P.O Box 42253
6532 Larnaka
Cyprus
- Youth and education
The European Youth Parliament(EYP) Cyprus is a youth-led non-governmental volunteering organisation that has been operating since 2006 under the umbrella of the EYP network, which is active in 40 countries across Europe, in order to deliver a peer-to-peer educational programme that inspires and empowers young people from across Europe The organisation is managed by the National Committee of EYP Cyprus, which consists of 8 young volunteers. Their work is supported by external stakeholders, with the most notable partners being the Bank of Cyprus and Antenna. The organisation is also supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Youth Board of Cyprus, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Cyprus, and the Municipality of Nicosia. EYP Cyprus annually organises various conferences and trainings for the youth, with approximately €40,000-€60,000 needed for its operations. The funds are coming in from external grants, partnership sums, participation fees and event sponsorships.
The European Youth Parliament, as one of the largest youth organisations in Europe, aims to promote intercultural dialogue and exchange through the sharing of ideas, opinions and practices to bring diverse young Europeans closer together. We are attempting to do so by providing a forum for young Europeans to develop and express their own opinions on European political and social issues in an open and welcoming environment, while simultaneously presenting them with diverse opportunities for personal and skills development through non-formal and peer-led educational activities. Through these aims, we aspire to produce a connected network of the next generation of diverse young leaders in Europe equipped with the knowledge and skills to positively shape the world around them.
Since its foundation in 2006, EYP Cyprus has managed to establish Annual National Conferences, which welcome over 200 participants from both Cyprus and numerous other European countries, aiming to give the opportunity to the youth of Europe to cultivate democratic values through the discussion of major issues facing the European and international communities. In addition to the Annual National Conference, EYP Cyprus organises various other events during the year, including one-day conferences, seminars for the organisation’s strategic development, educational weekends, the Annual General Meeting and many more. So far, over 3500 students from all over Cyprus and Europe, including countries such as Armenia, Albania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Ukraine have participated in EYP Cyprus activities. Every year, EYP Cyprus organises two one-day Pre-selection conferences, a four-day Youth Summit and a four-day Annual National Conference. During these conferences, participants are invited to discuss current European issues and propose solutions through the process of Teambuilding, Committee Work and General Assembly. In 2018, EYP Cyprus organised the 1st Academic Forum, a 7-day conference which included an extended academic, and cultural programme. As part of our outreach initiative, EYP Cyprus will also be organising its third EYP Day in 2021, with the aim of engaging more individual young people, aged 15-17 from private and public schools in our events. In 2014, EYP Cyprus organised its first Alumni Day where participants had the opportunity to meet each other in a fun and relaxing environment whilst acquainting themselves with the structure and running of EYP and EYP Cyprus specifically. The event has been established as an annual event and members are invited once or twice per year to participate at Alumni Days and further engage with the National Committee of EYP Cyprus. Since 2014, EYP Cyprus has established the organisation of the Youth Summit, an event welcoming individuals aged 18-23 who were not involved prior in EYP through their school delegations to participate in a full EYP session and become part of Europe’s biggest youth platform. EYP Cyprus also organised an Alumni Weekend for all its alumni that provided an insight to the workings of the organisation over the last 15 years and the targets and vision of the National Committee for the upcoming years. A training event was also held with the aim of offering knowledge to EYP Cyprus Alumni that they can use and adapt in events of the wider network. Additionally, the annual events such as the Pre-selection Days and the Youth Summits have also taken place from February – August and welcomed over 200 participants in total. The latest event addition has been the 95th International Session of the European Youth Parliament - Nicosia 2021. One of the three annual flagship events of the EYP network, EYP Cyprus was selected to organise this monumental event, which is going to welcome over 250 participants from 40 European countries for 10 days in September 2021, and it will constitute the largest youth conference that takes place in Cyprus, with an estimated budget of €150,000-200,000. This event, as every other event of the organisation, is organised from young people, for young people.
The European Youth Parliament(EYP) Cyprus can actively contribute to the Anna Lindh Foundation network in the island in a threefold manner: advance the foundation’s ideals through our actions , aid in the expansion of the ALF network, and support the implementation of the ALF vision. As an organisation, we can be considered an active representative of the mission the ALF is trying to achieve - a peer-to-peer educational programme that organises multiple conferences and trainings in our attempt to encourage young people to become active citizens, all while providing them with a platform that enhances their skills, provides significance and weight to their voice. Through a cooperation with EYP Cyprus the ALF will have the opportunity to advance their ideals throughout our conferences and activities, through which the ALF will have the opportunity to portray their very own work under the extensive marketing strategy that EYP Cyprus is following for its partners. As aforementioned, EYP Cyprus is part of the EYP network, a pan-European network of national organisations in 40 European countries, which cooperate on a frequent basis for the national and international conferences. EYP Cyprus could provide a bridge to the ALF to the rest of the national organisations of the EYP network, and thus be an active supporter of promoting further dialogue between mediterranean and EU countries. We have already cooperated with organisations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) in Cyprus by involving refugee participants in the 14th National Session of EYP Cyprus, and the work of EYP international we have the opportunity of working directly with the Schwarzkopf Foundation in delivering common projects. On top of its international network, the national network of EYP Cyprus could also be instrumental in the growth of the ALF network in Cyprus. As one of the most credible youth organisations, various governmental and private bodies are supporting our work, with Bank of Cyprus and Antenna as our main partners, while we have been cooperating and are actively supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Youth Board of Cyprus, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Cyprus, and the Municipality of Nicosia. In addition to these bodies, every year, various private businesses choose to support our activities through monetary and in-kind contributions, as well as by providing their expertise and knowledge to our conferences. Through our resources, pool of existing knowledge, experience, and successful strategies in youth engagement in the area of non-formal education, we can help the ALF in achieving our common aim and one of the central missions of the ALF network, empowering young voices.
As an organisation, we are always striving to improve. Despite being youth-led, we have come to the realisation that our operations could truly have a direct positive impact upon society, and we believe that joining the ALF network will help us to achieve our mission. The opportunity to work and cooperate with a professional body is one that can only have positive results on our very own workings, as it can shed light on areas that we have been lacking or might have not even considered yet. Simultaneously, we might have the opportunity to strengthen our strengths even further, therefore having a valuable learning experience on both ends of the spectrum. While improving internally, joining the ALF would also help us improve externally, by expanding our reach and image. . Our work would be leveraged in quality and prestige through our participation in a globally recognised network. And that could provide EYP Cyprus with newfound opportunities that we did not have access to before due to our local public relations network, which we will have the opportunity to expand further through the help, support, and participation in the ALF network. Last but definitely not least, our main reason for wishing to join the network is the very same reason that we are working tirelessly as volunteers for EYP Cyprus: to advance our mission. The fact that the ALF and EYP Cyprus share a common vision of empowering and giving a voice to the youth is something that is very unique, as it allows for a sync of minds between two different bodies; something underappreciated in many public relation partnerships. We strongly believe that ALF, acting as an ideal model with its pan-european reach and successful operations towards empowering the youth, can allow us to learn more on all aspects of running a non-governmental youth-centred organisation. By being a part of the ALF network, we are confident that we will receive the necessary tools, support, and know-how to improve our operations and achieve our mission.