Session Leadership
Words of Welcome
Head Organisers
Dearest participants,
It is our utmost pleasure to welcome you to the 26th National Selection Conference of EYP CZ Ostrava 2024. We are Simona Melicharová and David Janda, and we are the Head-Organisers of this event and cannot wait to meet you all there after almost a year of its preparation!
We chose Ostrava as our hosting city not only because of its beauty and culture, but also for its great accessibility by almost all means of transport. Our session’s theme: “Harmonising culture and industry towards prosperity” resonates perfectly with the city’s unique atmosphere and rich industrial history.
Firstly, we would like to thank all the Teachers, who have supported our project, enabling Delegates to thrive beyond the confines of their school walls. Your invaluable feedback not only aids our growth but also plays a very important role in shaping our events into unforgettable experiences for every participant.
Next, we would like to thank all the Officials who have applied to be part of the Teams, contributing to the realisation of our sessions from day one. We are confident that your never-ending dedication, hard work, and continuous support will positive outcomes, ensuring that all participants thoroughly enjoy the entire event and embrace the true spirit of EYP.
Lastly, a special thank you to all Delegates. EYP offers a perfect platform for such development and more, as you will soon discover. We firmly believe that with the right motivation, determination, and thirst for knowledge, you will come to love EYP just as we have, potentially joining our ranks as officials at events throughout Europe.
You, Delegates, have already experienced an EYP Conference, either RSC Plzeň, or RSC Olomouc, where you had your first encounter with the concept of EYP, along with meeting new friends and making many memories. Participating at the National Selection Conference will open you the door to the EYP world! From now on, you will have the opportunities to participate in numerous interesting events and discover what EYP has to offer.
Thank you all so much for being a part of the session and bringing this project from into reality. We cannot wait to see you in Ostrava in person, and afterwards somewhere else in Europe!
Simona Melicharová (CZ) & David Janda (CZ)
Head Organisers of the 26th National Selection Conference of EYP CZ Ostrava 2024
President of EYP CZ
Dearest participants,
it is my pleasure to once again welcome you to one of our flagship events – this time, the 26th National Selection Conference of EYP CZ Ostrava 2024!
Whether you are a Delegate, Official or Teacher, I am more than grateful that you have decided to participate in this wonderful event and seize the opportunity to work both on yourself and the prosperity of our society. At this point, I believe the majority of you are aware of the essence of EYP – we try to create a welcoming, safe and stimulating environment which creates a platform for young people to discuss pressing issues of today’s world. But at the same we are a community of friends who enjoy spending meaningful time together, working on projects which make a difference.
For you, Delegates, this Conference may become the opening door for your active participation in EYP. Upon attending this event, some of you will have the opportunity to become active members of EYP CZ with the possibility to become Officials at sessions both in the Czech Republic and abroad. At the same time, you will have the chance to participate in the internal working processes of EYP CZ – as a coordinator and potentially also a Head Organiser or Board Member. The opportunities are endless, and it is only your choice whether you decide to take them.
For you, Officials, I am happy to see that you have decided to come to our National Committee – whether this is your first time, or you are a seasoned EYP CZ visitor. It is always a pleasure to see such a high interest in our projects and I can only assure you that EYP CZ is more than happy to welcome you with open arms whenever you decide to apply.
And last, but certainly not least, for you Teachers, my message sounds: Thank you for bringing these opportunities to your students. For uplifting them, supporting them and engaging them in activities which may be difficult to defend or justify in front of other colleagues, but which make sense for your students in the long run. Thank you for supporting our organisation – whether you have been with us for several years, or you are a newcomer – as without you, we would not have been here in the first place. We hope that the effort you invest into supporting us returns with a high interest rate and we wish the collaboration between your school and us only flourishes further.
Dear participants, I wish you all a memorable and inspiring event and I look forward to meeting you all soon in Ostrava!
Yours faithfully,
Michaela Nguyenová (CZ)
President of EYP CZ
Session President
Dearest participants,
It is my utmost pleasure to welcome you to the National Selection Conference in Ostrava 2024. On behalf of the entire Academic Team, I want to express my genuine excitement to meet and get to know every single one of the many participants at this event – some less and some perhaps more – but everyone at least a little bit.
The motto of my home National Committee, EYP Czech Republic, is “You can’t explain it, you have to live it” (“To nejde vysvětlit, to musíš zažít!”) and after 8 years of “living” in this organisation, I couldn’t agree more. Whether this will be your first contact with EYP or the thirtieth, it doesn’t really matter. You won’t be able to explain to your parents or non-EYP friends what you actually did for that one week in the spring of 2024. Nevertheless, I hope the experience will be worth it. And I hope that you will try your best to make it valuable for yourself in whatever way you deem right.
As you may know, the Academic Team and, perhaps, most importantly the Chairpersons will be providing the foundational guidance for the academic output of the event. While it is important to me that you engage with the session’s topics, I would encourage you to do so in any manner that you deem important to your specific interests and wishes. Controversially, even as a university student of a heavily technical topic and self-proclaimed academic enthusiast, I believe that the value of learning in EYP predominantly comes from understanding broader societal contexts and consequences rather than the “core” academics.
With that being said, I want to emphasise that besides the formal and serious aspects of our sessions, EYP also focuses on having fun and creating genuine bonds with many people. Some may quite unexpectedly become your closest friends or future partners. Others will move on to be successful politicians and scientists. Some may just become regular, happy people who you invite for tea every so often. Regardless though, I can only speak for myself when I say that EYP has allowed me to get my first job(s), my most valued skills and a passion for discussion.
For those, and many more reasons, if I was given the opportunity, I would not even hesitate to experience EYP all over again. I hope that you will come to the same conclusion looking back on your time in this organisation, whether it only lasts for one session or for many, many years to come.
Yours truly,
Michaela Králová (CZ)
President of the 26th National Selection Conference of EYP CZ in Ostrava 2024
Editors of the Session
Dear Participants,
We extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you, and we hope you are as excited as we are for the upcoming event. Preparing for Ostrava, we are reminded of our first Regional Conference as Delegates—a cherished memory that we hold dear. Our wish is that you, too, will create lasting memories.
We are delighted to share that we will be serving as Editors of the session, leading the Media Team for the National Selection Conference. This role entails the coordination of a talented Team of Journalists who will capture the essence of our experiences and share them across the EYP network.
In the age of social media, every snapshot and post hold the potential to become a lasting memory. We encourage you to seize this opportunity, as these photos may very well make excellent profile pictures and captivating Instagram posts.
From our experiences as Delegates, the Media Team has always offered us a nice and complementary alternative to the academic nature of EYP. We wholeheartedly recommend that you engage with the exciting projects our team will be undertaking.
Throughout the event, feel free to approach us and say hello. We’ll be the ones holding cameras. If you have any cool media ideas, we would love to hear them. Your creativity and input are highly valued.
Let’s make the 26th National Selection Conference of EYP CZ Ostrava 2024 an unforgettable experience together. Safe travels, and we look forward to meeting each one of you.
Warm wishes from Germany,
Xeniya and Stefan
Editors of the 26th National Selection Conference of EYP CZ in Ostrava 2024
Head of Jury
Dear all,
I’m feeling both nervous and excited to join you all on this journey and I promise I will keep these Words of Welcome short.
Some people might be confused by the role of the Jury Team. What is their purpose and why are they even here? You don’t see them do much of anything really, they just sit there, drink coffee, look at you weirdly, pretend to pay attention and judge you more than Judge Judy. This is all true, but only partly. We as jury do have an important role. As part of the Conference implies, we are here to ensure that the whole selection process is transparent, unbiased, fair and square and without any prejudice. And in case you actually have read these Words of Welcome, I thank you and when we meet at the conference, tell me your favourite song, because I always need new songs in my playlist. I hope you will enjoy this conference to its full potential.
I wish you good luck and see you soon in person in beautiful Ostrava.
Filip Jiroušek (CZ)
Head of Jury of the 26th National Selection Conference of EYP CZ in Ostrava 2024