Information about EYP Ireland and our activities can be found in the about section
Information regarding specific conferences, can be found in the conference section
Information for Students
Each conference takes place over a weekend and we stress that it is vital that delegates attend all three days.
The weekend is spilt largely into three parts. On Friday evening you'll partake in team building with your fellow committee members, which is headed by your Chair. Team building involves a wide range of games, some with will have you jumping around the room while others you'll talk about what you hope to get out of the weekend. By the end if Friday night you'll have already formed good friendships and a great committee.
Saturday morning sees Opening Ceremony (you will need formal wear for Saturday and Sunday!), which is where the session will be officially opened by the Board, comprising of the President and three Vice Presidents. After the session is officially opened committee work will commence. This is where you discuss your topic with the aim of find the best solution, which will be then written in the form of a resolution.
Saturday night is when the session disco is held. Often this is themed, with the venue and indeed the people decorated to dance the night away! Past themes included James Bond and Ancient Rome.
All of Sunday is given over to General Assembly (GA). This is where each committee's resolution is debated upon by the other committee's and is ultimately passed or failed.
All the while you are working, playing and partying, the Press Team will be busily working away on the session newspaper, something which will contain all the funny quotes, and pictures that the session produced.
Formal wear MUST be worn on Saturday and Sunday, and just to be clear that means the sort of thing you would wear to an office. NO jeans or runners, other than for Friday and the disco.
Research Tips for Students
Researching the topic that you have is an important part of the weekend, otherwise what are you going to talk about? Use the internet and ask friends what they think about it.
You don't have to become an expert in your topic, but it helps to have at least a moderate level of knowledge so that you can comfortably discuss it with your committee.
When looking at the topic as a whole, you should be able to structure it as follows and structure your research accordingly:
1. What is the current situation in this area, e.g. A problem in the healthcare system; look at what exactly the problem is and how it occured; try to get a good idea of what is happening now across the EU
2. What are the possible solutions to this problem; look at solutions that others might have proposed and ask why they haven't work or won't work. What might be stumbling blocks to any apparently obvious solution that presents itself? what action can the EU, according to its capacities, take?
3. Do you have any of your own solutions? It's important to think about solutions that might not have been proposed or that you think might work. If you can do this, you may well be doing a better job than the politicians who have been working on these problems for months!
Remember that your research won't be the be-all and end-all of your committees discussion; you can work together and pool your knowledge to reach a common solution.
When using the internet, be sure to check news websites, especially the BBC and The Guardian. Sometimes academic papers from Google Scholar can be found, but they usually require payment. Wikipedia can be a helpful introductory source but should be used sparingly. Economist.com is also an invaluable source, and if someone in your family has a subscription or account, you can access a lot more content!
It usually helps to bring your research to the conference so that you can have it at the ready if you need some statistics or information that you want to consult. Print articles and webpages, highlight important information and put it in a folder!
EYP for Teachers
A poster is avilable to download and print off. EYP Ireland Poster - 1.5 Mb Image File
Participating schools may send one delegation of 2 - 6 students. However, is may be possible to send more or less. Contact the Head Orga for the session for more information.
Students must be in either Transition Year or Fifth Year only.
While students will be divided into committees, EYP stresses that the school enters a delegation as a team and so they are expected to cooperate and work well together.
It's important that students be able to communicate effectively, co-operate with others, be open-minded and that they've researched their topic.
Delegates should dress casually for Friday evening but are expected to be dressed formally for Saturday and Sunday. This means shirts and ties for the boys and skirts or trousers for the girls. In addition, delegates may wish to bring a change of clothes for Saturday evening's entertainment.
School rules apply at all times. Any delegate found with alcohol or drugs in their possession will have them confiscated and will be sent home immediately.
Each school group should appoint an ambassador. They will represent their school at the reception after Opening Ceremony, where they will get to meet and talk with guests and other ambassadors.
Participation fees for a Regional Conference is €45.00 per student. This goes to the running of the conference. EYP is volunteer-run and isn't interested in profit-taking. It is very important that the fees are brought on the Friday evening of the conference or sent in advance. We accept cash or cheques (made out to "EYP Ireland Ltd.").
Participation fees for the National Selection Conference is €60.00 per student. This goes to the running of the conference. EYP is volunteer-run and isn't interested in profit-taking. It is very important that the fees are brought on the Friday evening of the conference or sent in advance. We accept cash or cheques (made out to "EYP Ireland Ltd.").
It is extremely important that you bring a signed consent form. For legal reasons, students will not be able to attend the conference without this form. It can be downloaded here. The form must be signed by you, a parent/guardian and the teacher in charge of EYP in your school.