September 23, 2024

The EYP Presidents’ Summit 2024 took place in Kraków last weekend!

After a two year break, young leaders gathered for this essential capacity building event. Hosted by EYP Poland with the support of the International Office of the EYP, the event took place in the historic city of Kraków, Poland.

From 19th – 22nd September 2024, the summit brought together 35 participants, among them 19 Presidents of the National Committees. The Presidents are the volunteer leaders of these youth organisations, typically elected for one year and in charge of leading the board as well as overseeing the EYP activities taking place in their country overall.

The aim of the event was to empower the Presidents by providing them a platform for the exchange of ideas and best practices, while also fostering future cooperation.

This year’s Presidents’ Summit, hosted by EYP Poland, focused on a variety of key topics such as youth participation, cross-border-cooperation, and organisational strategy through workshops and moderated discussion spaces. The facilitators, Alonso Císcar Taulet (ES) and Julia Waligóra (PL), guided the Presidents through in-depth discussions and reflections on the different challenges faced by Presidents in different contexts.

The Presidents also received inputs from several guest speakers, prompting new insights and inspiring discussions on the potential for change in the network. The event was officially kickstarted on Friday morning with a powerful opening speech from Ms. Zsuzsanna Kiràly, Deputy Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI), a crucial partner of the event. Ms. Kiràly’s input walked Presidents through the history of the CEI, emphasising the importance of European integration and youth participation in shaping the future. Her message of cross-border collaboration resonated deeply with the participants.

In addition, Ms. Kristina Chelmakina, a facilitator of the next edition of the Rebuild Ukraine Ambassadors Programme, shared insights on the need for resilient leaders in times of crisis.

“Youth associations such as EYP might be among the CEI’s key partners in pursuing its mission and priorities in the youth sector.”

MS. ZSUZSANNA KIRÀLY, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL OF CEI.

Throughout the event, a number of topics emerged as central issues, encouraging the Presidents to dive deeper. Best practices for interacting with other civil society organisations and empowering young members to take active roles in political activities stood out as priorities. As discussions evolved, Presidents began forming action plans for cooperation between EYP National Committees in different countries.

“One of the most valuable topics that we covered during the event was about regional cooperation. There are many different approaches to enhancing multicultural understanding and tolerance through the collaboration of youth organisations, just like our National Committees work together.”

MATEJ BOJIĆ (RS), PRESIDENT OF EYP SERBIA.

Each day concluded with reflection sessions , where participants discussed plans for the future and how their takeaways should be shared with the wider EYP network. A key outcome was the decision to create a comprehensive event summary for the upcoming Board of National Committees and those who couldn’t attend, as well as a commitment to regular meetings for the EYP Presidents’ Network. This ensures that the momentum gained in Kraków continues to build, with shared knowledge and cooperation driving the network forward. The event was supported by the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the FOCUS project of the European Union.

“As the President of a small National Committee, this event allowed me to connect with and gain knowledge from Presidents of National Committees that are bigger and more established than my own.”

KARIN PUST (SI), PRESIDENT OF EYP SLOVENIA.

Insights from the event will be published on our social media channels and on our website in the weeks to come.

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