Organising Team of Istanbul 2012 gathered in Taksim between 3 – 5 February 2012 for the third and final Organising Weekend prior to the session.  Members of the Organising Team had the chance to spend three full days for last preparations, presentations, discussions and sub-team meetings at the Opening Ceremony venue of the session, Bahçeşehir University.

The weekend-long meeting kicked off with general updates by the sub-teams and short discussions on the progress made. Some time was also spared for further teambuilding exercises as well as the recording of the next Organising Team video. The final day of the weekend proved to be a great opportunity to already start working on the Organising Team Master Plan for the session, as well as the final invitation booklet and participation forms which shall be in the participants’ inboxes later this week.

Cheered up by the giant 69 signs and session pens that have just arrived, the Organising Team is growing more and more excited for the session with each passing day. Check out our Flickr and Facebook pages for pictures from the weekend, and stay tuned for more updates!

Members of the Press Room will be required to arrive in Istanbul one or two days prior to the start of the session in order to prepare for the session. Departures are on Sunday 1st April.

The overall team will present a cohesive and suitable balance of nationality, gender and levels of experience. Applicants should be aware that failure to be selected is not a reflection on their talent or ability. The selection panel will consider first the individuals who have applied for the position.

The Panel will consist of the Past Session Editors (James Benge and Ned Kaar), the Session Editor (Monica Moisin), and a member of the Governing Body (Martin Getz).

Selection criteria and details on how to apply can be found in the call document. Please click here to view the call document.

The selection panel, composed of Ruben Wagenaar (Session President), Anna O’Leary (past Session President), Robert Torvelainen (GB Member) and Hadrien Segond (silent member), has convened and unanimously selected the following alumni to cover the roles of Vice-Presidents, Chairs and Editor at the 69th International Session to be held in Istanbul in March 2012:

Bentley Yaffe (Vice-President, TR), Chris Hall (Vice-President, UK), Kerstin Mathias (Vice-President, DE), Adriana Diaz (ES), Alexandre Narayanin (FR), Andrea Stagni (IT), Hanna Ollinen (FI), James Benge (UK), Jorg Körner (DE), Maite Karssenberg (NL), Marius Aure (NO), Schima Labitsch (AT), Valentina Mina (CY), Valeriia Cherednichenko (UA), Veronica Gleizer (SE), and Monica Bota Moisin (Editor, RO).

Please click here visit the Board & Chairs’ Team page.

Please click here to view the selection report by the panel.

Istanbul 2012 Organising Team congratulates and welcomes all selected applicants and thanks the entire EYP community for the great interest shown in the session.

Turkish Airlines is now the official airline of İstanbul 2012 – 69^th International Session of the European Youth Parliament.

As part of the cooperation agreement between Turkish Airlines and EYP Turkey, all participants of the 69^th International Session of the European Youth Parliament in Istanbul will be offered special discounts up to 20% on Business Class and up to 15% on Economy Class.

Participants planning to travel to the 69^th International Session of the EYP via Turkish Alirlines can purchase their discounted tickets from any Turkish Airlines Sales Office with their final invitation letters. For a list of Turkish Airlines Sales Offices, please click here.

The 69th International Session of the EYP will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from 23rd March to 1st April 2012. We are now looking for Chairpersons, Editors and Vice-Presidents for the Session!

Chairpersons have a significant responsibility in the success of the session and we would be delighted, if you were interested in playing a key role in making Istanbul 2012 an unforgettable and successful event for the session’s participants, EYP Turkey and EYP-SF.

Chairpersons will be required to arrive in Istanbul one or two days prior to the start of the session in order to attend chairs’ training. Departures are on Sunday 1st April. Additionally, please note that in preparation for the session Chairpersons are required to attend the Chairpersons’ Academic Training (CAT), which will take place in Berlin or Istanbul on 27th-29th January 2012. The programme for the training starts on the afternoon of Friday, thus the chairs need to arrive in by 12am on Friday. Attendance at the CAT is an integral part of a chair’s responsibilities and expenses for the meeting will be covered by EYP-SF.

The Selection Panel is composed of Robert Torvelainen (Member of the Governing Body), Anna O’Leary (Past Session President) and Ruben Wagenaar (Session President). For more details on the skills and selection criteria the panel will be working with, see the document below.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 14^th December 23:59 CET. The applications are to be filled at the alumni portal – see event for Istanbul 2012 here.

The call document can be found here.

The 2nd Organising Weekend of Istanbul 2012 has just taken place! The devoted team of Organisers convened in Taksim, the heart of Istanbul, to spend the weekend together. The three-day gathering between 4 – 6 November has been a perfect combination of hard work and fun, much like the very precious ten days the team has been joyfully working on for months.

With the actualisation of the creative ideas flowing through the organisers’ brilliant minds, you will be kept updated about all aspects of the organising process. Keep checking our website, Facebook and Twitter pages for various surprises!

Launched on Thursday 22 September 2011, the official website of Istanbul 2012 attracted 319 visitors from 103 cities in 35 countries, and reached 1598 pageviews within the first 24 hours!

According to the statistics, each new visitor spent an average of 5 minutes and 49 seconds on the website. The first visitor to reach the Istanbul 2012 website through a search engine had searched “istanbul session 2011 eyp teachers programme”. It should also be noted that 93.95% of the first day visitors were directed to the website from Facebook.

Five pages that have been visited the most during the first 24 hours are: Home, President, Organisers, News, and Venues. Top five countries with the most number of visitors have been: Turkey (53), Germany (47), the Netherlands (21), Sweden (21), and United Kingdom (19). Five cities with the most number of visitors, on the other hand, have been: Istanbul (46), Stockholm (19), Vienna (16), Berlin (13), and London (9).

Organising Team of Istanbul 2012 is delighted to have such strong interest shown in the session at this stage and would like to thank all visitors and supporters. During the months leading up to the session, the website will always welcome you with the most up to date information and news. So, do make sure to come back!

The Presidential Selection Panel for Istanbul 2012 composed of Oğulcan Torun as representative of the National Organising Committee, Richard Royal as a previous Session President and Helya Houshmand as representative of the Governing Body, in accordance with the selection policy and criteria laid down by the GB has, following its deliberations on the basis of the person specifications for the position of a President at an International Session, unanimously decided to appoint Ruben Wagenaar from the Netherlands to preside the session.

Ruben is an exceptional EYPer with vast experience and a very long record of involvement in the organisation. He has also previously worked with the Turkish National Committee, having presided the 5th International Istanbul Youth Forum in May 2010. The Organising Team welcomes Ruben and expresses its belief that with him onboard, the session now promises to be even more successful than before!

The Organising Team of Istanbul 2012 convened in Istanbul between 9 – 11 September 2011 for their first Organising Weekend, three days full of teambuilding, presentations, meetings, and preparations. The Weekend served as a great opportunity to get to know all team members, and kick off the active organising phase of the session preparations.

The Istanbul 2012 Organising Team consists of five sub-teams and 25 members in total. Having granted to organise the 69th International Session of the EYP in Istanbul already in September 2010, Head Organisers Ezgi Teksoy and Oğulcan Torun had been working on the event together with a Core Team composed of İrem Tümer, Anıl Eryılmaz, Kübra Kundak, Furkan Taşel, Esma Cansu Çevik, Ekin Arslan and Larissa Akçetin for the past year. In August 2011, the remaining 16 members have been selected from a large pool of EYP Turkey alumni, and the Organising Team has been finalised.

The Organising Weekend that took place earlier this month also marks the beginning of a number of pre-session Organising Team gatherings. Sub-teams will convene seperately in early October, and the entire Organising Team will come together again for their second Organising Weekend between 4 – 6 November 2011.

Make sure to check our Flickr account for pictures from the 1st Organising Weekend and stay tuned for more updates!

The new website of Istanbul 2012 – 69th International Session of the EYP is now up and running!

The website has finally been launched with an elegant look, rich content and features that enable finding what you’re looking for quickly and easily.

Over the coming weeks, a Turkish language option will be added, while some of the pages which are still under construction will be finalised. In the meantime, enjoy our new website and use the contacts page to share any comments or suggestions you may have.

Yours,
The Istanbul 2012 Team