended stay. The meeting point on the 23rd of March for the transfer to Doga Holiday Resort for delegations who are staying extra nights will be Taksim Square at 16:00. In the table below you can find some alternatives the Organising Team recommends for you. Delegations are asked to contact the Organising Committee in advance for additional assitance.

Name District Room / price per night per person

Website

International House Hostel Taksim Quadruple: 14 Double: 23

www.ihouseistanbul.com

Metropolis Hostel Sultanahmet Single: 45 Double: 36 Triple: 32 4 Bed Dorm: 16 6 Bed Dorm: 15

www.metropolishostel.com

Cordial House Sultanahmet Single: 36 Double: 25 Triple: 16 Quadruple: 14 5 Bed Dorm: 13

www.cordialhouse.com

Taksim Star Hotel Taksim Single: 59 Double: 35

www.starhotelsgroup.com/hotelstar

Ortaky Princess Hotel Ortaky Single: 130 Double: 75

www.ortakoyprincess.com

Preparation

Academic Preparation

It is essential that each delegate prepares for his/her committee topic. This includes extensive research based on the provided links and regular update on international current events. The research and preparation for the session is the key, both to the delegates personal experience and to the overall quality of the session. Aside from reading the materials sent to you, we recommend researching your topic on the internet, reading daily newspapers and watching the news. Attending a session of the European Youth Parliament is an opportunity for you to express your personal views and attitudes. The materials you receive and the ones you find yourself can help you build you attitude, but they can not replace it. So think about your topic and build you opinion, be able to present it and support it with arguments and knowledge. Only with this will your participation in this event have meaning.

You will receive the selection of topics by mid-February. Each member of your delegation will be asked to sign up for a different committee. About a month before the session the International EYP Office will email research guidelines to you. Those are suggested readings to prepare for your topic but also to acquire a general understanding of the other issues that will be up for debate. Once published, the materials will also be available at the session website.

Eurovillage Preparation

Each delegation is expected to present their country in the Eurovillage event on Saturday evening March 24th. Bring lots of food, your flag, national costumes etc. to give a good impression of you delegation to your European friends. A small kitchen may be available to the participants in the resort during the hour before the Eurovillage, however, participants are strongly advised not to rely on this. Refrigerators will be available. The Organising Team would like to remind you that each delegation will be allowed to serve only one bottle of hard liquor. All hard liquor (over 15% alc.vol.) found at Eurovillage (other than the bottle admitted by the Organisers during check-in) will be confiscated and handed over to your teacher after the session is over.

WHAT TO BRING TO ISTANBUL?

Even though March in Istanbul is relatively nice and warm, there is always the possibility of rain and cold

weather. We recommend you to come prepared for a maximum temperature of 15 C. Here is a check list of

things to bring to Istanbul to make your stay in Istanbul as comfortable as possible:

Teambuilding will be held both indoors and outdoors, so these items will be practical:

- Comfortable and warm clothes and shoes, and a rain jacket

Eurovillage

- Food and drinks representing your country. Plastic forks, knives, paper plates, cups etc.

(There is no possibility to buy anything (no shops) at the teambuilding venue, so bring all you need.)

Opening Ceremony and General Assembly

- Formal clothing (suits for gentlemen, skirt/dress/suit for ladies)

Theme Party

- Uniform / costume (feel free to be creative!)

Other practical stuff

- Passport or other valid travel document and three printed copies of your passport or other valid identification

- Preparation and material for your committee topic. Printers will not be available so print your material

before you arrive.

Alcohol and Behaviour Policy

It is the responsibility of the teachers to ensure the well-being and good behaviour of their students during the session even during social events. Drinks with alcohol volume over 15% will not be served as a part of the official programme of the session (with the exception of one bottle per table at Eurovillage), but might be available at the hotel or external venues exclusively for people aged 18 or over. Always bear in mind the national legal requirements of your country whilst on school trips. Also bear in mind that the organisers take responsibility for the official parts of the evening programme and the venues booked by the organisation. Delegates are not allowed to leave any part of the official programme or the official venues without the escort of their teacher. The organisers do not wish that your memories from the session be ruined by misbehaviour.

Delegates are young ambassadors of their country and are expected to act accordingly. The EYP does not tolerate overindulgence and we remind delegates that any overindulgence in alcohol will result in the delegate's exclusion from the session at the delegate's own expense. The EYP operates a total zero tolerance policy with drugs.

Visa and Insurance

It is vital that all participants have their own personal travel insurance or that their school arranges such insurance for its delegates. Travel insurance should be covering 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. We remind all participants who own a European Health Insurance card, to bring the card with them to the session in case of an emergency which requires hospital treatment.

Please find more information on visa requirements under the Travel Information section of this Invitation Booklet or on the session website.

Who is responsible for the session?

We would like to give you a brief overview of the division of tasks inside EYP:

The European Youth Parliament Turkey is fully in charge of running the Session and:- selects the organising team which takes care of the practical organising of the session;- promotes the session on a national level;- raises funds to pay for the session expenses on a national level.

The European Youth Parliament/Schwarzkopf-Foundation (EYP/SF) takes care of:- promoting the session on the European level;- providing an international website for the EYP www.eyp.org;- facilitating the work of the decision-making bodies (Governing Body and Board of National Committees) of the EYP;- collecting the participation fees which cover the costs of the above mentioned activities.

The National Committees of the EYP:- organise the national procedures of EYP and assist delegations with the preparation for the session;- help delegations to fundraise their costs for travel and participation;- promote EYP in their country.

Rules and Legal Notes

More Information

We hope this invitation has provided you with the most important information you need to prepare for the session. Once the registrations are completed, you will be receiving more information and some forms from the Organising Team via email. It is of utmost importance for you to stick to the deadlines, so please check your emails on a regular basis.

Session WebsiteThe official website of Istanbul 2012 can be reached at www.istanbul12.org The session website provides you with all the information found in this invitation booklet, and much more. Make sure to take a look at it for more detailed descriptions and pictures of venues, detailed version of the session pro-gramme, and a few little surprises. You may also find our Face-book, Twitter and Flickr adresses, as well as participant forms on the session website.

Our Supporters

AVRUPA GENLK PARLAMENTOSU DERNE

Beykoop 1. Blge 2. Cadde nciler ars C Blok Kat: 5

Beylikdz / stanbul

info@istanbul12.orghttp://www.istanbul12.orghttp://www.eypturkey.org