What roles do participants take at a session?

The European Youth Parliament’s (EYP) main event format is called “sessions” where young people from all over Europe get together. All of the networks’ sessions are run by volunteers who take up different roles during the event. What does such a role entail and what main responsibilities come with them?

Delegates

Delegates are the biggest group of participants at a session. They give the session a purpose and anchor point. They get to know each other during teambuilding, discuss current sociopolitical issue in committee work and debate their suggestions also called resolutions during the General Assembly. Find out more about the EYP session concept here.

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  Organisers

  Organisers are volunteers usually from the country the session takes place in who make sure the event logistics run smoothly and the participants’ needs are met. Their team is usually led by one or more Head Organisers who are often more experienced alumni of the network. Their work starts a few months before the session starts with for instance organising conference venues, talking to catering companies or setting up microphones for an Open Stage night.

  • Media Team Members

    The Media Team is led by one or two Editors and captures the session in a variety of different formats. From visual output such as photos or session videos, to printed magazines and leaflets, the media team members document the progress of the event in a variety of formats. Often times media teams also provide background information on the discussion topics for the delegates to offer a wider perspective on the session theme and topics. The social media channels of a session are often run by the media team using them as a platform where they relate to people not present at the event and present the highlights and main discussion points from the session days.

    • Chairpersons

      The Chairpersons are the committee leaders and facilitate the work of the group. Before the session starts, the chairperson(s) of a committee focus on providing the committee with an overview over the issue they will discuss later on. At the session, they guide the committee and its delegates through the different stages of the programme. From planning teambuilding games, moderating committee work to organising the speech list for the General Assembly at the end of the session, the chairperson is with the delegates every step of the way.

      • Board

        The Board of a session consists of one President and multiple Vice Presidents. They are responsible for the preparation of the discussion topics before and during the session. Coordinating with other team leaders as well as passing on their knowledge regarding group dynamics or committee work to the Chairs Team through a training also goes in their tasks during the session. The President and Vice Presidents are often very experienced alumni in the network that then lead the discussions during the General Assembly.