The European Youth Parliament (EYP) took place over Zoom on the Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st February; Havanna I, Year 12, has written an account of the event which she attended along with Claudia C and Fiona W.
“On the first day, we joined our relevant committees and got to know the other delegates we would be working with on the resolution. We also got to know the chair of our committee who was so welcoming and helped to guide us on making the resolutions. The committees’ topics ranged from unemployment due to COVID-19 to women's rights and cyber sexual harassment. Each committee worked together to create a set of resolutions to debate the next day. I worked on the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, where we first brainstormed ideas and then we re-worded our ideas into OCs for our resolutions ready to debate the next day. We came up with ideas such as better educational programmes for minority groups, less profit tax and incentives for companies, and schemes to help boost consumer consumption.
"On the second day, we had a welcome talk from the Deputy Leader of Plaid Cymru and Member of the Sennedd for Ynys Môn, Rhun ap Iorweth, which was extremely interesting. Next, the whole parliament met, and we started the debates on each of the resolutions. The level of debating was high and although challenging at times, it was a very enriching experience and helped me to gain skills that will help me in the future. It also gave us a chance to prepare speeches, for example I delivered a summation speech for my committee. At the end of each debate, we would vote as a parliament as to whether to put the resolutions through or not. This process gave everyone an insight into how a real parliament works and how to defend your point or attack others you disagree with.
"Overall, EYP was such an amazing experience which I will remember for years to come. I met some amazing people from all over the world and gained skills that will be useful in any occupation. I hope to be able to take part in EYP again in the future!”
Havana I, Year 12