The different parts of a session explained (in extreme detail)

What is Icebreaking?
Preliminary Rounds start with Icebreaking – activities aimed at ‘breaking the ice’, and getting to know your fellow delegates. School delegations are divided into groups, and will be guided by a Chairperson.

What is a Chairperson?
All delegations will be assigned a Chairperson – a former delegate and an experienced EYP’er – whose task is to guide you through the day. The Chairperson aims at helping you when and wherever possible and making you feel comfortable. One of the Chairperson’s main tasks is to guide the delegations through Icebreaking and Introduction to Committee Work. During the General Assembly, the Chairperson will assist the delegations and facilitate the smooth running of the debates. Chairpersons will not give their personal opinions on the topics and resolutions – when it comes to the substance of the points, questions and speeches it is all up to you.

Do we need to study the GA procedure beforehand?
Yes. Although, the GA Procedure will be explained before the start of the first debates, it will certainly help to have a look at it beforehand. The use of placards will be properly explained too. However, should you have any queries, your Chairperson or a member of the Board is always more than willing to answer your questions.

How can I prepare for the Preliminary Rounds?
Not only do you participate as a representative of your delegation, you are a member of a team. Therefore, it is wise to meet together to prepare yourselves well in advance.

Before the sessions, it is useful to:
-    Study the Motion for a Resolution that has been assigned to your school, so as to ensure you (as a committee) are able to properly explain and defend the plans that are being proposed.
-    Study all the other Resolutions, in order to be able to participate in the open debates and make any speeches.
-    Make a division of tasks. One member of your delegation will have to:
-    Read out the Operative Clauses
-    Give a Defence Speech
-    Answer Points of Information
-    Summation speech (as an exception two members are allowed to come up     to the podium for this final speech).
Apart from that, you will be given the opportunity to respond to the points raised     during the Open Debate on a number of occasions (approximately three times). It is     often wise to decide beforehand who and in which order will be doing that.

What are the Operative Clauses?
The operative clauses are the clauses with numbers in front of them. They are the committee’s proposals, and discuss how the issues are to be addressed. The Operative Clauses are read out by one member of the committee at the beginning of each debate.

The Operative Clauses are read out in a formal style:

Dear members of the Board and fellow delegates,

The European Youth Parliament,
1.
2.
Etc.

What is a Defence Speech?
A Defence Speech is a speech of maximum three minutes, during which one delegate of the proposing committee is asked to come up to the podium and explain and defend the resolution. Creativity is the keyword; you may for example decide to apply a quote relevant to the resolution – use your imagination. Thus, the content of your Defence Speech is up to your delegation to decide. An option is to explain the problem first. What is the problem, why is there a problem? Who are the key players in this issue, and why is it such an urgent matter to be resolved? You could then continue by explaining the steps you will be taking to address the issue, i.e. explain the Operative Clauses. This however should not merely be a repetition of the Operative Clauses (they are there for everyone to read in the Resolution Booklets), instead you try to elaborate on why these actions are so adequate and how they are going to resolve the issue. Why do you believe that this set of proposals is the right way to solve the matters at hand? Once again, the speech is up to you as a delegation. The Defence Speech is prepared beforehand, however be careful not to simply read it out loud from a sheet of paper. You have to convince the General Assembly that your resolution is the right way forward, so make sure to engage your audience!

What is an Attack Speech?
After the Defence Speech, one member of a committee other than the proposing committee can make an Attack Speech of maximum three minutes. If the speech takes less than three minutes it will be possible for another committee to have a short speech to complete the remaining time (once again, this will all be explained at the session). It is not obligatory to have an Attack Speech – you can prepare an Attack Speech when you fundamentally disagree with the resolution. Each delegation, however, should aim at preparing at least one Attack Speech. The Board of the Session (who will be presiding over the debates) will give the floor to a committee. Realistically, it could happen that you have prepared a speech and are not awarded the opportunity to make it. Your efforts will not have been for nothing, as an Attack Speech provides a wealth of points for the Open Debate. You should only make an Attack Speech if you truly disagree with what is being proposed and if you want to convince the General Assembly to vote against it! The content of the speech is up to you. However, high quality Attack Speeches usually explain why the proposing (i.e. defending) committee did not rightly perceive the problem, or why the plans that are proposed are inadequate, ineffective or unrealistic. Perhaps something else is causing the problem, and has the committee failed to address the issue in a wider context. It is advisable to propose an alternative approach to the problem – constructive debates are generally the most fruitful ones!

What is the Open Debate?
The Open Debate provides every delegate with the opportunity to contribute to the debate. Any delegate who wishes so, may ask the Chairperson to raise the Committee Placard, and speak upon being recognized by the Board. For example:
-    If you want to ask the proposing committee a question,
-    If you want to make a point supporting or criticising the resolution,
-    If you want to respond to another point that has been put forward,
-    If you want to suggest an alternative solution,
-    If you want to support or criticise alternative proposals,
-    If you want to comment on something that was mentioned in the Defence Speech that you agree or disagree with,
-    If you want to comment on something that was mentioned in the Attack Speech that you agree or disagree with,
-    Anything you can think of.
If you want to speak, ask your Chairperson to raise the Committee Placard, so that the Board knows you are waiting to be recognized. Try to make sure everyone in your committee is involved and keep points short. After a number of points by other committees, the Board will return to the proposing committee, who in turn is able to respond to the points that have been put forward thus far. The Open Debate will follow this pattern approximately three to four times (at the Board’s discretion). The proposing committee has the task to the defend the plans which are proposed in the resolution. However, this can be done with some flexibility, consensus is the way forward. Please note: it is usually better to make a short point where you propose or respond to a certain solution, instead of just asking a question. This helps move the debate forward.

What is a Summation Speech?
At the end of the Open Debate, one or two delegates of the proposing committee are asked to make a three minute Summation Speech. This is to sum up the debate, and the proposing committee’s final opportunity to convince the General Assembly to vote in favour of the resolution. One or two members of the committee are allowed to speak. However, should you decide to choose for two Summation speakers, keep in mind the limited amount of time. Also, the microphone may only be passed one time. In a Summation Speech, the committee may return to some of the last points that were left unanswered in the Open Debate, give a final explanation of the Resolution, sum up the arguments that your committee has put forward to defend the resolution during the Open Debate.. In fact, you may include anything that you believe is necessary to convince the General Assembly to vote in favour. Usually, one part of the speech is prepared beforehand, while the other half of the speech is a brief recap of the Open Debate.

Voting Procedure?
Following the completion of general debate, delegates will be given the opportunity to vote on the resolution in the form of for, against and abstentions. Chairs will collect the votes. A Board member counts the votes and announces the result after the debate on the following resolution. Each student votes according to his or her own convictions. Please note: the passing/failing of a resolution will not affect the jury’s decision(s).