Dearest Teachers, Officials and Delegates, 

It is our utmost pleasure to welcome you to the 13. Regional Selection Conference of EYP CZ Plzeň 2023. We are Adam Kindl and Karel Hynek, 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 Plzeň 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: “Seeking inspiration in the heart of Europe” resonates perfectly with the city’s unique atmosphere and rich history. Because of this, the main focus of our session will be humanitarian topics, such as human and civil rights, sustainable development or environment.  

Firstly, we would like to thank all Teachers, for supporting our projects and allowing the Delegates to improve outside the walls of their schools. Your valuable feedback helps us to grow even further and to shape our events into unforgettable experiences for all participants.  

Secondly, we would like to thank all the Officials for applying to either one of the Teams helping us to bring our Sessions to life from day one. We are more than certain your hard work, determination and never-ending support will bear fruit during the session, allowing all participants to enjoy themselves during the entire event and experience the true EYP spirit.  

And lastly, we would like to encourage all of you, the Delegates, to step out of your comfort zone and develop yourself. EYP is the perfect opportunity for that and much more, as you will soon find out. We believe that with the right amount of motivation, single-mindedness and hunger for knowledge you will fall in love with EYP, just as we did, and soon join our ranks as Officials at events all around Europe. 

Thank you all so much for being a part of the session and bringing this crazy project from our dreams into reality. We cannot wait to see you in Plzeň in person, and afterwards somewhere else in Europe!

Karel Hynek (CZ) and Adam Kindl (CZ)

Dear participants,  

On behalf of the Board of the European Youth Parliament CZ, it is my genuine honour to give you a warm welcome to the 13th Regional Selection Conference of EYP CZ Plzeň 2023!  

In EYP CZ, our priority is to create a safe, welcoming and stimulating space where young people can not only develop themselves, but also the world they live in. We create a platform for open-minded, tolerant and idea-inducing discussion. We provide students with the opportunity to participate in intercultural dialogue and motivate them to become active citizens who are not indifferent to how the world around them is developing. All of our events are organised by young people for young people – every day, tens of volunteers work hard in their free time to bring our projects to life and to create these opportunities that they have once experienced for you.   

After 11 months of hard work, we are finally getting to the point where the event is truly taking its first breath – it is finally welcomed with the presence of its participants. Whether you are a delegate, official or a teacher, your participation at this conference is of utmost importance – without you, dearest participants, the event would not have any purpose.  

To our delegates, please remain open-minded and try to experience everything that EYP CZ can offer you. When you first encounter the surface of EYP, you are given the impression that our main added value is the possibility to travel to conferences, learn the English language and meet new people. But believe me, the true long-term impact of EYP is much deeper. We are a tightly-knit international community of young active people who support each other in our individual learning paths. But most importantly, EYP creates deep and long-term friendships that cross international borders – as long as you allow it to. So, embrace the opportunities, face the challenges and simply allow EYP do its magic.   

To our officials, thank you for applying to our session and congratulations for being selected! Whether this is your first time in EYP CZ, or you are a well-seasoned EYP CZ visitor, we welcome you with open arms and truly hope that our NC provides you with a memorable experience. We hope that this event meets all of your expectations and that it teaches you all of the things you want to be taught. And most importantly, we hope that we bring you the true EYP spirit – the friendships, the happy memories, but also the struggles that in turn develop into learning lessons. We have all been in the shoes of delegates – quite confused, overwhelmed with new information and tired from the sudden high workload, yet somehow really excited and stoked to experience all these new things. So, I encourage you – let’s make the event as welcoming, exciting and memorable for the delegates. Let’s give them the spark that initially started our own EYP journeys. 

And last but certainly not least, to our teachers. Whether this is your first time attending an EYP CZ conference or you have been with us for several years, I am very grateful for your active participation and for all your work. Without you, we would not be able to bring the conference to the students. In fact, without you, EYP CZ would not exist at all. It has been 25 years since Jiřina Vitásková, an English teacher from Prague, founded EYP CZ in 1998. We are happy that even after all these years, we have been able to preserve the tradition and that with your help, we are continuing to create a platform for safe, open and tolerant discussions about topical issues. We hope that this tradition stays for many years to come and that our cooperation only flourishes. 

Dearest participants, I wish you all a memorable and inspiring event. I am looking forward to meeting you all soon in Plzeň!  

Yours faithfully,  

Michaela Nguyenová 

Dearest Teachers, Officials and Delegates,

It is my utmost pleasure to welcome you all to Plzeň 2023 – 13th Regional Selection Conference of EYP CZ this November! My name is Markel Kerejeta, and I have the honour to be the President of the session!

Plzeň is a beautiful city, full of history and culture, but also full of life and endless possibilities for the youth, which is why I cannot think of a better city to host this event. Under the theme ‘Seeking inspiration in the heart of Europe’, several topics that cover current issues such as culture, employment, and human rights, among many others, will be discussed, aiming to inspire young Europeans from the not-only-geographical centre of the continent.

To the delegates, welcome to EYP! During Plzeň, you will experience new things, discuss topics you usually do not discuss, and meet so many people from all over the Czech Republic (and Europe!). Surprisingly, at the same time, you will be able to see sides of yourself that were always there that you had not been able to see before. It is easy to say it from my position, but do not be scared! You already took the step to attend the conference, and I am now asking you to not be scared to open up, learn new things, and make mistakes! EYP is the perfect platform to not be perfect, and I hope that Plzeň 2023, as your first ever EYP event, changes your life the same way my first ever EYP event did years ago!

To the officials, thank you for joining us! We always —rightfully— thank and appreciate the work of the leadership, but we would not exist if it were not for all the hard work organisers, chairpersons, media team members put into every aspect of the session, from the pre-session to after the event. You are the ones who work the closest to the delegates, the ones they can relate the most to, and who they will want to become in the near future. I also want to mention the role of jury members and event safe persons, as crucial positions that facilitate the growth of the delegates as individuals and EYPers. I cannot wait to meet you all and enjoy a fruitful event with every single one of you!

To the teachers, lastly, thank you for trusting us! While I do not know how EYP CZ works internally, I am very much aware of all the work, effort, and especially passion many of you put into encouraging your students to step outside of their comfort zone and participate in projects such as EYP. We always talk about how EYP is from and for the youth, which is very true, and makes it as great as it is! But EYP would not exist if it were not for the drive and help of many engaged and extremely enthusiastic teachers all over Europe.

I am eager to meet everyone and seek inspiration from each and everyone of you in Plzeň, the heart of Europe!

All the best,

Markel Kerejeta (ES)

Dear participants,

I’m thrilled to be the Editor for this EYP session! Our journey together promises creativity, professionalism, and a lot of fun. I eagerly welcome each one of you to contribute your unique spark to our Media Team. Let’s craft exceptional stories, learn, and grow while having an unforgettable time. Get ready for an amazing session filled with creativity and camaraderie!

Best,

Egzon Musliu (XK)

Dear participants,

It is my utmost pleasure to welcome you to the 13^th Regional Selection Conference of EYP CZ Plzeň 2023. My name is Kuba and I am the Head of Jury at this session. As the theme of the session revolves around inspiration, I hope that every participant finds what drives them and is able to get inspired to become the best version of themselves, be it even only for the few days of the session. Even though EYP may sometimes feel like an overwhelming experience, I wish you that you take away amazing memories and take those on your further EYP journey.

Although the Jury is often perceived as a daunting presence not only for the Delegates, one of our goals for Plzeň is to change this view and hopefully bring our team closer to everyone. Additionally, we would like to take the attention away from the selection process, because we believe that it does not matter if you are selected, if you enjoy EYP and you want to participate, you will find a way regardless.

To conclude the welcoming round, I am looking forward to seeing your lovely faces and hopefully contributing to the amazing experience that Plzeň  is almost certainly going to be.

Yours sincerely,

Kuba Rech (CZ/SI)