Last week from Thursday to Sunday, six students from our school attended the 1st Digital National Selection Conference of EYP CZ. We were a bit disappointed about it being digital, but we took the opportunity and attended the conference from our homes.
We got all the important information about a week before the conference so we could prepare. We filled a few questionnaires and got sorted into committees based on our committee preferences. About three days before the conference, we got an Academic Preparation Kit, so we could prepare for the session. We all used two platforms - Discord and Zoom.
On Discord, we got announcements and the organisers were arranging the session through this platform so that nothing was chaotic. They always sent us links to our Zoom meetings, either for committee work or other activities. We had our schedule so we knew when it was happening and it was very well organised, because there were no misunderstandings during the session.
We started on Thursday the 5th with an Opening Ceremony, general teambuilding, and Committee team building, which was so much fun. The first day was quite relaxed so we could get comfortable in the environment. We even had an Among Us Session and played games!
Friday the 6th was a bit more challenging. We worked in our committees and discussed our committee topics. In the evening, we had a Panel Debate about Media in 2020: Trends and challenges. There were really interesting guests such as Michal Broža (the head of the UN Information Centre in Prague), Jiří Hošek (a journalist), Roman Máca (an Analyst for the Institute for Politics and Safety) and last but not least, Radka Zídková, the editor of Aktuálně.cz.
Saturday was the most exhausting day. We did committee work all day and we had to finish our resolutions. It was supposed to be a Game Night Party, but some people, including me, couldn’t attend, because we had so much work to do to be perfectly prepared for the General Assembly. As soon as the resolution booklet came, I spent almost the whole night working on it.
The last day was the faithful General Assembly. It was the hardest and the most important part of the session. We joined a Zoom call, where there were all delegates and organizers. It was very stressful, for me it was even harder than in real life, because there was so much pressure and I didn’t have my committee by my side to support me so I had to do it alone. For some people it might be better that they weren’t frightened to talk in front of so many people, because they didn’t see them. The General Assembly was overall quite chaotic and not as organized as in real life. When the General Assembly ended, it was followed by the saddest part of EYP and that was the closing ceremony. It was very sad even though it was digital. I didn’t expect that I would cry, but a few tears dropped, because EYP is such a huge experience with indescribable spirit and it is amazing even through our devices.
As a recapitulation, I must say that it was very well organized and I really honour that the organisers dealt with this complicated situation delightfully.
Simona Melicharová, sexta B
